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 Auto-Ethnographic Turn in Design is emerging from a growing recognition of design’s capacity to make sense of one’s world while at the same time to express and convey this personal insight or knowledge through rich, layered, and ultimately meaningful processes or objects. Auto-ethnographic design seeks to come to terms with one’s context and self—as well as the materiality that mediates these two. In doing so, it offers a vision of design that is free of commercial commissions, as...

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

From FREDERIC magazine, the best – and most unexpected – decorating pro tips and tricks of the trade in one accessible guide

Art rules the world. But what about the rules of art? In our current day and age, the general consensus seems to be that creativity, divine inspiration and art can never be bound by rules. Artists need to push the envelope, be ahead of the curve, and if there are any rules out there it is the artist's prerogative, if not God-given right, to break them.

But up to the early 20th century, artists did not have the complete artistic freedom that they are believed to enjoy today. They were bound by...

The role of design professionals' in innovation is growing towards a more strategic one. They are no longer just executors of new product and/or service design briefs but are increasingly involved in the crafting of these briefs and in the strategic decisions leading to these briefs. In order to effectively play this role, design professionals need to master a set of strategic practices - i.e., routinized actions and ways of working. However, since the strategic role of designers is a relativ...

h220430 is the design label of the Japanese designer Satoshi Itasaka. This book shows an overview of the various designs and products that the label has made over the past 10 years. From lighting and furniture, to solutions for Corona measures in the public space. h220430 is based in Tokyo and is making the step to Europe with this book. The label will be presented at the Dutch Design Week 2022 in Eindhoven.

Since 1846, the Vlisco company, located in Helmond, has supplied the Western and Central African market with Dutch Wax fabrics. This book is an homage to the fabric's fascinating history - more than a hundred years old, born in Indonesia, designed in the Netherlands, loved in Africa and coveted in the West. Full of layered meaning, the fabrics find their way to Parisian fashion shows, markets in Ghana and galleries in London and New York. More than 200 examples of fabrics from the Vlisco arch...