Emotional styles in design

My paper “Is everyday technology serious or fun? Reflections on emotional styles in product design” is published in ICON, the journal of ICOHTEC, the International Committee for the History of Technology, vol. 17, pp 40-56.

You can download the paper from this link: ArtemisYagouICON17.40-56

The paper deals with the expression of emotions in technical consumer products. Designers in the 20th century have employed a variety of strategies to deal with such products, in order to turn technology into usable objects for daily life. This essay takes as its starting point the radio set, a consumer product which provides fascinating material for the study of the interaction between technology and design. The essay explores the implications of different radio design strategies for the reception of new technologies by the wider public. It focuses in particular on the significance of product design demonstrating a fun attitude towards the everyday technical object.