New Design History Manual by Domitilla Dardi and Vanni Pasca Published

Domitilla Dardi and Vanni Pasca have released a new design history manual titled 'Manuale di storia del design' (Silvana Editoriale, 2019, 280 pages, €30). The book offers an updated, interdisciplinary overview of design from the Industrial Revolution in mid-19th-century Britain to contemporary globalized society. It traces key movements including Arts & Crafts, the influence of William Morris, the Olivetti company, Enzo Mari, and the Campana brothers' Favela armchair. The manual uses a rich iconographic apparatus to illustrate shifts in taste, juxtaposing works like Dante Gabriel Rossetti's 'La Ghirlandata' (1874) with Richard Hamilton's collage and Superstudio's 'Monumento Continuo'. The authors frame contemporary design as a 'spectacle' society, referencing Guy Debord, where objects become signs and messages. The volume is aimed at students and general readers, providing essential knowledge to understand design's intersections with fashion, architecture, science, communication, and economics.