Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
'The Industrialized Designer': Gender, Identity and Professionalization in Britain and the United States, 1930-80

'The Industrialized Designer': Gender, Identity and Professionalization in Britain and the United States, 1930-80

Armstrong, Leah

Paperback

Series: Studies in Design and Material Culture

General DesignGraphic DesignIndustrial Design

ISBN10: 1526198169
ISBN13: 9781526198167
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Published: Jun 23 2026
Pages: 240
Weight: 1.16
Height: 0.66 Width: 6.69 Depth: 9.61
Language: English

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.

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.

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