The Idea of Design

Book Overview

The essays, selected from volumes 4-9 of the international journal Design Issues, focus on three themes: reflection on the nature of design, the meaning of products, and the place of design in world culture.

The Idea of Design is an anthology of essays that addresses the nature and practice of product design and graphic design in the contemporary world. The essays, selected from volumes 4-9 of the international journal Design Issues,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0262631660
• ISBN13: 9780262631662
• Release Date: February 1996
• Publisher: MIT Press
• Length: 308 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 7.0" x 9.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Important Literature

I know that designers sometimes would like to have a 1 minute answer, because design is still seen in the most cases as a practical discipline. But this book, even now a few years old, was one of the first important design readers which had been focused on the future,.. and theories, models are essentially more complex if the environment is also getting more complex. I would recommend thsi book for all designers as well as students who will be designers. It is a little theoretical, but it is worth while to read.

A complex read

The Idea of Design is more the philosophy of design than anything else. It's true benift that is great for anyone in industial/graphic design and architechture is that it show a variety of view points. Romantics often get so caught up in their own vision they fail to see things from a different perspective. From reading the book I have learnt two very important lessons. (1) The most brilliant design resides in nature. Try as we will, our insight to solve one problem leads us to an ocean of social, economical and environmental difficulty. (2) In the past lies a higher understanding in which we often ignore. Before one creates, the designer must contemplate the change it will make in culture/society. This why studying a variety of different perspectives is imperative. Social responsiblity is hopefully making a comeback. Extremely interesting points are made in the essays, bearing in mind that you can grasp the daunting complexity of often abstact ideas.