ABSTRACT
The design of things and the consumption of design are important but neglected aspects of consumption. In this chapter I will first investigate the nature of this omission, and second, seek to rectify it through a consideration of the development of design. In the second section of the chapter I will draw on this discussion in order to clarify my recent research on ‘retro’ consumption. Against those who argue that design and designerism are simply part of the apparatus of capitalist exploitation of consumers, this chapter argues that design is highly sensitive to the aesthetic judgement of consumers and that the history of design includes a strong ideological content that expresses the civilising nature of art and design and also the democratisation of art through industrial manufacture. The case study of retro consumerism argues that part of its appeal is the rediscovery of this aesthetic content; the discovery of design and artistry in the objects of the everyday.
