What’s ‘American’ about American Industrial Design?

Carma Gorman
Associate Professor of Design History
The University of Texas Austin

Why does it makes sense to talk about industrial design—as distinct from the fine arts or even graphic design—from a national perspective. Gorman argues that design historians need to rethink the way they assign ‘nationality’ to products in order to more accurately capture the realities of international trade today.

This research was presented at the Design Incubation Colloquium 1.4: St. John’s University Manhattan Campus on Thursday, February 12, 2015.