Sam Hecht
Sam Hecht’s Book List
I like books. In fact, I make a book for every project I do. I like the designers of books, too, because when they are successful, they make the book worth far more than the material it is on. Books that resonate with me most are ones that have little or no imagery. These are few and far between, because there seems to be too much imagery these days. I like to imagine what the writer is describing. Here are some of these books I have enjoyed and continue to enjoy.
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I was given this book as a child by my mother when she first opened a bank account for me. I have kept it ever since, and I look back at it quite regularly. It is a book that says a lot about what makes a designer. A designer is someone who must understand how systems work. He must then acknowledge that all systems are artificial, and then adopt them and alter them for his own means. I am not suggesting anarchy, and neither does this book—rather, it is a small and legal subversion. For instance, when we receive a form from a company or government department, our instinct is to fill it out and return it. But maybe next time you find yourself having to write to a company, why not create your own official form—designed, of course, with all of those details like “please leave blank for official use”—and make the company fill it out and return it. Oh, and the book was actually written by Sir Patrick Moore (R. T. Fishall was his pen name), the astronomer who spent his life making sense of the universe.
I have read this book twice. It is a very difficult book—very theoretical and dry—but you need to give it time. I feel that Mari is one of the most multi-dimensional designers there has ever been. He comes across as very hard and uncompromising, but I believe that he is very playful in his mind. His countless toys and books show this. In the end he is mysterious, and in this mystery he at least introduces ideas and history that are hardly discussed in current design.
If you have the time and patience, this is a fantastic book—full of secrets. I was introduced to it by a friend and was so impressed by its presentation and simplicity. The book itself was designed by Ikko Tanaka, who was the creator of Muji.
This book I have read about four times. It is very clever, very personal, and short. Zumthor’s description of his process is inspirational not because it is so revolutionary but rather because it is uncompromising. You can tell he is on a continuous journey of understanding himself in the context of the world around us, and he has a mission that must be delivered. I have great respect for that, and for this book.
I have read this book about four times—and at different times of my life. In my opinion it should be read by every design student. While I was a professor at Karlsruhe University I was surprised that few of my students had heard of it, let alone the writer and designer, Otl Aicher. Why is it so important? I believe that too many designers have lost the ability to realize that projects are ultimately for people—not the company. Aicher explains this very clearly, and as his rationale is very cutting, it would be hard to argue with.
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If Walls Could Speak: My Life in Architecture by Moshe Safdie
If Walls Could Speak: My Life in Architecture
By Moshe Safdie
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic
Published: September 2022
One of the world’s greatest and most thoughtful architects recounts his extraordinary career and the iconic structures he has built—from Habitat in Montreal to Marina Bay Sands in Singapore—and offers a manifesto for the role architecture should play in society.
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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.”
Women Holding Things by Maira Kalman
Women Holding Things
By Maira Kalman
Publisher: Harper Design
Published: October 2022
In the spring of 2021, Maira and Alex Kalman created a small, limited-edition booklet, “Women Holding Things,” which featured select recent paintings by Maira, accompanied by her insightful and deeply personal commentary. The booklet quickly sold out. Now, the Kalmans have expanded that original publication into an extraordinary visual compendium. We see a woman hold a book, hold shears, hold children, hold a grudge, hold up, hold her own. In visually telling their stories, Kalman lays bare the essence of women’s lives—their tenacity, courage, vulnerability, hope, and pain.
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