Design History Beyond the Canon

The “canon” can be seen as a body of work, established to represent a rupture, innovation, and change for a particular genre. The works of design in a canon are considered iconic works or masterpieces. These works set the standard from which other works, whether new or old, not included in the canon can be judged.

There has been criticism of the study of the canon for being incomplete in telling the whole story of the history of design. Notably, there are designers who have been left out of this story for various reasons. How might their work challenge our understanding of the history of design of the 19th, 20th, and 21st century?

Students in the Design programs at VCUarts look beyond the narrative of our textbooks and highlight a designer who falls outside the margins of this story.