A Look Back at the Workplaces and Offices of the 1970s and 1980s – Design You Trust

A Look Back at the Workplaces and Offices of the 1970s and 1980s

0

The office has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past several decades, evolving in layout, style, colors, work culture, and technology. The modern office is geared towards individuality, with ergonomic design and cutting-edge technology playing a crucial role in this transition.

h/t: rarehistoricalphotos

1

In the 1960s, the open office design started gaining popularity, with the Bürolandschaft approach being introduced in Germany. This design aimed to promote interaction and equality among colleagues in the workplace. However, Robert Propst, the former president of Herman Miller Research Corp., criticized the design, calling it a “wasteland” that sapped vitality, blocked talent, and frustrated accomplishment.

3

In response to the growing demand for office spaces, the Herman Miller furniture company introduced the Action Office in 1964, a flexible and colorful design that aimed to enhance employee freedom and privacy. However, as the need for office space continued to grow, the company redesigned the Action Office to be smaller and lighter, leading to the birth of the cubicle.

4

Despite its widespread popularity, the inventor of the Action Office, Robert Propst, spent his final years regretting its creation, calling it a “barren, rathole place” used by “crass people.” During the 1970s, employees dressed formally, and the trend of telecommuting was proposed as a solution to traffic congestion in urban areas.

5

In the 1980s, cubicles dominated office buildings, and technology advancements brought computers into the workplace. Desks were reinforced to accommodate the heavy and bulky computers of the era. Office design during this decade was defined by functionality, with a shift towards glass, concrete, and clean lines in the late 1980s.

6

With the improvement of technology and a reduction in costs in the 1980s and 1990s, telecommuting became a viable option for many jobs, leading to its adoption by companies like IBM and J.C. Penney and U.S. federal agencies as a way to reduce office expenses and offer employees more flexibility.

7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29

If you want more awesome content, subscribe to 'Oh, Design You Trust,' our brand new Facebook page! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

More Inspiring Stories

These Awkward Vintage Christmas Album Covers
Beautiful Colorized Photos of a Young Queen Elizabeth II From the 1930s and 1940s
Fascinating Nostalgic Black and White Photos of Daily Life in Michigan in 1970s and '80s
Zappa Claus: “Merry Christmas and Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow!”
Stunning Artistic, Portrait and Surreal Photography by Man Ray in the 1920s and ’30s
Nike Created A Limited-Edition "Stranger Things" Sneakers Made With Fabric That Can Be Burned Away To Reveal Hidden Details
"Sunken Time": Soviet Russia, XX Century, 1962-1992, In Black & White Photographs By Mikhail Dashevsky
Vintage Adverts Of Hair Necessities For Men From The 1970s
Stunning Vintage Photos Show The Beauty Of African-American Women From Between 1920s And 1940s
Amazing Then-and-Now Photos Show How London Has Changed From Between the 1920s and 2010s
Vintage Photos of Vanessa Paradis in the 1980s
Cruising Van Nuys Boulevard In The Summer Of 1972 In Stunning Black And White Photos By Rick McCloskey
This Book Is Dedicated To Arcade Game Typography, And Only 1000 Copies Available!
Home Office from The Future Past: Maurice-Claude Vidili's Sphère D’isolation, Model No. S2
Beautiful Photos of the Lincoln Continental Mark V
Jack London’s Extraordinary Photos of London’s East End in 1902
Still Portraits of Alfred Hitchcock Posing With Birds in Promotion for His Film, "The Birds"
Atmospheric Photographs of France in the 1940s Through a German Soldier’s Lens
Amazing Black and White Photos Capture Street Scenes of Liverpool in the 1980s
Beautiful Flight Attendant Uniforms Around the World From the 1970s
These Creepy Vintage Photographs From the Early 20th Century Will Make Your Skin Crawl
Cool Vintage Photos Capture People Posing With Volkswagens in the 1960s and ’70s
New York City In 1980s Through Photographs By Janet Delany
Rare Photographs of a Very Young Diego Maradona From the Late 1970s and Early 1980s