'The industrialized designer'

The industrialized designer explores what it means to be called an industrial designer, tracing the remarkable rise of this professional identity from a position of anonymity in the early twentieth century, through mid-century professionalisation, to its decline and disintegration by 1980.

Drawing on extensive, original archival research, this book uncovers the history of a profession in a state of re-invention from 1930 to 1980 in Britain and the United States. It challenges assumptions about the relationship between the professions in these two countries, bringing them into a comparative historical perspective for the first time.

The gendered dynamics of professionalisation and their interaction with the representation of the heroic male designer are examined critically. By building on new gender perspectives regarding the history of the industrial design profession, the book advocates for a re-examination of the limits and boundaries that define professional identity and work.