Description
Explore the captivating world of technology with "Do You Compute?", a beautifully curated survey that highlights the most iconic computer advertising from the 20th century. This invaluable book, published by Hat & Beard Press in 2020, features a rich collection of graphic masterpieces drawn from esteemed museums, university archives, and private collections, showcasing the remarkable evolution of computers from their bulky beginnings to the sleek devices we use today.
Journey through time from the post-war 1950s, when computers were largely confined to aerospace and accounting, to the thrilling rise of personal computing in the 1970s. The pages vividly illustrate the marketing magic that turned complex machines into aspirational symbols of creativity, automation, and innovation. Each advertisement tells a story of cultural aspiration, foreshadowing the future of technology that includes everything from robots to smartphones.
"Do You Compute?" also includes insightful essays from cultural anthropologist Ryan Mungia and graphic design historian Steven Heller, enhancing your understanding of the impact computers have had on society. With unique decade-long timelines that mark pivotal events in computer history, this book isn't just for tech enthusiasts; it’s for anyone interested in the lasting influence of technology on our daily lives.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780991619825
Format: Cloth over boards
Year: 2020
Publisher: Hat & Beard Press
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780991619825
Format: Cloth over boards
Year: 2020
Publisher: Hat & Beard Press
Description:
Do You Compute? is a broad survey featuring the very best of computer advertising in the 20th century. From the Atomic Age to the Y2K bug, this volume presents a connoisseur's selection of graphic gems culled from museums, university archives, and private collections to illustrate the evolution of the computer from its early days as a hulking piece of machinery to its current state as a handheld device.
Before Alexa and the iPhone, there was the large and unwieldy mainframe computer. In the postwar 1950s, computers were mostly used for aerospace and accounting purposes. To the public at large, they were on a rung that existed somewhere between engineering and science fiction. Magazine ads and marketing brochures were designed to create a fantasy surrounding these machines for prospective clients: Higher profit margins! Creativity unleashed! Total automation! With the invention of the microchip in the 1970s came the PC and video games, which shifted the target of computer advertising from corporations to the individual. By the end of the millennium, the notion of selling tech burst wide open to include robots, cell phones, blogs, online dating services, and much, much more.
Accompanied by two essays — one by cultural anthropologist Ryan Mungia and the other by graphic design historian Steven Heller—and including five different decade-long timelines that highlight some of the most influential moments in computer history, this fun yet meaningful volume is a unique look at the computer and how it has shaped our world.
Journey through time from the post-war 1950s, when computers were largely confined to aerospace and accounting, to the thrilling rise of personal computing in the 1970s. The pages vividly illustrate the marketing magic that turned complex machines into aspirational symbols of creativity, automation, and innovation. Each advertisement tells a story of cultural aspiration, foreshadowing the future of technology that includes everything from robots to smartphones.
"Do You Compute?" also includes insightful essays from cultural anthropologist Ryan Mungia and graphic design historian Steven Heller, enhancing your understanding of the impact computers have had on society. With unique decade-long timelines that mark pivotal events in computer history, this book isn't just for tech enthusiasts; it’s for anyone interested in the lasting influence of technology on our daily lives.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780991619825
Format: Cloth over boards
Year: 2020
Publisher: Hat & Beard Press
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.
Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9780991619825
Format: Cloth over boards
Year: 2020
Publisher: Hat & Beard Press
Description:
Do You Compute? is a broad survey featuring the very best of computer advertising in the 20th century. From the Atomic Age to the Y2K bug, this volume presents a connoisseur's selection of graphic gems culled from museums, university archives, and private collections to illustrate the evolution of the computer from its early days as a hulking piece of machinery to its current state as a handheld device.
Before Alexa and the iPhone, there was the large and unwieldy mainframe computer. In the postwar 1950s, computers were mostly used for aerospace and accounting purposes. To the public at large, they were on a rung that existed somewhere between engineering and science fiction. Magazine ads and marketing brochures were designed to create a fantasy surrounding these machines for prospective clients: Higher profit margins! Creativity unleashed! Total automation! With the invention of the microchip in the 1970s came the PC and video games, which shifted the target of computer advertising from corporations to the individual. By the end of the millennium, the notion of selling tech burst wide open to include robots, cell phones, blogs, online dating services, and much, much more.
Accompanied by two essays — one by cultural anthropologist Ryan Mungia and the other by graphic design historian Steven Heller—and including five different decade-long timelines that highlight some of the most influential moments in computer history, this fun yet meaningful volume is a unique look at the computer and how it has shaped our world.