This book is the result of a symposium on "Design and Aesthetics in Wood," which was held at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, N.Y., 7-9 November 1967. Concurrent with the conference was an exhibition, sponsored by the College of Environmental Science and Forestry and the School of Art, in which the art objects and industrial products illustrated here were a part.
This is David Pye's classic book on the theory of design. In it, he explores the many facets of good design, including the relationship of aesthetics with function.
Designed to Sell presents an engaging account of mid-twentieth-century department store design and display in America from the 1930s to the 1960s. It traces the development of postwar philosophies of retail design that embodied aesthetics and function and new modes of merchandise display, resulting in the emergence of a new type of industrial designer. The evolution of aesthetics in department stores during this period reflected larger cultural shifts in consumer behaviour and lifestyle. Designed to Sell explores these changes using five key case studies and original archival sources to reveal the link between designers and consumption beyond the design of individual objects. It argues that design is not simply connected to retail consumption, but that it is capable of controlling how and where customers shop and what they are drawn to purchase. This book contextualises this discussion and brings it up to date for students and scholars interested in design, retail, and interior history.
Everyone is already painfully aware of our predicament - ecological extinctions, dwindling fossil fuel reserves and economic chaos. The solutions are less obvious, despite the many opportunities that surround us. We have never had more access to resources, knowledge and technology but this is not the problem. What we lack most is creative thinking, fuelled by collective optimism. In a pragmatic world run by careerist experts this is hardly surprising. As voters and consumers we are trained to choose and complain, but not how to envisage what we really, really want. How can we design a better world unless we revive the art of dreaming? For without dreams we are lost. Perhaps it should be the duty of all citizens to imagine alternative futures; in effect, to think more like designers. After all, designers have always been dreamers, and have often found ways to realize their dreams. Design for Micro-Utopias does not advocate a single, monolithic Utopia. Rather, it invites readers to embrace a more pluralized and mercurial version of Thomas More's famous 1516 novel of the same name. It therefore encourages the proliferation of many 'micro-utopias' rather than one 'Utopia'. This requires a less negative, critical and rational approach. Referencing a wide range of philosophical thinking from Aristotle to the present day, western and eastern spiritual ideals, and scientific, biological and systems theory, John Wood offers remedies for our excessively individualistic, mechanistic and disconnected thinking, and asks whether a metadesign approach might bring about a new mode of governance. This is a daring idea. Ultimately, he reminds us that if we believe that we will never be able to design miracles we make it more likely that this is so. The first step is to turn the 'impossible' into the 'thinkable'.
This is the first comprehensive student reader on design history and aesthetics. It includes contributions from many of the writers at the forefront of contemporary debate, including Raymond Williams, Roger Scruton and Tony Bennett.
Book 4 Diamond Patterns is the fourth book in the Shoji and Kumiko Design series, and follows on seamlessly from Book 3 Hexagonal Patterns. In Book 4, Des King gives detailed instructions on making 31 stunning patterns in the diamond (hishi-gata) jigumi arrangement, including the spectacular yotsu-kude four-way joint and tombo dragonfly pattern.More than 350 photographs and diagrams guide you at each stage on making these patterns using tools found in any Western workshop, and simple shop-made jigs. As with Books 1, 2 and 3, no specialized tools are required for any of the patterns covered in Book 4.
Make small changes to your surroundings and create extraordinary happiness in your life with groundbreaking research from designer and TED star Ingrid Fetell Lee. Next Big Idea Club selection—chosen by Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Dan Pink, and Adam Grant as one of the "two most groundbreaking new nonfiction reads of the season!" "This book has the power to change everything! Writing with depth, wit, and insight, Ingrid Fetell Lee shares all you need to know in order to create external environments that give rise to inner joy." —Susan Cain, author of Quiet and founder of Quiet Revolution Have you ever wondered why we stop to watch the orange glow that arrives before sunset, or why we flock to see cherry blossoms bloom in spring? Is there a reason that people—regardless of gender, age, culture, or ethnicity—are mesmerized by baby animals, and can't help but smile when they see a burst of confetti or a cluster of colorful balloons? We are often made to feel that the physical world has little or no impact on our inner joy. Increasingly, experts urge us to find balance and calm by looking inward—through mindfulness or meditation—and muting the outside world. But what if the natural vibrancy of our surroundings is actually our most renewable and easily accessible source of joy? In Joyful, designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood. Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology, she explains why one setting makes us feel anxious or competitive, while another fosters acceptance and delight—and, most importantly, she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller, healthier, and truly joyful lives.
This book underscores the important role that wood has played in the development of American life and culture. Covering such topics as the aesthetics of wood, wooden implements, and carpentry, Sloane remarks expansively and with affection on the resourcefulness of Early Americans in their use of this precious commodity.
This monograph presents state-of-the-art knowledge in wood manufacturing design with a special focus on the elaboration of functional relationships. The authors transfer and apply the method of functional relationships to challenges in wood manufacturing, and the book contains many worked examples which help the reader to better understand the presented method. The topical spectrum includes machining processes, energy consumption, surface quality, hardness and durability properties as well as aesthetical properties. The target audience primarily comprises research experts and practitioners in wood manufacturing, but the book may also be beneficial for graduate students alike.
