17 Design Commentators/17 Books
By Steve Kroeter April 17, 2012![]() |
Steve Kroeter |
To complement the recent publication of our “100 Designers/100 Books” list, today we bring you “17 Design Commentators/17 Books,” which celebrates the book lists that have been contributed to Designers & Books by our commentators—critics, curators, editors, educators, executives, writers, and other distinguished design community members.
As with “100 Designers/100 Books,” we’ve paired each of our commentators together with a book chosen from the book lists they’ve submitted. Click on a book title or cover image and you’ll get detailed information on the book along with all its Designers & Books recommenders. Click on a commentator’s photo or name and you’ll get the commentator’s full book list and links to biographical and other information.
No matter what the nature of your design interest (architecture, fashion, graphic design, interior design, or product design) and no matter what the context of that interest (academic, critical, curatorial, or otherwise), you are sure to find book recommendations and commentary that will be both entertaining and enlightening. And whether you focus on the 17 books below or the more than 270 books that the commentators have chosen in total, you can count on each of the titles to be important and inspired sources of creativity, innovation, and invention. — SK
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The House of Life
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Playing and Reality
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The Invention of Tradition
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Syrie Maugham: Staging the Glamorous Interior
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Designing Design
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AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.)
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The Elements of Style (Illustrated)
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The International Style
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The Architecture of the City
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Swiss Graphic Design
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Design Like You Give a Damn
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Architecture: The Natural and the Manmade
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Fashion Zeitgeist
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Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology
Is it time to revisit Postman? I say, yes. We need to bring his clear thinking about what makes us human into our discussions of everything that occupies designers, from software to classrooms, from smartphones to cities. By and large, Postman’s thinking did eventually reach the design community. Long known for chattering about the great and beautiful things they “create,” designers are now deeply engaged with the large issues that shape our world: technology and sustainability (both environmental and social). |
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Ways of Seeing
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The Finest Rooms in America
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World Dress Fashion in Detail
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And, if there is particular book that has been especially inspirational to you, we’d be interested in hearing from you below in a comment.
Announcements
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy by John Lobell
Louis Kahn: Architecture as Philosophy
By John Lobell
Publisher: The Monacelli Press
Published: June 2020
Noted Louis I.Kahn expert John Lobell explores how Kahn’s focus on structure, respect for materials, clarity of program, and reverence for details come together to manifest an overall philosophy.
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn by Harriet Pattison
Our Days Are Like Full Years: A Memoir with Letters from Louis Kahn
By Harriet Pattison
Publisher: Yale University Press
Forthcoming: October 2020
An intimate glimpse into the professional and romantic relationship between Harriet Pattison and the renowned architect Louis Kahn. Harriet Pattison, FASLA, is a distinguished landscape architect. She was Louis Kahn’s romantic partner from 1959 to 1974, and his collaborator on the landscapes of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, and the F.D.R. Memorial/Four Freedoms Park, New York. She is the mother of their son, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn.
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
Louis I. Kahn: The Nordic Latitudes
By Per Olaf Fjeld and Emily Randall Fjeld
Publisher: University of Arkansas Press
Published: October 4, 2019
A new and personal reading of the architecture, teachings, and legacy of Louis I. Kahn from Per Olaf Fjeld’s perspective as a former student. The book explores Kahn’s life and work, offering a unique take on one of the twentieth century’s most important architects. Kahn’s Nordic and European ties are emphasized in this study that also covers his early childhood in Estonia, his travels, and his relationships with other architects, including the Norwegian architect Arne Korsmo.
Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context by David Raizman
Reading Graphic Design History: Image, Text, and Context
By David Raizman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Visual Arts
Published: December 2020
An innovative approach to graphic design that uses a series of key artifacts from the history of print culture in light of their specific historical contexts. It encourages the reader to look carefully and critically at print advertising, illustration, posters, magazine art direction, and typography, often addressing issues of class, race, and gender.
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian by Rick Poynor
David King: Designer, Activist, Visual Historian
By Rick Poynor
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: September 2020
A comprehensive overview of the work and legacy of David King (1943–2016), whose fascinating career bridged journalism, graphic design, photography, and collecting. King launched his career at Britain’s Sunday Times Magazine in the 1960s, starting as a designer and later branching out into image-led journalism, blending political activism with his design work.
Teaching Graphic Design History by Steven Heller
Teaching Graphic Design History
By Steven Heller
Publisher: Allworth Press
Published: June 2019
An examination of the concerted efforts, happy accidents, and key influences of the practice throughout the years, Teaching Graphic Design History is an illuminating resource for students, practitioners, and future teachers of the subject.
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