We are living in the age of packaging, where books really are judged by their covers. Corporations now have branded identities and maintain narratives about who they are and what they sell. Every aspect of a product is designed to appeal. This award-winning book is the first sociological study of industrial design, showing the success or failure of goods based on their actual 'career' over time. It is a meditation into the meaning of the stuff in our lives and what that stuff in turn says about us. Moltoch takes a sweeping look at the role of design in contemporary life, covering everything from toasters to cars and garlic presses. He shows how the look, the touch, and the mechanics of any product reflect the way our culture and economy combine -- how we interact, do business, exploit technology, and use art. On this fascinating exploration of the worlds of technology, design, corporate and popular culture, we see how corporations, designers, retailers, advertisers, and other middle-men influence what a thing can be and how it is made. We see the way goods link into ordinary life as well as vast systems of consumption, economic and political operation. In Moltoch's hands, the toaster is not just a toaster; it becomes a map to the world.