Swedish Design

Swedish Design: A History provides a fascinating and comprehensive introduction to the development of design in Sweden from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twenty-first.
Leading design historian Lasse Brunnström traces the move from artisanal crafts production to the mass production and consumption of designed objects, a process by which the role and profile of the designer became increasingly important. His survey, richly illustrated with images of the designed objects discussed, takes in forms of design traditionally associated with Sweden, such as household objects and textiles, while also considering some less-written about genres such as industrial and graphic design. Brunnström questions many established ideas about design in Sweden, notably its aesthetics and its relationship to Sweden's national and political culture. He argues that the history of design in Sweden has been far more complex and less straightforwardly 'blond' than hitherto understood.

Lasse Brunnström is Emeritus Professor of Design History at HDK - School of Design and Crafts, at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Introduction
1. Art to Industry: 1840s to 1910s
The nations' struggle for product dominance
Education for increased industrial competitiveness
On a mission to improve taste and morality
The promised land of Windsor chairs and iron stoves
The product range grows and is differentiated
Inventions pave the way for the manufacturing industry
The new industrial products are aestheticized but criticised
Attempts at artistic renewal
2. On the industry's terms: 1910s to 1940s
Serial production enables the breakthrough of consumer goods
Swedish luxury production excels
The Stockholm exhibition paves the way for the factory good
Functionalist ideas pervade society
Furniture design is renewed and professionalised
Prominent defenders of "good taste"
The vision of the Swedish welfare state materialises
3. The promotion of soft values: 1940s to 1950s
Women's understanding of home economics is utilised
The industrial designer demonstrates his talents
Integrated design thinking
Colourful plastic replaces the black era
Mobility increases and the leisure sector expands
The foundation is laid for the Swedish safety philosophy
Human dimensions and requirements govern design
The Swedish Society of Crafts and Design attain their goal of more beautiful everyday goods
Everyday items with classic status
4. Broadened design commissions: 1950s to 1980s
The industrial design profession finds its form
Advertising becomes ever more important within design
Breakthrough for female designers
Factory packaging drives out bulk
Rationality shapes everyday life
Design protests against a grey and unjust world
Design with a user focus becomes a speciality
5. Limitless design: 1980s to 2000s
Visual values are upgraded
Design is recognised as an economic success factor
A personal signature becomes increasingly important
The budget giants step into the sphere of design
The need for strategic brand design increases
Standards of taste and the gender power order are challenged
Sustainability permeates design
Collections, meeting places, archives, awards
Bibliography
Index