Discover the evolution of the IKEA catalog, an icon of design and visual culture for 70 years, from its origins to its latest printed edition.. From its first issues in the 1950s to the last printed edition in 2021, the catalog was conceived, written and produced in Älmhult, Sweden, the very place where IKEA was born. Each page reflects the evolution of the home, fashion in interior design and changes in society, becoming a benchmark of democratic design and visual storytelling. This article explores the history of the catalog, its aesthetic evolution, its leap into the digital environment and its cultural legacy, showing how a seemingly simple publication managed to influence generations of designers, photographers and creatives. The origins: Ingvar Kamprad's dream. In the 1950s, Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA, personally wrote the catalog texts. The idea was clear: democratize design, bringing beautiful, functional and affordable furniture into every home. The first editions were simple, without people in the pictures and with a sober presentation, but they already showed the essence of IKEA: closeness, functionality and Scandinavian style. This approach laid the foundation for a publishing project that would eventually become a symbol of modern home culture. The rise of the catalog: from commercial tool to cult object. During the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, the catalog went from being a sales tool to a cult object. Editorial photography, graphic design and the layout of each page received meticulous attention: typography, lighting, color and framing were taken care of in detail. The IKEA catalog was massively distributed, becoming one of the most widely read publications in the world, surpassing even the Bible in annual print runs. Every page invited you to imagine a more functional, cozy and aesthetic home, beyond the act of buying furniture. In the 1970s, children playing in the rooms, adults smoking and even political details appeared in some spaces, reflecting the culture and spirit of the times. In the 80s, homes adopted more sophisticated trends with bright fabrics and modern materials. In the 1990s, aesthetics returned to simplicity and Scandinavian tradition.
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A course by Federica Fragapane
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