IT is much easier to understand and remember a thing when a reason is given for it, than when we are merely shown how to do it without being told why it is so done; for in the latter case, instead of being assisted by reason, our real help in all study, we have to rely upon memory or our power of imitation, and to do simply as we are told without thinking about it. The consequence is that at the very first difficulty we are left to flounder about in the dark, or to remain inactive till the ma...

Design Things That Make Sense is the first and complete guide to designing technology-based products and services. It answers questions like: Why do some products become a success while others fail? Why do some products create value while others destroy it? Why is there so much technology-push and so little thinking from the outside-in?

Technology unlocks new capabilities that nobody asked for, but applied correctly can create value for users. This sounds easier than it is; designing successf...

People who cannot draw well usually think that professional sketching is a complex and difficult process. However, with this book you will see that even the most complex sketches are just a structure of very simple, yet confidently drawn segments built on each other. It shows which features make drawings look professional and how you can implement those in your own sketches.

The Exceptionally Simple Theory of Sketching - Extended Edition provides you with a very short course, which does not t...

When times are particularly difficult, and you are likely to slip into despair, some of the greatest pop songs can provide true comfort to make it through the pain. The problem with advice in general is that we often don't take it. The great thing about advice songs is that you can kick back and listen to someone else coach you through a tough situation while rocking out at the same time. This wonderful book lists 250 of the best pop songs for those times that solid life advices are needed. T...

Initiated by professional curator and editor Freek Lomme, ‘Can You Feel It?’ invites the reader to explore tactility and our interaction with printed matter. Six international artists produced either graphic samples or the essence of tactility during a residency at the Frans Masereel Centrum. Compiling their practice-based experiments and processes, this book also includes animated introductions of printing techniques in the form of fictionalised characters, and eight essay contributions ...

In this post-digital age, digital technology is no longer a revolutionary phenomenon but a normal part of everyday life. The mutation of music and film into bits and bytes, downloads and streams is now taken for granted. For the world of book and magazine publishing however, this transformation has only just begun. In this book, Alessandro Ludovico re-reads the history of media technology, cultural activism, and the avantgarde arts as a prehistory of cutting through the so-called dichotomy be...

This book explores the origins, evolution, and practice of design fiction—creating tangible, evocative prototypes from possible near futures to examine decision-making consequences. As the world grows more complex and unpredictable, anticipating the future is no longer optional—it is essential. From climate change and economic instability to rising inequality and fragile institutions, uncertainty is everywhere. For too long, major decision-makers have viewed the future as a business exerc...

When visiting Japan, one of the first things that stand out is the calm and respectful way the Japanese behave. A weaver meditatively repeats the exact same movement a thousand times a day, while the tea master dedicates every serene gesture to the harmony of the room. Although in the West we might find it hard to explain this mindful way of moving, the Japanese have a word for it: shosa.

In this book, design journalist Ringo Gomez and photographer Rob Walbers, who share a long-standing fasci...

Focuses on the three key types of drawing, explanatory sketches, notational sketches and visual narratives that help designers think through and communicate their ideas. Through these three fundamentals, this title provides a course in creating clear graphic layouts and diagrams, including expressive human forms, and thumbnailing a process.

An authoritative chronicle of the design history of the skateboard, from its humble beginnings in the 1950s to the present day