Mass Production: Products from Phaidon Design Classics

Description

A chronological portfolio of the 333 best designs that became available to homes across the globe thanks to the advent of mass production. This collection demonstrates how by the middle of the 20th century production had increased worldwide and manufacturers became conscious of the concept of good design for all. From Lego bricks and the Frisbee to door handles and sewing machines, chairs, tables, scooters and airplanes these classics have a timeless quality and have barely changed since their invention. Each object is accompanied by a detailed text with precise information about each product, each designer, each manufacturer and their history. It includes designs by Charles and Ray Eames, Jean Prouve, Arne Jacobsen, Alvar Aalto and Achille Castiglioni among many others.

Andrea Codrington is a New York-based writer and editor specializing in design and visual culture. Currently editing architecture and art books at Phaidon Press, she has been a columnist for the New York Times and has written widely for such publications as I.D. Magazine, Metropolis and Cabinet. She is the author of the monograph Kyle Cooper (Yale University Press, 2003), the co-author of Pause: 59 Minutes of Motion Graphics (Laurence King, 2000), and is currently at work on her first novel a story about art, love and medical imaging. Christopher Mount has been Editor-in-Chief of I.D. Magazine. Prior to that he was Curator in the Department of Architecture and Design at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, where he curated numerous exhibitions devoted to archtecture, industrial design and graphic design. Currently he is Assistant Professor at Parsons School of Design where he teaches design history. Konstantin Grcic graduated from the Royal College of Arts in London before setting up his practice KGID (Konstantin Grcic Industrial Design) in 1991. He has developed furniture, products and lighting for some of the leading names of the international design industry and has received various international awards for his work. The Mayday lamp was the winner of the Compasso d'Oro in 2001 and was selected for the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He lives and works in Munich.