Reflections on the History of Modern Design

       It has now been almost twenty years since the release of the Sony Librie, the first e-reader introduced to the public, yet people are still debating whether or not they are better than traditional print books (Kozlowski, 2020). Personally, I believe print books are better and there are many who would agree with me. Advocates of the hard copy will give you many reasons for why they believe real paper to be better; from the feeling of turning the pages to the weight of the book in your hands.        One argument for keeping it classic that I have never considered is about the benefits of filling out a bookcase. Bookcases are underrated but can really make a statement, and it doesn’t get better than the Penguin Donkey Bookcase designed by Egon Riss in 1939 for the Isokon Furniture Company in London.   The Original Penguin Donkey Bookcase      Jack Pritchard’s Isokon company was dedicated to the new modernist movement in des...

     In my hometown of Chicago, it’s a rite of passage to steal a train map off of the “L.” Being the law-abiding citizen and model student that I am, I obviously never took park myself, but I could totally see why all my friends did. To us, the neat collection of crisscrossing colored lines beautifully represents our city and is the perfect piece of room décor. Although we all love the design map, I don’t think any of us know anything about its origins. This past week during a trip to the London Transport Museum I learned the format for this symbol of Chicago is actually based on the London Tube map, redesigned by Henry Beck in the 1930s. The redesign of the transportation system in London led by Frank Pick that took place in the 1930s introduced a number of lasting changes that greatly improved the passenger experience. New stations and ticket booths improved the flow of people through the system, but the redesign of the London Tube map was arguably the most radical cha...

    When I first entered the Victorian Era rooms at the V&A museum was a bit overwhelmed by wide variety of aesthetics bombarding me as I strolled through. But when I got to the area dedicated to the floors from the House of Commons, I stopped. It said, “PLEASE TOUCH,” so I had to. The best part of museums is touching things. While I was running my hands over the tile, I recognized a familiar name from my class readings; A.W.N. Pugin.        I decided to check out what he had to offer since I appreciated his commitment to designing wallpapers that fit their purpose and place (Wedgewood, 2004). He also happened to be one of the most prominent designers of the design reform movement when Victorian Era designers criticized the British public’s bad taste and offered their own opinions of what good design was. After seeing what the public liked I honestly get it, but even the reformers couldn’t agree on what good design was. For Pugin, it was the Gothic styl...