Dualit Toaster

            
             Photograph or sketch ONE object/graphic or discrete space in your domestic space/home. Write a DISCURSIVE essay in which you analyse its social meanings (they might range from emotional to issues of power or ownership), and your reading of the derivation of its design. Include images where relevant. Consider writing about something that has always annoyed you - or maybe that you hate!! You do not have to believe that it is "good design".
             The Dualit toaster is a symbol of great British design and engineering. For over fifty years, these toasters have reflected an attitude that is fundamentally British. They are a symbol of the fact that it's the simple things in life that are the most rewarding. Today Dualit toasters are recognised as the best in the world. Part of a range of hard-working products they are designed to a standard that remains unsurpassed. Manually operated and designed for heavy-duty use, each Dualit toaster is a blend of the simple and highly sophisticated. Dualit describes their toasters as "sturdy and tough as old boots". The following is an account of how the famous Dualit design has come about - from a distinctly British design culture, under the influence of streamlining, and the consumer culture it was designed for. In terms of social meaning, the rise of the Dualit toaster as a status symbol and cult appliance within the current disposable society is discussed. In the analysis of the toaster's social meaning, one can speculate a contradiction between the audience that the Dualit was initially aimed at in the 1950s and the audience it is targeted at today. Throughout this time span, the design of the appliance has hardly changed. .
             The concept of toasting bread existed long before the electric toaster was even dreamt of. The ancient Egyptians are credited with first making bread as we know it today (leavened, with natural yeast), and probably made the first toast by placing bread near fire.