From the iconic Routemaster bus to the Dyson vacuum cleaner; the graphics of Penguin bookcovers or Vivienne Westwood garments; Britain has been at the forefront of design practice. In this informative and broad-ranging book Cheryl Buckley examines the culture as well as the products of design in Britain. In doing so; she explores questions of national identity; regional variations and notions of Britishness in a Britain that has been transformed from leading an empire into a modern multicultural society.Beginning in the early twentieth century; Buckley demonstrates how notions of stability; longevity and tradition prevailed; evident in furniture; ceramics and textiles. She traces the introduction and acceptance of International Modernism in Britain; focuses on activities such as the organization of the Utility schemes; and assesses how shopping became a crucial element of lifestyle. She examines how a more fragmented; eclectic but potentially questioning design emerged in the 1980s and 1990s; with recycling and green attitudes; and discusses the confrontational approach of young fashion and graphic designers; as well as the star culture of product designers and designer labels. Further; she considers how the heritage industry and popular nostalgia about the past has provided powerful images taken up by all types of designers; and how exhibitions in museums and galleries have played a part in reinventing Britains past.A cogent and timely look at Britain and its design culture; Designing Modern Britain is a multilayered examination of the creation; practice and meaning of design and Britainrsquo;s place in the global design world. Essential reading for designers; design historians and all those interested in Britainrsquo;s visual culture.
#252105 in eBooks 2012-12-04 2012-12-04File Name: B008ENAY56
Review
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Tony Fletcher also has a lot of interesting takes on songs and albums that are pretty objective; there isnt much literary interBy A CustomerThis book is full of just about everything you wanted to know about The Smiths. from beginning to end. While I mostly wanted to hear about how the songs were written and the inter-band relationships. I also learned a ton of information about the nuances of band-label relationships. the dynamics of 1980s music press and industry at large. and so on.Tony Fletcher also has a lot of interesting takes on songs and albums that are pretty objective; there isnt much literary interpretation of Morrisseys lyrics here. thank god. It makes me listen to The Smiths in a whole new way. and I gotta thank Fletcher for that. His perspective on Meat Is Murder is particularly enlightening; Fletcher admits that the album in part made him become a vegetarian.It should be noted that Fletcher got extensive interviews with Johnny Marr and Andy Rourke but not Mike Joyce and Morrissey. which is lacking at times. Fletcher tends to paint Morrissey in a particularly bad light. but its hard to tell if thats Fletchers bias or Morrissey just really is an a**hole (from all the quotes from other people in the book. it probably is the latter).Sometimes there was too much information. though. Its true that Tony Fletcher was incredibly involved in the music industry at the time - from interviewing members of The Smiths to putting out records in his own band. but that doesnt necessarily mean that I want to hear about Fletchers band or the fact that he was at this show or that show. Often there would be huge tangents about the music industry that had next to nothing to do with The Smiths. The sentences themselves would get so long with gigantic dependent clauses. parenthetical asides. and footnotes to the point of absurdity. There was even a parenthetical aside within a parenthetical aside that had its own footnote. The fact that the short Smiths quotes at the beginning of each chapter didnt necessarily encapsulate what Fletcher was going to talk about for that chapter showed that he lacked organization and and conciseness. The fact that Fletcher doesnt always use a semicolon and other grammatical tools correctly really irks me.Overall. I really dont like Fletchers writing style. and it made for a really slow read. But the information is too good to pass up. so I would say just plow through it and become a bigger Smiths fan in the process!2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A brilliant. but obsessive. book about the SmithsBy Michael A. DuvernoisYou probably need to be a serious fan before you go in on 700 pages about the band. Though I am going to try to loan this book to a friend who knows nothing of the Smiths to see if the obsession in the book. in the writing. in the backgrounds. in the details. is at all infectious. The Smiths are one of the great bands of the 1980s. and perhaps of popular music in the second half of the 20th century. If theyre important. then the details are important as well. so you learn the backdrop. the pavement of Manchester. the UK music magazine scene. the post-punk era. and most of all the personalities of Marr and Morrissey.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Sensational SmithsBy Mrs Michelle ZebottI thought I knew a lot about one of my favorite bands. but I was wrong. This book is so in depth and so informative. Ive learned so much. Im already intending to purchase Tony Fletchers Remarks Remade. about REM. I highly recommend this book for any true fan of The Smiths.
