Chris Bangle

Car Designer / Italy / Chris Bangle Associates

Chris Bangle’s Book List

My Top Ten Books on: 1. Car design: The Nude; The creative process: Poetics of Music; 3. The relationship between Creative and Client: An Essay on Typography; 4. Understanding gender and design: As Long as It’s Pink; 5. Learning how to see the world: A Pattern Language; 6. The arcane minutiae of car design: A Century of Automotive Style; 7. Design insights from an unexpected quarter: Understanding Comics; 8. The historical consequences of design to put it all in perspective: American Design Ethic; 9. Understanding the authority of design: Architectural Ornament; 10. Making you wish you were 1/100th as creative as a true genius: Sentinel. Details below.

4 books
Penny Sparke

This is a fantastic book for anyone who doubts the infallibility of modernism, or who harbors a secret admiration for pop and kitsch. I am sure it is too one-sided to make for a good textbook in design schools, but I enjoyed it, learned from it, and really respect Sparke for writing it.

I am eternally indebted to Alec Bernstein from Designworks USA for turning me on to this masterpiece, along with three others on my list—An Essay on Typography, The Nude, and Poetics of Music in the Form of Six Lessons. He’s a smart guy.

Michael Lamm
Dave Holls

Hard to imagine a more thorough study of the history of car design in the U. S. Full of fascinating historical insights into the culture we have inherited the world over. Wish this existed for the carrozzerias of Europe.

Syd Mead

The guy is the Oscar Wilde of design; just when you think you have thought of something new you discover he has done it (or “said it,” in the case of Wilde) two decades ago. One of the best books to have around to remind you that deep intellectual thought, fantastic artistic skills, and great design abilities really can go together.

Arthur J. Pulos

A great read about the history of industrial design in the U. S. Very quotable; fantastic revelations. I finally understand that the American Revolution was really an Intellectual property war set off by the China of the time—the American Colonies!

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