Carl Magnusson
Carl Magnusson’s Book List
I chose my books for this list based on several, perhaps random, criteria:
1. Enlightening for our profession
2. Outsiders’ views on design, which tend to put our work into perspective—i.e., design is not the most important factor but a part of a larger picture
3. Divertimenti: intellectually entertaining
4. Early books written by proven historians
5. Foreign authors: their views work to complete the picture
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I read this book in the 1960s and recently reread it. Interesting to note how the disparity in wealth continues despite opportunities to democratize capitalism.
This book title reflected how I felt! A very good read that gives a very plausible, albeit admittedly partisan, road map for a way to growth.
I first read this in the 1950s in Swedish and the central message stuck: Architecture (and therefore design as well) must evoke an experience physically and culturally beyond its core function. Hit a ball at a wall and sense the material and sound. Notice the light change as you meander through narrow asymmetrical paths between buildings, or the opening up of vistas as one surface ends and the new view becomes apparent. That, I believe, is Rassmussen’s continuing message.
In spite of the Zen-like title this is not a self-help book, but an informed analysis of a few cross-cultural Great Ideas by thinkers of the past that comment on how we find meaning and connection in what we do.
I have always enjoyed Christopher Hitchens’s (sometimes abrasive) presence and writing, and this autobiography is a detailed rendition of his unapologetic life.
The first full-length biography of Le Corbusier. His relentless faith in the future—the best interpretation of modernism, in my view—has always been a source of inspiration. I always enjoy a new, well-researched perspective on an old favorite, including this one with its many sketches and beloved Stencil font.
Good insights into recent Russian history and its effects on London society; commentary on cultural differences and the boom of the luxury market.
I attended William Mitchell’s presentation of his concept and book at the New-York Historical Society and was taken by the authors’ pragmatic blueprint for mobility’s future. It redefined the car in context of today’s challenges—congestion, safety, and energy—and opportunities. I very much appreciate the clear sanity of their thoughts while reminiscing about Frank Lloyd Wright’s early ideas on mobility. In a parallel and separate development, Ross Lovegrove’s recent visual solution for a concept car for Renault brings cultural content back into automobile design.
This masterwork puts into perspective the implications of the industrial revolution for architecture and industrial design. The book provides evidence that modernism easily transcends the various styles of the first half of the 20th century and such historical blips as postmodernism. The modernist canons continue to be valid as we embark on the digital manifestations of our future realities.
One of the early supporters of innovation as the American answer to the threat of outsourcing. In my ongoing quest for good news I liked the optimistic outlook for the future of the American economy, based on data and research of past events.
Announcements
Now is Better by Stefan Sagmeister
Now is Better
By Stefan Sagmeister
Publisher: Phaidon Press
Published: October 2023
Combining art, design, history, and quantitative analysis, transforms data sets into stunning artworks that underscore his positive view of human progress, inspiring us to think about the future with much-needed hope.
Design Emergency: Building a Better Future by Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli
Design Emergency: Building a Better Future
By Alice Rawsthorn and Paola Antonelli
Publisher: Phaidon Press
Published: May 2022
Rawsthorn and Antonelli tell the stories of the remarkable designers, architects, engineers, artists, scientists, and activists who are at the forefront of positive change worldwide. Focusing on four themes—Technology, Society, Communication, and Ecology—the authors present a unique portrait of how our great creative minds are developing new design solutions to the major challenges of our time, while helping us to benefit from advances in science and technology.
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Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World’s Most Creative People by Debbie Millman
Why Design Matters: Conversations with the World's Most Creative People
By Debbie Millman
Publisher: Harper Design
Published: February 22, 2022
Debbie Millman—author, educator, brand consultant, and host of the widely successful and award-winning podcast “Design Matters”—showcases dozens of her most exciting interviews, bringing together insights and reflections from today’s leading creative minds from across diverse fields.
Milton Glaser: POP by Steven Heller, Mirko Ilić, and Beth Kleber
Milton Glaser: POP
By Steven Heller, Mirko Ilić, and Beth Kleber
Publisher: The Monacelli Press
Published: March 2023
This collection of work from graphci design legend Milton Glaser’s Pop period features hundreds of examples of the designer’s work that have not been seen since their original publication, demonstrating the graphic revolution that transformed design and popular culture.
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Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall by Alexandra Lange
Meet Me by the Fountain: An Inside History of the Mall
By Alexandra Lange
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Published: June 2022
Chronicles postwar architects’ and merchants’ invention of the shopping mall, revealing how the design of these marketplaces played an integral role in their cultural ascent. Publishers Weekly writes, “Contending that malls answer ‘the basic human need’ of bringing people together, influential design critic Lange advocates for retrofitting abandoned shopping centers into college campuses, senior housing, and ‘ethnocentric marketplaces’ catering to immigrant communities. Lucid and well researched, this is an insightful study of an overlooked and undervalued architectural form.”
Die Fläche: Design and Lettering of the Vienna Secession, 1902–1911 (Facsimile Edition) by Diane V. Silverthorne, Dan Reynolds, and Megan Brandow-Faller
Die Fläche: Design and Lettering of the Vienna Secession, 1902–1911 (Facsimile Edition)
By Diane V. Silverthorne, Dan Reynolds, and Megan Brandow-Faller
Publisher: Letterform Archives Books
Published: October 2023
This facsimile edition of Die Fläche, recreates every page of the formative design periodical in full color and at original size, accompanied by essays that contextualize the work, highlighting contributions by pathbreaking women, innovative lettering artists, and key practitioners of the new “surface art,” including Rudolf von Larisch, Alfred Roller, and Wiener Werkstätte founders Koloman Moser and Josef Hoffmann.
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