Posted by Harry
Books | 01 Jul 07 | Comments (0) | Stumble
There are books that every designer should read, this monograph on Naoto Fukasawa is one of them.If only for the introduction by the designer himself titled Without Thought, here's a somewhat out of context excerpt; "a groove [between tiles in an entryway] can be an umbrella stand, and that umbrella stand might literally dissolve in the course of people's actions. The functional provisions for those actions might not be immediately apparent, but quickly come to the fore when people perform those actions without thinking". It, and the rest of the intro, illustrates what I believe great designers do, they see patterns most of miss and use them to create great products/ objects. Fukasawa is a master and this book documents his ascension. It's good looking and it's a thoughtful read. For those who may not know his work, Fukasawa is the designer behind the Muji wall-mounted CD player, AU KKDI phones, Plusminuszero collections and this year's IMM Cologne Ideal House among other things. Hardcover, 240 pages, 300 illustrations, $44.07 at Amazon.
