Terence Conran on Design

Amazon.com
British designer Terence Conran runs from the ivory tower of much contemporary art and design criticism. Instead of employing impenetrable terms and the doublespeak found in many a dense, academic work of criticism, Conran attempts to understand for himself and convey to the reader why he finds certain objects pleasing--why, for example, he likes to look at some objects and colors but disdains others. He concedes that just because he likes something doesn't mean it's in good taste, but his observations and opinions are well reasoned and fun to read. Design is filled with both his writing and rich color photos of objects ranging from handbags to suspension bridges, tennis balls to traffic signs, blue jeans to restaurant interiors. In Conran's view, not even the ubiquitous paper clip is too mundane to consider. His insight into the design of our world--from the toothbrush we use in the mornings to the computer keyboard many of us work on all day--is lively and enlightening.

From Booklist
Terence Conran (prefaced by "Sir" by those who revere the order of knighthood) is once again larger than life. Without the smallest puff on his oh-so-trendy cigar, the self-professed doyen of design delivers his opinion on just about every particle that touches our lives, not simply on home furnishings. His universe embraces the world; design, to him, should be examined both at home and outdoors, while eating or moving, during relaxation and work. The usual suspects are held up for view: Coco Chanel, Frank Lloyd Wright, the Apple computer icons, the work of industrial designer Raymond Loewy, among many others. The prose, though occasionally pretentious, does flow; sometimes readers will catch themselves nodding at such sentences as "New media create new visual language." And, naturally, the graphic design amazes, astounds, and impresses. Barbara Jacobs


Buy from Amazon     Compare Prices

Using such iconic examples as the Jacobsen "Egg" chair, the Concorde airplane and wartime innovations such as the Burberry trenchcoat and the Zippo lighter, Terence Conran presents the century's most significant design innovations. From such early century movements as the Wiener Werkstatte, the Bauhaus and the Arts and Crafts Movement to the currently hot Mid-century Modern and present-day Post-modern examples, he argues the case for design as an intrinsic and creative force in the modern world. He writes on the place of kitsch in the design universe, examines the respective roles of aesthetics and practicality - the eternal form/function argument - and argues that the designer's role, even mission, is to help add a spiritual dimension to life, to make life worth living. Illustrated with 329 full color and 70 black and white photographs representing all the important moments in modern design, Conran on Design is a superb visual sourcebook that will provide inspiration for art students, designers, architects and all those who appreciate the value of good design in this increasingly design-aware age.


Buy from Barnes & Noble     Compare Prices