Design. History, Concepts, Conflicts

Design is not just aesthetics; it is a powerful tool that shapes our everyday life. The book "Design. History, Concepts, Conflicts" explores the evolution of design through key events, ideas, and clashes of perspectives. The authors examine how standardization, industrial production, and technological breakthroughs have changed the perception of objects, interiors, and urban environments. From Bauhaus and the Ulm School to contemporary concepts of functionalism and critical design, the history of this discipline, balancing between art and pragmatism, is revealed to the reader. How did political and economic factors influence design decisions? Why did some ideas become epoch-making while others were forgotten? This book helps to understand not only the past but also the future of design, its impact on society, consumption, and culture. Reflecting on design is impossible without analyzing its history; however, it can be told in various ways. Historians and theorists Catherine Zghe and Claire Bruin have investigated pivotal events in the history of design within their cultural context. By deliberately confronting and comparing contradictory concepts, the authors make the challenges and difficult questions that design encounters on its path to development explicit: whether they are specific problems of standardization, formal searches, functionality, and the production of objects, or global issues ranging from social changes to geopolitical factors and the environmental agenda.