Author Description

Architectural, industrial, and graphic design in the United States from the 1950s through to the 1970s - generally known as Mid-century Modern - is now perceived as a golden era, with artists such as Charles and Ray Eames, Eero Saarinen, and Eliot Noyes having become household names. This volume looks at the relationship between these designers and the companies who employed them, highlighting the political, social and cultural circumstances in which seminal design icons such as the Selectric Typewriter for IBM and the distinctive Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Company logo were created. It not only reveals why corporations during this post WWII period needed graphic, industrial and architectural designers more than ever before, but also why designers felt ambivalent about their work for these large businesses. In doing so, it sheds new light on the changing self-image of the designer and on these famous midcentury graphic, product, and furniture designs. Full colour throughout, this volume is richly illustrated with fascinating archival photography, concept sketches and beautiful illustrations of the logos, products and buildings designed for the companies. The first three essays set the designers, their work and the corporations within their cultural and political context, while the final essay examines the tremendous contribution made by Stanford University's innovative Product Design programme founded in 1958, which combines engineering, art and creative problem solving.