Something to Be Desired

by Vienne, Veronique; Edwards, Owen

• ISBN13: 9781888001761
• ISBN10: 1888001763
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-08-01
• Publisher: Graphis Inc

Summary

These provocative essays about the design of places, spaces, and products are written with the insight of a designer, the hunger for knowledge of a scholar, and the sophistication of a seasoned social commentator. Topics range from magazine design and resort architecture to typography and exhibit design.

Table of Contents

The Spectacle
A reevaluation of the Situationist thesis	9	(12)
What's Bad About Good Design?
How Mo Ma turned design into a marketing device	21	(8)
Shopping on the Right Side
Wayfinding as the defining experience	29	(6)
The 39.37-Inch Unit
Branding the metric system	35	(8)
Voice Activation
Making a verbal commitment to machines	43	(6)
Make it Readable
Alexander Liberman: on overcoming aesthetics	49	(12)
Creating Desires
A uniquely American concept	61	(8)
Ergonomics of the Mind
Object lesson #1: the chair	69	(10)
The Push Pin Studio
Maintaining a consistent level of creativity	79	(12)
Surprise and be Surprised
What happens when illustrations become icons	91	(6)
The Golden Section
In search of modularity	97	(8)
A Table for Your Feet
Object lesson 2: the coffee table	105	(8)
Bottling ``It''
Extracting the essence of a magazine	113	(8)
What Color is Mickey Mouse?
Not a black and white issue	121	(6)
Packaging the Brand
Walter Landor: a pioneer	127	(14)
Meet the Jury
When good people make difficult choices	141	(10)
Information Age, Circa 1964
The merchandising of facts	151	(8)
An Inferiority Complex
Is design an art or a craft?	159	(8)
The Boudoir
Space for real intimacy	167	(6)
Big-Budget Rebellion
Art Kane: An eye for glamour	173	(10)
The Conundrum of Authorship
Who owns images?	183	(8)
Women and Wheels
Object lesson #3: the car	191