The first publication documenting the work of Brooks Stevens, one of
America's most influential twentieth-century designers.
Industrial Strength Design: How Brooks Stevens Shaped Your World is a
long overdue introduction to the work of visionary industrial designer
Brooks Stevens (1911-1995). Believing that an industrial designer
"should be a businessman, an engineer, and a stylist, in that order,"
Stevens created thousands of ingenious and beautiful designs for
industrial and household products--including a clothes dryer with a
window in the front, a wide-mouthed peanut butter jar, and the Oscar
Mayer Wienermobile. ("There's nothing more aerodynamic than a wiener,"
he explained.) He invented a precursor to the SUV by turning a Jeep into
a station wagon after World War II, and streamlined steam irons so that
they resembled aircraft. It was Brooks Stevens who, in 1954, coined the
phrase "planned obsolescence," defining it as "instilling in the buyer
the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little
sooner than is necessary." This concept has since been blamed for
everything from toasters that stop working to today's throwaway culture,
but Stevens was simply recognizing the intentionally ephemeral nature of
a designer's work. Asked once to name his favorite design, he replied,
"none, because every one would have to be restudied for the tastes of
tomorrow."
This book, which accompanied an exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum (the
repository for Stevens's papers), includes 250 illustrations of designs
by Stevens and his firm, many in color. Glenn Adamson, exhibition
curator, contributes detailed studies of individual designs. John
Heskett, Kristina Wilson, and Jody Clowes contribute interpretive
essays. Also included are a description of the Brooks Stevens Archive
and several key writings by Brooks Stevens.
