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The Definitive Visual History
Design: The Definitive Visual Guide
Celebrate the history of design with this stunning visual guide
What makes a truly good design? This comprehensive reference guide explores the evolution of design through the key designers, manufacturers, objects and the movements they inspired - from the Arts and Craft movement to the digital age.
Design is all around us, from the chairs we use at work, to the crockery we eat on and the cars we drive. The pages of this book are packed with fabulous images of objects, technology, prints, buildings, and interiors that will help you explore the fascinating history of design movements, illustrating how and why different styles emerged and became popular.
Explore the big historical moments in design such as the Art Nouveau, Art Deco, mid-century modern and contemporary movements. This reference book will show you how each one began, its philosophy, and its visual style. This volume also includes all of the great names and manufacturers who have influenced the field of design such as William Morris, the Bauhaus, Alvar Aalto, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Vitra in extraordinary detail.
This glorious and comprehensive view of classic design includes:
- Timelines of key historical design movements
- Visually stunning image catalogues that celebrate innovation in glassware, posters, typography, furniture, and much more!
- Profiles of key designers, manufacturers and iconic objects over the last 150 years.
Design is Thinking Made Visual
Expert analysis, stunning photography, and a huge range of objects both familiar and extraordinary, Design explains what makes a truly great design and reveals the hidden stories behind the everyday things all around us. A true celebration of classic design - and the perfect gift for design lovers of any age.
What makes a truly good design? This comprehensive reference guide explores the evolution of design through the key designers, manufacturers, objects and the movements they inspired - from the Arts and Craft movement to the digital age.
Design is all around us, from the chairs we use at work, to the crockery we eat on and the cars we drive. The pages of this book are packed with fabulous images of objects, technology, prints, buildings, and interiors that will help you explore the fascinating history of design movements, illustrating how and why different styles emerged and became popular.
Explore the big historical moments in design such as the Art Nouveau, Art Deco, mid-century modern and contemporary movements. This reference book will show you how each one began, its philosophy, and its visual style. This volume also includes all of the great names and manufacturers who have influenced the field of design such as William Morris, the Bauhaus, Alvar Aalto, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Vitra in extraordinary detail.
This glorious and comprehensive view of classic design includes:
- Timelines of key historical design movements
- Visually stunning image catalogues that celebrate innovation in glassware, posters, typography, furniture, and much more!
- Profiles of key designers, manufacturers and iconic objects over the last 150 years.
Design is Thinking Made Visual
Expert analysis, stunning photography, and a huge range of objects both familiar and extraordinary, Design explains what makes a truly great design and reveals the hidden stories behind the everyday things all around us. A true celebration of classic design - and the perfect gift for design lovers of any age.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
31 people are currently reading
590 people want to read
About the author
D.K. Publishing
9,122 books2,075 followersDorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.
Source: Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 3, 2020
A big coffee table book that weighs at least five pounds - so not ideal for reading in bed or in the bathtub.
A very visual trip through the history of design - everything from generic looking waiting room chairs to funky modern (uncomfortable looking) Scandanavian designer furniture. The book pokes its way through everything; lighting, architecture, home goods, textiles, graphic design...there is a bit of everything.
The absolute best part of the book is the visual content. There are thousands of pictures. The Visual aspect is essential to design, and talking about it just doesn't work. You need to see pictures. Which they deliver in spades.
The content is not deep, but, interesting enough to make it enlightening. And, the variety of topics keeps the reading on their toes. Write ups about specific designers, movements, specific chairs, even fonts! I found it all very interesting.
This is a must read in my book of must read books. It is also a great book to put out on your coffee table - https://amzn.to/3jVyGjg
A very visual trip through the history of design - everything from generic looking waiting room chairs to funky modern (uncomfortable looking) Scandanavian designer furniture. The book pokes its way through everything; lighting, architecture, home goods, textiles, graphic design...there is a bit of everything.
The absolute best part of the book is the visual content. There are thousands of pictures. The Visual aspect is essential to design, and talking about it just doesn't work. You need to see pictures. Which they deliver in spades.
The content is not deep, but, interesting enough to make it enlightening. And, the variety of topics keeps the reading on their toes. Write ups about specific designers, movements, specific chairs, even fonts! I found it all very interesting.
This is a must read in my book of must read books. It is also a great book to put out on your coffee table - https://amzn.to/3jVyGjg
November 6, 2022
Design is thinking made visual.
Read
August 24, 2024Design: The EuroAmerican Visual History
September 13, 2025
Anything by D.K. Publishing is fascinating.
January 21, 2016
With over 450 pages, this book truly encompasses various design movements and provides gorgeous photographs to show how design has changed over the years.
What I really enjoyed about this book were the photographs, as there were just so many of them and they highlighted individual designers, some of whom I have never heard of before.
There were highlights of more famous designers, but this book really emphasized how lesser known individuals really helped designs to begin and continue to evolve.
I would recommend this oversized book for anyone who wants to learn more about design, but would encourage everyone to read it. You really do get to see how objects from typewriters to telephones have evolved over the years, as well as learn more about design movements.
What I really enjoyed about this book were the photographs, as there were just so many of them and they highlighted individual designers, some of whom I have never heard of before.
There were highlights of more famous designers, but this book really emphasized how lesser known individuals really helped designs to begin and continue to evolve.
I would recommend this oversized book for anyone who wants to learn more about design, but would encourage everyone to read it. You really do get to see how objects from typewriters to telephones have evolved over the years, as well as learn more about design movements.
July 18, 2022
Mielenkiintoinen katsaus teollisuusmuotoiluun ja ajattomiin klassikoihin huonekaluista julisteisiin, autoista fontteihin. Laadukas, hyvin jäsennelty kirja esittää kunkin aikakauden merkittäviä design-tuotteita, niiden yksityiskohtia, taustaa ja tekijät. Isot värikkäät kuvat sekä selkeä rakenne tekevät kirjasta houkuttelevan lukea.
November 29, 2016
I skimmed through this book. It has beautiful photographs.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews