Jane Pavitt

In 2019, the Vitra Design Museum will publish the Atlas of Furniture Design, the definitive, encyclopedic overview of the history of modern furniture design. Featuring over 1700 objects by more than 500 designers and 121 manufacturers, it includes approximately 2800 images ranging from detailed object photographs to historical images documenting interiors, patents, brochures, and related works of art and architecture. The basis for the Atlas of Furniture Design is the collection held by the Vitra Design Museum, one of the largest of its kind with more than 7000 works. The book presents selected pieces by the most important designers of the last 230 years and documents key periods in design history, including early nineteenth-century industrial furniture in bentwood and metal, Art Nouveau and Secessionist pieces and works by protagonists of classical modernism and postwar design, as well as postmodern and contemporary pieces. The Atlas of Furniture Design employed a team of more than 70 experts and features over 550 detailed texts about key objects. In-depth essays provide sociocultural and design-historical context to four historical epochs of furniture design and the pieces highlighted here, enriched by a detailed annex containing designer biographies, glossaries, and elaborate information graphics. The Atlas of Furniture Design is an indispensable resource for collectors, scholars and experts, as well as a beautifully designed object that speaks to design enthusiasts.

Originally published to coincide with a major V&A exhibition, "Brand New" takes a look at contemporary consumer culture and the proliferation of brand identities which affect all our daily lives at the beginning of the 21st century. Ranging across fashion, design and media, "Brand New" sets out some provocative debates about brands, design and consuming habits. Five key sections look at: the economics and business of branding; personal and social identities in a global, commodified world; the shopping experience from mall to website and the ethical and social questions for both brand and consumer. 20 short features complement the main text, presenting snapshots of retail, branding and consumer behaviour from around the world. Critics, historians, anthropologists, sociologists, designers as well as voices from the business world offer a range of opinions on topics as diverse as shopping in China, fakes and counterfeiting, and the branding of personality. It is aimed at students and observers of modern culture and should appeal to anyone who shops as well as those with an interest in advertising, product design and fashion.