Designing Modernity: The Arts of Reform and Persuasion 1885-1945

Written by leading social and art historians, Designing Modernity is published to accompany a major traveling exhibition organized by the Wolfsonian, a Miami institution dedicated to examining the social, political and aesthetic significance of objects produced between 1885 and 1945. Containing over 400 illustrations of the Wolfsonian's unique collection of objects, the book looks at the different ways that political, industrial and cultural leaders have employed design in their programs of reform and their efforts to shape public opinion. It shows how design has been a vital tool in acclimatizing people to life in the modern world and has helped to formulate a sense of national identity, especially in European countries, through local crafts and vernacular buildings.
From the pages of Designing Modernity emerge some of the most significant trends of our age: the use of design in reconciling people to a loss of individuality resulting from mass production; the use of industrial and advertising design to support the idea that progress is good, that the future holds limitless promise, and that the machine offers comforts only dreamed of previously; the promotion of political goals by both democratic and authoritarian governments through design - in posters, books, board games, furniture, ceramics and countless other forms.