From the iconic Routemaster bus to the Dyson vacuum
cleaner, the graphics of Penguin bookcovers or Vivienne
Westwood garments, Britain has been at the forefront of
design practice. In this informative and broad-ranging
book Cheryl Buckley examines the culture as well as the
products of design in Britain. In doing so, she explores
questions of national identity, regional variations and
notions of Britishness in a Britain that has been
transformed from leading an empire into a modern
multicultural society. Beginning in the early twentieth
century, Buckley demonstrates how notions of stability,
longevity and tradition prevailed, evident in furniture,
ceramics and textiles. She traces the introduction and
acceptance of International Modernism in Britain;
focuses on activities such as the organization of the
Utility schemes, and assesses how shopping became a
crucial element of lifestyle. She examines how a more
fragmented, eclectic but potentially questioning design
emerged in the 1980s and 1990s, with recycling and green
attitudes, and discusses the confrontational approach of
young fashion and graphic designers, as well as the star
culture of product designers and designer
labels.Further, she considers how the heritage industry
and popular nostalgia about the past has provided
powerful images taken up by all types of designers, and
how exhibitions in museums and galleries have played a
part in reinventing Britain's past. A cogent and timely
look at Britain and its design culture, ''Designing
Modern Britain''is a multilayered examination of the
creation, practice and meaning of design and Britain's
place in the global design world. It is essential
reading for designers, design historians and all those
interested in Britain's visual culture. |
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