From Library Journal
An ambitious overview of the concept of design in the largest sense of the word, this volume tackles a diverse range of subjects, from tableware to advertising campaigns. Heskett (design, Illinois Inst. of Technology) guides the reader through a cursory yet compelling exploration of the myriad incarnations of design. Rather than organizing the book by profession or discipline, he takes the perspective of the end users (or receivers) and considers how they encounter design in their day-to-day lives as objects, environments, communications materials, identities, wayfinding systems, etc. Moving rapidly from one example to another, the book whets the appetite for deeper information and comes through with a robust "For Further Reading" section. Members of various design-related professions (graphic, interior, environmental, and industrial) will find this book of interest, but it will also prove rewarding for anyone interested in mass media, information glut, consumer buying habits, propaganda, ergonomics, and the cultural differences inherent in globalization. It is best suited to larger libraries or libraries with extensive liberal arts, fine arts, or communications sections. Phil Hamlett, Turner & Assocs., San Francisco
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Booklist
Heskett, a professor of design at Chicago's Illinois Institute of Technology and author of the textbook Industrial Design (1981), defines design in a "meaningful, holistic sense" by working from the recognition that "design is one of the basic characteristics of what it is to be human, and an essential determinant of the quality of human life." In a notably lucid narrative rich in provocative examples, he succinctly traces design's development from the earliest of technological breakthroughs to today's frenzied array of gadgets, graphics, and objects great and small, essential and frivolous. He goes beyond the classic duo of form and function to discuss utility and significance and to differentiate between the ephemeral and the enduring. Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
