Zdeno Kolesár:
The story of Babetta’s design

Abstract

The article deals with the development of the design of the motorcycle Babetta, which was produced in Považské strojárne in Považská Bystrica (Czechoslovakia) in two types from 1971 onwards. The outstanding design by Jindřich Šafařík was awarded the Gute Form, a prestigious German design prize, in 1974. The article focuses on the position of designers in the system of planned economy. Although the design was formally supported by the Communist Party policy, the quality design solutions had to be reconsidered rather against than wit their support.

Language: czech

Keywords: design, design process, engineering, technology, planned economy