ABSTRACT
Although German Democratic Republic (GDR) designers were able to overcome the political opposition they encountered to their design approach, they found themselves unable to translate their ideals into a corresponding coherent socialist product culture. The main reasons for this are to be located in the realms of production and distribution, where GDR designers encountered multiple major obstacles that offered resistance to both specific aspects of their functionalist approach and professional design activity. This chapter examines some of these obstacles, which explain why, despite the substantial degree of institutional support, German Democratic Republic (GDR) designers had such a limited influence on the material culture of the GDR. Throughout the existence of the GDR, its industrial designers struggled to convince its manufacturers of the benefits of their involvement in product development processes. The GDR designers' goals were further undermined by persistent and escalating problems with production quality.
