Design is broken. Young and not-so-young designers are becoming increasingly aware of this. Many feel impotent: they were told they had the tools to make the world a better place, but instead the world takes its toll on them. Beyond a haze of hype and bold claims lies a barren land of self-doubt and impostor syndrome. This book probes the disillusionment that permeates design. It tackles the deskilling effects provoked by digital semi-automation, the instances of ornamental politics fashioned...

The scarcity of resources, climate change, and the digitalization of everyday life are fuelling the economy of swapping, sharing, and lending—all of which are in some way linked to a culture of commoning. In this context, we understand commons as community-based processes that use, collectively manage, and organize generally accessible resources—referring to both goods and knowledge. Commons in Design explores the meaning and impact of commons—especially knowledge-based peer commons—a...

An overview of the work of illustrator and designer Milton Glaser during the 1960s and 70s

An invaluable introduction for designers and creatives on how to create digital interfaces for users.

Over the last few decades the term ‘bootlegging’—a practice once relegated to smugglers and copyright infringers—has become understood as a creative act. Debates about homage, appropriation, and theft that are common in the art world, are now being held in the spheres of corporate branding, social media, and the creative industry as a whole. Today, bootlegging has become fetishized as an aesthetic in and of itself, influencing everything from underground record labels to DIY T-shirts,...

The definitive history of Braun - the pioneering German electronics brand that changed the face of modern design

A visual biography of Aino and Alvar Aalto, who designed some of the most iconic objects of the twentieth century

Aino and Alvar Aalto together founded Artek and created some of the most celebrated objects and buildings of the twentieth century. Through letters, documents, drawings, and family photographs, Alvar and Aino’s grandson tells the stories of their life together, in Finland and abroad, drawing on many of the never-before-published letters they sent to each other and to family, fri...

Stefan Sagmeister’s newest project encourages long-term thinking and reminds us that many things in the world are improving

Initially conceived in 2020 as the world entered pandemic lockdown, Stefan Sagmeister has created a book that looks at the state of the world today, illuminating, through collected data, how far we’ve come, and encouraging us to think about where we can go from here. Statistics are vividly brought to life, as numbers are transformed into graphs, inlaid into nineteent...

“Relation of Elements” explores the role of prepositions in architecture and design, a part of speech often overlooked when describing and designing architecture. The book demonstrates how language can shape our understanding of objects and spaces and allows you to discover new ways to shape and define space.

The book aims to inspire architects and designers to think creatively by manipulating prepositions and exploring the connections between different composition and structure elements....