This subject introduces students to historical accounts and theories of design from the dominant perspective of Modernism in the first half of the 20th century, through post-war consumerism and the ensuing movements of the 20th century, such as Postmodernism, Punk and New Wave; design reactions to corporate culture, design for change and activism; and the digital design enablers of the 21st century. Students learn a contextual history of 20th century design practice by studying the doctrines around which the modernist movement cohered, and the conditions under which these doctrines are challenged by later movements. The subject explores various roles of the visual designer through history-avant-garde, futurist, revolutionary, utopian design; client-service design; social activism, producer and digital enabler. These roles are expressed across a range of design outcomes such as photography, typography, illustration, print media, graphics, digital design, film and animation. Part of this exploration will examine the impacts of design histories on our past, present and future conditions, as well as changing the future for design. Students will complete visual and writing tasks that aim to build their understanding of design histories and futures, and scholarship in academic research and writing.