Books Every Product Designer Should Read
My position is that a designer is—or should be—first a poet. For that reason the books I have listed refer to a wide spectrum of human activity. They can be especially helpful and interesting to read for almost all activities having to do with creating products (industrial products) in our society of consumption.
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My main maestro. A personal memories book. “Goodbye Architecture” shows Mendini’s primary interest in anthropology, but related to design and architecture.
Aldo was one of my maestros when I was much younger. A good thinker. He brought a strong poetic approach to the discipline of architecture, opening that angle of view to product designers. His Nietzschean thinking made his life too short. I particularly like the picture with his daughter Vera on the bridge at Lake Mergozzo in northern Italy.
Nietzsche’s remarks on the difference between humans and animals are useful for understanding why designers continue to design objects that people actually do not need.
A text that influenced a generation of architects and designers, opening the door to a deeper consciousness of our profession.
This book expanded my view of contemporary architecture and prompted my experiments with translating some of the issues raised into industrial design.
A basic text for understanding the present stage of consumer society. Aids designers in becoming more conscious of their role and responsibility.
A poetic overview of our world—which a designer should always have!
“My Favorite Flops, Followed by a Magazine of Ideas.” Praise for fiasco as an essential element in the learning process coincides with one of my fundamental beliefs.
Contains “La notion de dépense” (“The Notion of Expenditure“)—sharp and disenchanted, difficult but amazing to read. May be very useful for designers in positioning their activity in a proper way.
Winnicott's theory of transitional phenomena and transitional objects enlightened my understanding of design as play and as a new form of contemporary art.
Contains “The Thing.” “The thingness of things”—jug-ness of a jug, or pot-ness of a pot. The reason for an object or a design to be. Some very useful thoughts by the German philosopher for every designer in search of new archetypes.
Not only one of the best designers, but also one of the best storytellers. This recent autobiography (which translates as “Written at Night”) reminds us that a designer is also a man with a poetic sensibility.
Tells of the six fundamental qualities in human activity: good not only for novelists, but for life in general and very much for design in particular today (see “Lightness” and “Consistency”).
One of the best Tintin books. I reread the cartoons frequently. Inspirational for the extraordinary attention to details: a must for every good designer!
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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
Published: 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.
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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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