The Story of Design: From the Paleolithic to the Present

by Charlotte Fiell, Peter Fiell

Overview

Encompassing the fields of architecture, graphics, industrial design, and interior design, this definitive account surveys design from the prehistoric era and the ancient world, through the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution and Modern Movement, to our own digital era.

Design is the story of how all man-made things came into being; its history is as long as the history of humanity. A multidisciplinary approach to problem solving that has always uniquely reflected humankind’s aspirations, needs, and desires, design has both shaped and mirrored the spirit of our times.

The Story of Design is a multifaceted account that is truly comprehensive in its scope, introducing the styles, movements, theories, materials, processes, technologies, pioneers, and companies that have shaped every significant era of design. Contextualizing developments in design with regard to wider social, cultural, and political concerns, this is an indispensable overview of creative enterprise in the pursuit of more useful, more beautiful, more effective objects, tools, and products.

Through authoritative text, careful analysis, and hundreds of exquisite illustrations leading authorities Charlotte and Peter Fiell uncover the real importance of this unique yet all-encompassing creative activity, and assess its crucial role in the future of society.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780594091998
Publisher:	The Monacelli Press
Publication date:	10/25/2016
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	9.70(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Charlotte and Peter Fiell are leading authorities on the history, theory and criticism of design and have written over fifty books on the subject. Charlotte studied at the British Institute in Florence and at Camberwell College of Arts (UAL), London, where she studied the History of Drawing and Printmaking with Material Science. She later trained at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London, where Peter had also previously studied. In the late 1980s the Fiells opened a design gallery in London’s King’s Road and through this acquired a rare hands-on knowledge of modern design. In 1991, the Fiell’s first book Modern Furniture Classics since 1945 was published to widespread acclaim. Shortly afterward, Peter received an MA in Design Studies from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design (UAL), London, and the Fiells decided to concentrate exclusively on communicating design more widely through authorship, curation, and teaching. From 1993 to 2007, they were the Editors-in-Charge of design books at Taschen, and subsequently established their own design-led imprint in 2008, which later merged with the Carlton Publishing Group. In 2013 they moved to Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, drawn by its associations with the British Arts and Crafts Movement, and where they continue to work as freelance authors, editors, and publishing consultants, as well as working increasingly within the realm of design legacy management.

Editorial Reviews

12/01/2016
British design writers and editors (Design of the 20th Century; Decorative Art 50s) Charlotte and Peter Fiell boldly take an overview of "conception and planning of all man-made things"—except clothing—through the ages. Beginning with primeval tools chipped from stones, the text moves chronologically to ancient production of items such as bricks, weapons, and lamps. Much of this book actually outlines European and American arts movements of the last three centuries, highlighting artists, architects, designers, and educators. The authors note milestones such as standardized production, pioneering industrial design, and mass production on the Ford assembly line. Two chapters reveal the crucial role of design in war material, and the Fiells often link design trends to economic and social conditions. There is some discussion of planned obsolescence, biomimicry, and upcycling in a circular economy. The authors call for design education to reduce the wasteful demand for shoddy goods. Hundreds of illustrations include rare views inside operating workshops and factories. VERDICT The authors did well covering such a vast topic, though material on recent Asian trends would have been welcome. This impressive effort should attract readers interested in design and many fields that rely on design.—David R. Conn, formerly with Surrey Libs., BC

Library Journal