Product Design, Technology, and Social Change: A Short Cultural History

A pocket history of product design from the birth of cities to the digital design revolution.

This cultural history critically examines the development of product design, considering major milestones in the mass production of goods and services and aiming to incorporate a more inclusive worldview than traditional surveys of the topic.

The breadth and versatility of product design throughout history have been profound. Products have long supported the integration and interpretation of emerging technologies into our lives. These objects include everything from tools, accessories, furniture, and clothing to types of transportation, websites, and mobile applications. Products provide singular or multiple functions, are tangible and intangible, and in many instances have affected the quality of our lives by saving time or money or by increasing feelings of personal satisfaction. At the same time, many products have negatively affected people and the environment. For nearly every product that makes it into the hands of a consumer, there is also a designer who created it and someone who labored to make it.

An eye-opening survey of product design from preindustrial times to the present day, Product Design, Technology, and Social Change provides a thorough examination of the relationship between products, consumption, sustainability, politics, and social movements.
 

Laura Scherling is a designer, researcher, and educator. She is an adjunct faculty member at Columbia University in New York City.