The Story of Design

Abstract

Writing a general history of design is a challenge which has been approached in a number of ways over the years, from Adrian Forty’s episodic Objects of Desire (Pantheon Books, New York, 1986), to Alice Rawsthorn’s recent issue-oriented Hello World (Hamish Hamilton, London, 2013). Running to 500 crown quarto pages, The Story of Design is a lavishly illustrated book, which makes some ambitious claims towards comprehensiveness in both press release and back cover. Laid out in a clear and readable manner, it displays good quality paper and binding, a no-nonsense table of contents, and a two-column layout which balances text and image throughout in a varied and engaging manner. Almost every page is illustrated, ranging from quarter to double page spreads, and these illustrations form a lively visual discussion alongside and in dialogue with the text, particularly as they represent a selection of images beyond the obvious ‘beauty shots’ of products on white backgrounds. They include a number of drawings (such as engravings, technical, patent and catalogue drawings), and contemporary photographs and advertisements, as well as ancillary material such as ergonomic diagrams and original covers of influential books and magazines.