Penny Sparke

There are countless design books that attempt to dissect “good” and “bad” designs in an effort to teach artists and designers, both new and old, what they should and shouldn't be doing. Few manage to successfully convey the ineffable traits that cause some designs to take off, while others fall flat. 100 Designs for a Modern World, by George Kravis, doesn't attempt to quantify the unquantifiable; the book simply presents a curated collection of modern designs. Some have a brief description of the items’ functions that would not be apparent from photos, but beyond that, Kravis doesn’t hold the reader’s hand. Instead, he lets the designs speak for themselves. It seems that every curve, every line, every angle, was exactly as the designers intended. Taken together, the objects included illustrate the inexpressible satisfaction of designs that just plain work. You’d never know the countless hours their creators must have labored over them (unless you also happen to be an artist).

And if you are an artist? Do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of this book.… (altro)

Design history in general is a vast academic field. Sparke provides an introduction that I find particularly useful, mainly because she takes care to situate design in cultural, social and economic contexts. The book is structured along the themes of consumption, technology, professional design practice, ideological foundations and identity. Basically, these are all highly relevant to interaction design and Sparke’s reasoning is rather straightforward to apply to our field, even though her examples are drawn mainly from product design, architecture and interior design.… (altro)