Italian Author Photography in the Field of Design in the 1970s and 1980s

From the Masters to the New Generations

Abstract

This article aims to outline the panorama that emerged in the field of design photography at the end of the 1970s and in the 1980s.
It is the result of research based on the direct contributions by a group of photographers authors, who began working at that time and are still active today, collected through a series of interviews conducted by the authors of the article. Such personal experiences and points of view have thus made it possible to understand the scenario and the dynamics that have distinguished this specific area of design communication, filling the almost total absence of literature on the subject. In particular, this essay highlights the link between the generation of those who are considered among the pioneers and masters of design photography and an accredited number of authors, recognised for leaving their mark on the following two generations, at times showing continuity with the language of their predecessors (as in a sort of "passing the baton") but,  at times, introducing decisive changes that have opened up new scenarios for the image of design, in line with the advent of Postmodernism.