1999-2009 A Hertzian Decade

Abstract

This new feature in Journal of Design History has been prompted by the thirtieth anniversary of the founding of the Design History Society in recognition of the emergence of design history as a discrete academic discipline. The feature has two aims. First, to reassess and evaluate writing on the history of design. It will reconsider the texts that influenced the pioneers of design history, as well as the books by those early pioneers who emerged after the founding of the discipline of design history. This will include the influence and impact of writing from cognate fields – for example, from anthropology, ethnography, literary criticism, geography – on the development of the discipline. Second, it will re-appraise texts on the practice of design that have become part of the history of design. For example, a future review will look at Victor Papanek’s Design for the Real World (Pantheon Books, 1971). We thus invite suggestions from contributors for this feature. Enquiries should be addressed to the book reviews editor. Deborah Sugg Ryan