Synopsis
The Design Encyclopedia is a compendium of the world of modern design over the last century and a half. Compiled from a number of primary and secondary sources by the American author and design historian Mel Byers, in consultation with an international team of design experts, this illustrated design reference guide provides the essential framework for a field that continues to generate intense interest worldwide.
In this volume are all the essential facts pertaining to modern design: furniture and product design, graphic design, objects designed by architects, and the various styles and schools of design of the late nineteenth, twentieth, and early twenty-first centuries. With 832 pages and more than 700 full-color illustrations presenting the last 130 years in the history of the design of furniture, lighting, fabrics, ceramics, glassware, metalware, objects in a range of other materials, and mechanical, electrical, and electronic appliances, as well as automobiles and some inventions, this essential reference supplants Mr. Byers's earlier overview of the history of design, published in 1994. It is, however, not merely larger than its predecessor but more comprehensive, easier to navigate, and keenly focused.
Here design is considered in terms of its concrete application to functional objects, relating it to craft, decorative arts, and industrial design but distinguishing it from fine art and theory. There are separate entries for designers and craftspeople, design studios, consortiums and partnerships, noteworthy manufacturers, significant historical periods and styles, and materials. The various discrete entries are organized alphabetically, and are cross-referenced where applicable. Most of the full-color illustrations are drawn from the world-renowned design collection of The Museum of Modern Art; the remainder are drawn from the Quittenbaum Kunstauktionen in Munich and Hamburg. This invaluable publication is the one essential guide for the design professional, the student, and the interested observer of design in our time.
From the Author
Description of contents and author1s process
With over 4,000 entries, this reference work is the most comprehensive design reference guide in English to date. As the author, I compiled the book alone using a vast amount of reference materials (books, articles, directories, etc.) in my own library as well as the library of the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum in New York and took advantage of the advice, criticism, and scrutiny of seven international design authorities. The Encyclopedia is exceptional in that works of this scope usually feature individual entries written by a large number of different scholars who specialize in discrete areas. For my own preparation of this volume, I gathered information from literature in 5 languages and wrote for an average of 8 hours a day, every day for 4 1/2 years. The entries focus on designers, firms, materials, groups, and movements in Western and Eastern Europe, North and South America, Australia, and Japan, beginning in the late 1800s and continuing through to today. Designer entries include both legendary names and lesser-known figures, with dates, biographies, details of design education, major works, exhibitions, awards, and bibliography. With detailed information on furniture, textiles, glass, metalware, and products in other media, The Design Encyclopedia will hopefully prove to be an invaluable resource. Questions and comments are welcomed.
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