A brilliant exposé of the interaction between art, design, and commerce.
What is it that persuades us to camp outside Apple stores to...
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Nov 21, 2011
Tina
rated it: 
I think this would have been a lot more interesting if I weren't already a designer with some knowledge of art/design history and culture. I couldn't get past the first 2 chapters because it wasn't terribly thought-provoking, just repeating statements about overarching trends/phenomena in the design world that I've heard millions of times before. Maybe I will finish reading it some day, but for now I had to give it back to the BPL because I'd already renewed it thrice.
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Jan 22, 2011
Hikmat
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"The role of the most sophisticated designers today is as much to be storytellers, to make design that speaks in such a way as to convey these messages, as is to resolve formal and functional problems." (halaman 23) Deyan Sudjic, direktur Museum Desain di Inggris, mengulas pertumbuhan bahasa benda-benda yang disampaikan lewat desain. Dari sini, ia menyusun sebuah alternatif sejarah dunia modern, dari sudut pandang budaya material. Ada empat subjek yang ia ulas: Desain dan arketip-arket
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Jan 01, 2012
Kamal
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Mass consumption is something that many of us have grown to detest, yet paradoxically, we continue to engage in it on a daily basis. Sudjic's book, among other things, attempts to explain why we continue along the path set out for us by manufacturers, designers and bankers--to consume as much as possible as frequently as possible--in a world that must deal with shrinking natural resources, a global economic crunch and a spiritual/intellectual void that has been filled with objects of desire. It
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May 21, 2010
Richard
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jul 25, 2011
What does a Tizio lamp have in common with the safety catch of a Walther PPK (the red dot)? Why do cell phone cameras click even though they no longer have a shutter? How does currency design convey the image of the country it represents? Is the bakelite rotary phone the most perfect functional design ever? Why does Ikea serve meatballs everywhere in the world? Deyan Sudjic explains the subtleties of design in this clever and insightful essay using everyday examples that provoke a very sati
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Oct 29, 2009
your neighborhood librarian
rated it:
"The fetish for objects, their provenance and their associations, exemplified by Steve McQueen's sunglasses, is the starting point for the drooling pornography of collecting."
It thrills me beyond belief that my collection of 150 floaty pens makes me a 'drooling pornographer'. YEAAH!!!
It thrills me beyond belief that my collection of 150 floaty pens makes me a 'drooling pornographer'. YEAAH!!!
Aug 12, 2011
Sam
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If you are interested to learn how design became the marketing thing for the rich (and the aspiring), but can't stand post-modernist cultural theory mumbo-jumbo, this is the book for you! Elegantly written, well argued and very interesting.
Aug 09, 2011
The title is misleading, but it's still an enjoyable read. Sudjic claims that design is at its most valuable when it aspires to the "uselessness" of art.
Jan 21, 2012
Wilson
rated it: 
Lenvanta questionamentos bons, mas o próprio autor acaba se perdendo e tirando conclusões um tanto dúbias. Faltou um exercício crítico mais consistente, apesar do livro ter uma proposta de ser uma leitura fácil, fica faltando uma base teórica mais forte para a forma como o autor aborda a linguagem das coisas. O que o leva a se perder em seus apontamentos (ora semiológicos, ora sociais, ora econômicos). As recomendações e cuidados apresentados no livros são coerentes, o caminho que é falho e tort
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Jan 31, 2010
Ankur
rated it:
The most memorable part about this book to me was the least chapter - which focused on how objects that have no utility are worth more than any object that does have utility. Interesting to see their is tension between either being a designer, or an artist; but you cant be both. Personally, I think design can be blended with art.
It's interesting to explore the design of some objects mentioned in the book, and learn some history, but overall I wasn't grasped by anything in the book.
It's interesting to explore the design of some objects mentioned in the book, and learn some history, but overall I wasn't grasped by anything in the book.
Sep 29, 2010
Jean
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So far, so good. This is my morning commute book, and it gives me a lot of food for thought during my work day
Jan 29, 2012
Agatha
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a good introduction to the design discipline, written by the director of the Design Museum in London.
May 21, 2010
Emily
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A book with an entire chapter devoted to what fashion design says about culture? I'm so there! (And I learned other stuff, too, like how camo looks in different countries). A good break from all the summer thrillers I've been readin.
May 21, 2010
Suzanne
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They saved space in the Mini by placing the engine perpendicular to the seats, rather than parallel. But I guess everybody else already knew that!
Feb 08, 2012
I was into this book initially but gave up after awhile. Just lost my interest and kept trying to force myself to read it.
Jan 21, 2012
Patricia
rated it:
Adorei o livro, a linguagem super acessível. Informações que fazem a gente olhar para os objetos de outra maneira.
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