Designers & Books News

Designers & Books: Day 1

By Steve Kroeter February 1, 2011

Like good design, good books can make your life better. And designers are a great source of good book recommendations. That is why, today, we are launching Designers & Books.

The Three Ideas Behind Designers & Books

When we use the term "designers" we mean architects, fashion designers, graphic designers, interior designers, and product designers. There are three basic ideas behind Designers & Books:

There is a special relationship between designers and books. Designers read books, write them, design them, collect them, learn from them, and are inspired by them.
Similar to the way that “good design can make your life better”—we also believe that “good books can make your life better.”
Because of #1 and #2, it is worthwhile to pay attention to the books that designers pay attention to.

You Are What You Read

The science behind our thinking is summed up in a special essay that Maryanne Wolf of the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University wrote for us. In "You Are What You Read" Professor Wolf notes that, “our continuously increasing knowledge in the cognitive neurosciences teaches us that we are the sum of what and how and why we read.” The implications of this are profound and motivating generally, and are of particular importance for the design community.

Because of all this, Designers & Books has been developed to publish lists of books that esteemed members of the design community identify as personally important, meaningful, and formative—books that have shaped their values, their worldview, and also their ideas about design.

More than 650 Titles

As we launch today, you will see that the site includes book lists from 50 designers. In addition we also include book lists submitted by celebrated design community academics, critics, curators, editors, lecturers, and writers (we call this group “commentators”). In total, the book lists of the designers and commentators include more than 650 titles.

Among the designers and commentators whose book lists you will be seeing in the coming weeks and months are: architects Steven Holl, Juhani Pallasmaa, and Mikko Heikkinen; graphic designers Ivan Chermayeff, Tom Geismar, and Massimo Vignelli; fashion designer Cynthia Rowley; the writers and critics Paul Goldberger, Dominique Browning, Alice Rawsthorn, and Rick Poynor; curators Barry Bergdoll, Zoe Ryan, Akiko Fukai, and Claire Wilcox; and Professor Sheila Danko. New book lists will be posted each week.

Book Lists and Conversations

We read somewhere that any book list is an invitation to begin a conversation. Because we believe this, you will see that the website has been designed to encourage comments, generate debate, and facilitate discussions about the books that are posted.

We hope you will find the book lists on Designers & Books to be enlightening, entertaining, and educational—as well as opportunities to initiate conversations.

Steve Kroeter
Editor in Chief

comments powered by Disqus

Announcements

Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design edited by Ian Lynam

Total Armageddon: A Slanted Reader on Design

Edited by Ian Lynam
Publisher: Slanted Publishers
Published: March 2019

Total Armageddon is about design. And culture. And complexity, notably how we, as a global civilization, deal with science fiction, taste, social media, the cities we live in, aesthetics, PowerPoint, burkas, Big Tech, full-contact sports, and other thorny topics. The book celebrates 15 years of independent publishing and brings together a who’s who of authors and essays from 32 issues of Slanted Magazine.

Order from Slanted Publishers.

A Field Guide to Color by Lisa Solomon

A Field Guide to Color: A Watercolor Workbook

By Lisa Solomon
Publisher: Roost Books
Published: August 2019

In this creative workbook you’ll discover fresh ways to connect with color in your art and life. Using watercolors, gouache, or any other water-based medium, explore color theory while playing with paint through a balanced blend of color experiments and loose color meditations. This inspiring workbook will change the way you relate to color

Order from Roost Books.

Five Oceans in a Teaspoon by Dennis Bernstein and Warren Lehrer

Five Oceans in a Teaspoon

Poems by Dennis Bernstein
Visualizations by Warren Lehrer
Introduction by Steven Heller
Publisher: Paper Crown Press
Published: September 19, 2019

“From a kidnap note for a world held hostage by an A-bomb, to a Holocaust survivor’s tattooed arms where the numbers just don’t add up, Five Oceans in a Teaspoon re-envisions a poetry memoir via a textual kaleidoscope... Bernstein and Lehrer are the Rodgers and Hart of Visual Poetry.” — Bob Holman, poet, poetry activist and chronicler, and founder of the Bowery Poetry Club

Pre-order the book.

Ballpark: Baseball in the American City by Paul Goldberger

Ballpark: Baseball in the American City

By Paul Goldberger
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Published: May 2019

An illustrated, entirely new look at the history of baseball: told through the stories of the vibrant and ever-changing ballparks where the game was and is staged, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning architectural critic.

Order the book.

Charleston Fancy by Witold Rybczynski

Charleston Fancy: Little Houses and Big Dreams in the Holy City

By Witold Rybczynski
Publisher: Yale University Press
Published: May 2019

Charleston, South Carolina, which boasts America’s first historic district, is known for its palmetto-lined streets and picturesque houses. The Holy City, named for its profusion of churches, exudes an irresistible charm. Award-winning author and cultural critic Witold Rybczynski unfolds a series of stories about a group of youthful architects, builders, and developers based in Charleston: a self-taught home builder, an Air Force pilot, a fledgling architect, and a bluegrass mandolin player.

Order the book.

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.

Order the book.