“History of Industrial Design” and “Black People Made America” — A Comparison

Although both chapters talk about inventions and their place in history, they are extremely different. For starters, the tone. “A Brief History of Industrial and Interaction Design” resembles the classic paper about design: it talks about needs, how things changed with new technologies (like mass production, new materials, internet, etc.), and leaves us with a feeling of a “call-to-action”, so that new designers use the historical knowledge alongside with technology to produce worthwhile products. The target audience is someone who has previous design knowledge, and is likely reading the book to deepen its comprehension of industrial design.

“Black People Made America,” on the other hand, has tone that’s playful, lighthearted, and even funny at times. It makes bold statements, with some generalizations, to make the point come across: Black people key to creating the world as it is. Their inventions range from everyday products like combs to the economic system we use. It is aimed at young black people, and has a very clear call-to-action by urging them to follow the path of innovation, showing that they do have precedent.

Something that I’m left wondering is “how about compositions about race in design and innovation created for students and current designers?” As a fourth-year student in product design, I don’t remember being assigned any to read. I would like to see a more serious view on race in industrial design.