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 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...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
December 5, 2013

Our December reviews cover architecture from suburbs to staircases, and graphic design from Swiss magazines to the work of Dutch book designer Irma Boom. We look at a new book on the product designs of Eva Zeisel, the interiors of Mario Buatta, and also Moroccan carpets—and even a book from the minds at IDEO on how to achieve “creative confidence.” More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
November 7, 2013

Our November reviews highlight the design of an ancient hanging garden, some of the world’s most spectacular opera houses, the lost art of architectural drawing drawing by hand, and a guide to the iconic figures of graphic design. More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
October 4, 2013

Our October reviews bring you books that cover Italian architect Carlo Scarpa’s Venetian glass designs, Le Corbusier’s religious buildings, 100 years of designing with Formica, 1960s–70s fashion, and more. More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
September 9, 2013

Our September dozen features highly regarded British product designer Tom Dixon’s new book, a compendium of Dutch architecture firm MVRDV's buildings, and a comprehensive guide to the art and industry of fashion design. More...

Notable Design Books: Reviews
August 2, 2013

Our August reviews cover a wide range of design reading, from a new e-book to Adrian Shaughnessy’s essays on graphic design to an Álvaro Siza omnibus. 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...