I won’t lie…if you’re not seriously interested in a deep dive into the history of Industrial Design I would do as I did as a mediocre design student and cruise through the assigned chapters of this reading and put it down for a few decades. But, if you can press through the long winded oratory laid out by Eastlake, Morris and John Ruskin to summit the 19th century, you’ll be surprised at the inspiration gained.
You land smoothly in the roaring 20’s where America seriously lucks out with cool cats like Raymond Loewey and Henry Dryfuss setting up the entire foundation of the industrial design profession. Meanwhile Bauhaus luminaries fly in to start showing off while local heroes like Frank Lloyd Wright and “The Raven” aka Le Corbusier battle it out to define literary everything else that isn’t hand held.
Then, in a stunning twist, the depression hits, war breaks out and everyone goes broke. But never fear! Like some sort of miracle, Charles and Ray Eames stumble out of small apartment in LA wearing funny hats and start schooling the whole lot on how bring the whole country back together using steam bent plywood and everyone is happy again. In the end of the book, household names like Dieter Rams and Don Norman chime in to send you home smiling, reminding us that common sense and simplicity remain the best plan in any case. I closed the book eager to keep learning and ready to make the world a better place. A great book!
