German Design 1949–1989: Two Countries, One History

by Mateo Kries (Editor), Thomas A. Geisler (Editor), Klara Nemecková (Editor), Erika Pinner (Editor), Siegfried Gronert (Contributor), Greg Castillo (Contributor), Paul Betts (Contributor), Petra Eisele (Contributor)

The cheap, colorful plastic designs of East Germany pitted against the cool functionalism of West German design: German Design 1949–1989: Two Countries, One History does away with such clichés. More than 30 years after German reunification, it presents a comprehensive overview of German design history of the postwar period for the first time ever. With over 300 illustrations and numerous examples from the fields of design―fashion, furniture, graphics, automobile, industrial and interiors―the book shows how design featured in daily life on both sides of the Wall, the important part it played in the reconstruction process and how it served as a propaganda tool during the Cold War. Key objects and protagonists―from Dieter Rams or Otl Aicher in the West to Rudolf Horn or Renate Müller in the East―are presented alongside formative factors such as the Bauhaus legacy and important institutions such as the Hochschule für Gestaltung (HfG) Ulm.