This book contributes new perspectives on the identity of the industrial designer, particularly from a gendered perspective, through a critical interrogation of the 'heroic male designer'. It explores the professionalisation of industrial design in Britain and the US from 1930–80, a 'new profession' that emerged in the 20th century.

Design, it is often said, is a profession in crisis. This book revisits the history of the industrial design profession, taking a fresh look at the past in order to better understand the present. Exploring design as a socially constructed practice, the book identifies points of transition, friction and flux that have steered the representation and identity of the field since the early twentieth century. It focuses on the period between 1930 and 1980, starting from the moment British and American industrial artists and designers chose to pursue the path to professionalization, establishinga visible public status alongside the architect and engineer. From there, the book explores the internal dramas, hopes, aspirations, insecurities and failures of men and women working as industrial designers during a period of immense cultural and social change. Bringing new perspectives to the gendered dynamics of professionalization and the history of design, ‘The industrialized designer’ examines the representation of the industrial designer over time through the lens of the museum and gallery, television and film, magazines and print press, in the studio, boardroom and the home.