Using such iconic examples as the Jacobsen "Egg" chair, the Concorde airplane and wartime innovations such as the Burberry trenchcoat and the Zippo lighter, Terence Conran presents the century's most significant design innovations. From such early century movements as the Wiener Werkstatte, the Bauhaus and the Arts and Crafts Movement to the currently hot Mid-century Modern and present-day Post-modern examples, he argues the case for design as an intrinsic and creative force in the modern world. He writes on the place of kitsch in the design universe, examines the respective roles of aesthetics and practicality - the eternal form/function argument - and argues that the designer's role, even mission, is to help add a spiritual dimension to life, to make life worth living.

Illustrated with 329 full color and 70 black and white photographs representing all the important moments in modern design, Conran on Design is a superb visual sourcebook that will provide inspiration for art students, designers, architects and all those who appreciate the value of good design in this increasingly design-aware age.