Abstract
This chapter can in no way substitute for a comprehensive history of design. Instead, it outlines the developments that have shaped the history of industrial design in a number of countries, briefly covering the products, companies, and designers that mark the significant events and their repercussions. Readers seeking greater depth and detail are encouraged to turn to the many standard works on the history of design. These include, for example, John Heskett (1980), Guy Julier (2000), Penny Sparke (1986), Gert Selle (1978, 1987, 1994), John A. Walker (1992), and Jonathan M. Woodham (1997).