Design in postwar Australia: the dynamics of change-making 1946 to 1970

Covering the period from 1946 to 1980, this study tracks a wide range of influences impacting on Australian design culture, and the status and effectiveness of two generations of female and male designers as they experimented, wrote, organised, exhibited and lobbied government and industry. Capitalising on their wartime experiences of new technologies, materials and ways of working, they were assertively `modern’ in their commitment and openness to innovation in design, in framing their principles as designers, in driving the first real identity and meaning in Australia for the terms `design’ and `designer’, and in forging a blueprint for relevant education for the next generation.