ABSTRACT
Efforts to establish industrial design within the socialist economy were assisted by a number of bodies in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), first and foremost among them the State Office for Industrial Design and its various predecessor institutions. Up until 1972 the institute's efforts to promote design focused primarily on product appraisals and the execution of exemplary design work, as well as publishing and exhibition activities. The Verband Bildender Kunstler (VBK) was also a channel through which GDR designers sought to address grievances, such as the restrictive regulations issued by the State Office for Industrial Design, which will be discussed. By 1986 central design facilities had been established in fifty-six combines and seventeen of their chief designers had been integrated into combine management. One final institution to be mentioned that played an important role for industrial designers in the GDR is the Union of Visual Artists or VBK.
