'The industrialized designer'

<p>What does it mean to be called an industrial designer? This book traces the remarkable rise of this professional identity in historical perspective from a position of anonymity in the early twentieth century to mid-century professionalisation to decline and disintegration by 1980. <br><br>Drawing on new extensive original archival research it uncovers the history of a profession in a state of re-invention 1930-1980 in Britain and the United States. The book tests assumptions about the relationship between the professions in the two countries bringing them into comparative historical perspective for the first time. The gendered dynamics of professionalisation and their interaction with the representation of the heroic male designer are interrogated and critically examined. Building on new gender perspectives to the history of the industrial design profession the book calls for a re-examination of the limits and boundaries of what constitutes professional identity and work.</p>