Notable Design Books: Reviews

Books selected by our Book Board as Notable Design Books of the Year are reviewed on an ongoing basis. We publish reviews by our Book Board members, who include designers, commentators, and specially invited guest contributors.

Also see Notable Design Books of 2013.
18 blog entries
Notable Design Books: Reviews
By Erik Spiekermann March 15, 2012

Guest blogger: Erik Spiekermann (Edenspiekermann AG: Berlin)
Profile   Notable Books of 2011
Guest blogger and graphic designer Erik Spiekermann examines a book on the history of modern German thought from all angles, including its ingenious cover design. More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
By Witold Rybczynski July 22, 2014

Critic Witold Rybczynski reviews vanguard British architect Ian Ritchie’s newest book—a combination of musings, writings, and photographs of the buildings that have marked Ritchie’s varied career. More...

Guest posts
By Rick Poynor January 13, 2012

Guest blogger: Visual culture critic Rick Poynor (Design Observer, London)
Profile   Notable Books of 2011
Guest blogger Rick Poynor—also a Designers & Books commentator—discusses Christian Patterson’s Redheaded Peckerwood (MACK, 2011). — SK More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
By Maria Popova March 8, 2012

Guest blogger: Maria Popova (Brain Pickings, New York)
Profile    Notable Books of 2011
Guest blogger Maria Popova—creator of Brain Pickings—looks at George L. Legendre’s recent book, which looks at pasta shapes as design statement. More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
By Phil Patton October 9, 2012

Guest blogger: Phil Patton (New York Times, New York)
Profile
Guest blogger Phil Patton—design and culture journalist, curator, and author—shares his selection of notable design titles published or about to be published during 2012. — SK More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
By Steve Kroeter July 11, 2013

Our midsummer crop of reviews for July has arrived, with ten new reviews of Notable Design Books of 2013. his month’s selections cover everything from the best new objects for the home to Pucci prints to what architects can learn from artist James Turrell. One book looks at why interviewing should be a cornerstone of every designer’s work, another examines the range of design originating in Switzerland, and still another explores “urban innovation districts.”

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Notable Design Books: Reviews
By Steve Kroeter June 6, 2013

June brings to Designers & Books ten new reviews of Notable Design Books of 2013, selected by members of our Book Board. Highlights include two volumes from a series profiling remarkable women in design, a reissue (and reconsideration) of a title on the work of Nazi architect Albert Speer, three books on California’s design scene from the 1930s to the present, and a new look at sustainable fashion. More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
By Steve Kroeter May 2, 2013

Our May reviews are in. Designers & Books is posting its second monthly roundup of Notable Design Books of 2013, selected by members of our Book Board. More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
By Steve Kroeter April 4, 2013

To kick off spring, Designers & Books is posting its first compilation of Notable Design Books of 2013. We invited a group of esteemed design community members—our Book Board—to select titles published in 2013 that they think are particularly worth noting. More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
By Steve Kroeter December 20, 2012

To end the year in design book publishing, Designers & Books is posting its updated second annual list of Notable Design Books—now with additional titles. We invited a group of esteemed design community members—our Book Board—to select titles published in 2012 that they think are particularly worth noting. More...