Reading List for Industrial Designers
This reading list has been created for industrial designers. But I believe these books on this list will add value and inspire designers of all branches. The subjects of the books; design process, design thinking, design history, design techniques, etc.
1. The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman
The Design of Everyday Things is a best-selling book by cognitive scientist and usability engineer Donald Norman about how design serves as the communication between object and user, and how to optimize that conduit of communication in order to make the experience of using the object pleasurable. One of the main premises of the book is that although people are often keen to blame themselves when objects appear to malfunction, it is not the fault of the user but rather the lack of intuitive guidance that should be present in the design.
2.Emotional Design by Don Norman
Emotions are inseparable from how we humans think, choose, and act. In Emotional Design, cognitive scientist Don Norman shows how the principles of human psychology apply to the invention and design of new technologies and products. In The Design of Everyday Things, Norman made the definitive case for human-centered design, showing that good design demanded that the users must take precedence over a designer’s aesthetic if anything, from light switches to airplanes, was going to work as the user needed. In this book, he takes his thinking several steps farther, showing that successful design must incorporate not just what users need, but must address our minds by attending to our visceral reactions, to our behavioral choices, and to the stories we want the things in our lives to tell others about ourselves.
3.Human Centered Design Toolkit by IDEO
IDEO designed and launched the HCD Toolkit, a first-of-its-kind book that laid out how and why human-centered design can impact the social sector. In short order, a community of designers, entrepreneurs, and social sector innovators embraced it, buying and downloading over 150,000 copies. A full-color, 192-page book, the Field Guide comes with 57 design methods, the key mindsets that underpin how and why IDEO.org believes design can change lives, a full slate of worksheets, and case studies from projects that show the human-centered design in action.
4.Design for the Real World by Victor Papanek
In this edition, Victor Papanek examines the attempts by designers to combat the tawdry, the unsafe, the frivolous, the useless product, once again providing a blueprint for sensible, responsible design in this world which is deficient in resources and energy.
5.Theories and Manifestoes of Contemporary Architecture by Charles Jencks & Karl Krapf
In this new edition of the book, over twenty additional extracts are published that present an entirely new axis for architectural thinking. Whereas much of 20th-Century thought was dominated by the ‘perceived crisis’ in Modernity, ‘the new paradigm’ or ‘complexity paradigm’ has been excited by the possibilities of Emergence in the Science of Complexity and Chaos theory. The reach of complexity is expressed through the primacy of Benoit Mandelbrot’s theories on geometry, with an extract from his manifesto on fractals; and furthered through an outline of Emergence by Steven Johnson. It is also handled through texts that focus on the diagram and are demonstrated in its more applied form through passages dealing with the global city and culture. Essential for the student and practitioner alike, Theories and Manifestoes since its first edition has established itself as the touchstone book for architectural thought.
6.Design of the 20th Century by Charlotte & Peter Fiell
This text is a journey through the shapes and colors, forms, and functions of design history in the 20th century. It contains an A-Z of designers and design schools, which builds into a complete picture of contemporary living.
7.Design by Tom Peters
An inspirational and informative series of compact handbooks by the influential management guru and author of the best-selling In Search of Excellence sheds new light on key concepts in the business world and provides helpful guidance on how to achieve success in the high-pressure, fast-moving arena of modern business.
8.Design by Paul Clark & Julian Freeman
This book addresses a somewhat slippery subject. Ever since people started making things to help them live their lives there have been bright sparks who have said ‘I’m sure there’s a better way of doing that.’ These people are variously called inventors, designers, or know-alls. The word ‘design’ is from the French, meaning ‘to draw’ — so the design is an activity that starts off with a drawing and leads to a thing. But that covers just about everything from the lightbulb to the space shuttle, so what is it that sets apart the people we call designers and makes them different from artists and inventors? This little book is designed to reveal all, so read it and get an appreciation of the design revolution. This book gives you the lowdown on the people who have made our world look the way it does and helps you untangle the difference between need, necessity, and indulgence.
9.The Look of the Century by Michael Tambini
This work celebrates the skill and vision of the world’s most successful designers. The book begins with an in-depth introduction that outlines the major design trends of this century and examines the significance of designed objects in our daily lives. The core of the book is divided into chapters such as “Around the Home”, “Transport”, “Graphics and Advertising” and “Leisure”. Each chapter is sub-divided into specific entries that cover every aspect of the man-made world, from armchairs to wallpaper. Entries are displayed chronologically, showing their development through the century, and providing the reader with a detailed analysis of the product. An A-Z biographical directory profiles the most famous designers of the century.
