Russell A. Flinchum

Histories of design pay scant attention to the corded telephone, which played an immeasurable role in early communication. Although the Bell System, with many Nobel Prizes, is justly acknowledged for its technical prowess, it should also be recognized for its early and considerable impact on the developing discipline of industrial design. In 1930, young Henry Dreyfuss, who would later become known as a pioneer of industrial design, was retained by the Bell System as a design consultant and matured in that environment. With substantial input from Bell System engineers, Dreyfuss and his staff produced attractive telephone designs that were manufactured and installed in more than one hundred million American homes and copied around the world. Featuring over one hundred illustrations, Bell Telephone System's Preeminent Role in the Growth of Industrial Design is a deep dive into the development and evolution of the corded telephone. A detailed case study of an object that would become so ubiquitous and commonplace, it is also the story writ large of the establishment and importance of the field of industrial design.

Histories of design pay scant attention to the corded telephone, which played an immeasurable role in early communication. Although the Bell System, with many Nobel Prizes, is justly acknowledged for its technical prowess, it should also be recognized for its early and considerable impact on the developing discipline of industrial design. In 1930, young Henry Dreyfuss, who would later become known as a pioneer of industrial design, was retained by the Bell System as a design consultant and matured in that environment. With substantial input from Bell System engineers, Dreyfuss and his staff produced attractive telephone designs that were manufactured and installed in more than one hundred million American homes and copied around the world. Featuring over one hundred illustrations, Bell Telephone System's Preeminent Role in the Growth of Industrial Design is a deep dive into the development and evolution of the corded telephone. A detailed case study of an object that would become so ubiquitous and commonplace, it is also the story writ large of the establishment and importance of the field of industrial design.

Celebrates the design work of Henry Dreyfuss and his associates that revolutionized 20th century industrial design from telephones to trains to thermostats.Henry Dreyfuss: Designing for People reveals the work of Dreyfuss's talented, hand-picked staff and explores how together they influenced nearly a century of industrial design. With his wife as business partner, he orchestrated a firm that created some of the 20th century's most iconic designs, including the luxury 20th Century Limited train; the interior for Eisenhower's Air Force One; the Princess telephone; and John Deere's Gator utility vehicle- designs that defined an entire era's aesthetic.This volume examines the complete history of the Dreyfuss firm. Coauthor Russell A. Flinchum worked at the firm, recorded staff and family interviews, and took possession of hundreds of documents that were being discarded. Firsthand information from the firm's two surviving partners is documented only here. The book also includes an appendix featuring five rare works that Dreyfuss had privately printed to show the scope of his firm's work.

Celebrates the design work of Henry Dreyfuss and his associates that revolutionized 20th century industrial design from telephones to trains to thermostats.Henry Dreyfuss: Designing for People reveals the work of Dreyfuss's talented, hand-picked staff and explores how together they influenced nearly a century of industrial design. With his wife as business partner, he orchestrated a firm that created some of the 20th century's most iconic designs, including the luxury 20th Century Limited train; the interior for Eisenhower's Air Force One; the Princess telephone; and John Deere's Gator utility vehicle- designs that defined an entire era's aesthetic.This volume examines the complete history of the Dreyfuss firm. Coauthor Russell A. Flinchum worked at the firm, recorded staff and family interviews, and took possession of hundreds of documents that were being discarded. Firsthand information from the firm's two surviving partners is documented only here. The book also includes an appendix featuring five rare works that Dreyfuss had privately printed to show the scope of his firm's work.