10.Art and Illusion by E. H. Gombrich
Considered a great classic by all who seek a meeting ground between science and the humanities, Art, and Illusion examines the history and psychology of pictorial representation in light of present-day theories of visual perception information and learning. Searching for a rational explanation of the changing styles of art, Gombrich reexamines many ideas on the imitation of nature and the function of tradition. In testing his arguments he ranges over the history of art, noticing particularly the accomplishments of the ancient Greeks, and the visual discoveries of such masters as Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt, as well as the impressionists and the cubists. Gombrich’s triumph in Art and Illusion arises from the fact that his main concern is less with the artists than with ourselves, the beholders.
11.Objectivity by David Usborne
A cabinet of beguiling yet useful curiosities: the objects that get jobs done, improve domestic and working lives, and make our houses more comfortable. Some tools were developed to satisfy basic human needs, some for less obvious ends, and still others are the relics of vanishing trades, yet all display beauty and meaning beyond their function. More than 400 objects, ancient and modern, are presented in sections that broadly characterize their use: hitting, cutting, holding, shielding, molding, spreading, gripping, rubbing, and testing. From a nineteenth-century fruit picker to Czech military food-mixing blades, from variations on the kitchen whisk to medical instruments that, thankfully, are no longer in use, there is something in these objects that will touch the inventor, designer, artist, or collector in all of us.
12.Collapsibles, The Genius of Space-Saving Design by Per Mollerup
Collapsibles are objects that fold out for use and then fold back in again to save space. They include anything from sofa beds to Swiss army knives. Per Mollerup identifies 12 essential principles of collapsibility and looks at examples of each.
13.The Designed World by Buchanan, Doordan & Margolin
We now live in a designed world and we need to develop a better understanding of how to discuss and critique its design components. The essays presented here — selected from the preeminent journal, Design Issues — are intended to enhance our collective understanding of the wide reach of design in the contemporary world. The book is structured to cover the life of a designed object or project from conception and fabrication to evaluation. The Designed World aims to break down the often rigid boundaries between history, theory, and criticism. Despite the wide range of subjects discussed, the book highlights the commonalities across all aspects of design.
14.Less and More, the Design Ethos of Dieter Rams by Gestalten Press
In his more than 40 years at Braun, Dieter Rams established himself as one of the most influential designers of the twentieth century. True to the principle of “less but better” his elegantly clear visual language not only defined product design for generations, but also our fundamental understanding of what design is and what it can and should do. Less and More offers boundless inspiration for anyone interested in the aesthetic and functional aspects of applied design.
15.Industrial Design, Reflection of Century by Rizzoli
Published to coincide with the Paris exhibition “Industrial Design, Mirror of the Century,” this compilation of essays are as diverse as the products industrial design has formed. Essay topics include the history of industrial design, its evolution as a profession, design education at the Bauhaus and the Ulm School, ecology and design, and computers as a tool for industrial design. Some of the more illuminating essays are Jacques Guillerme’s “Design in the First Machine Age,” Mike Jones’s “Biodesign,” Martyne Perrot’s “The Domestication of Objects,” and Raymond Guidot’s “New Materials in the Industrial Age.” These essays, lavishly illustrated and interspersed with vignettes focusing on “design classics,” provide a kaleidoscopic vision rather than a clear picture. The resulting impression is of a profession in continuous flux, adapting to the complex demands of consumers, corporations, aesthetic theory, and fashion. Highly recommended for all libraries.
16.Design Revolution, 100 Products that Empower People by Emily Pilloton
Featuring more than 100 contemporary design products and systems — including safer baby bottles, a waterless washing machine, low-cost prosthetics for landmine victims, and Braille-based building blocks for blind children — this volume makes the case for design as a tool to solve some of the world’s biggest social problems.
17.Safe; Design Takes on Risks by Paola Antonelli
Safety is an instinctive need that has guided human choices throughout history. Now more than ever, it has become not only a focus but almost an obsession. Designers are trained to mediate between disruptive change and normalcy and can soothe people’s anxiety. When scientific revolutions happen, they translate them into objects that people can understand and use. Good design provides protection and security without sacrificing the need to innovate and invent. This book and the exhibition that it accompanies document the unique objects that designers have created to answer people’s needs, both physical and psychological. Physical objects include shelters for victims of disasters and homeless people, hideaway furniture and personal armor and protective gear, while psychological objects include those that thwart identity theft, offer self-defense, and provide comforting reassurance. The objects presented here reflect how good design goes hand-in-hand with personal needs.
18.Understanding Design by Kees Dorst
What does it mean to be a designer, and what does it take to be a good designer? Understanding Design stimulates designers to think about what they do, how they do it, and why they aim for a certain effect. One hundred seventy precisely formulated mini-essays give insight into the design process and encourage reflection.
19.Design as Art by Bruno Munari
Bruno Munari was among the most inspirational designers of all time, described by Picasso as “the new Leonardo.” Munari insisted that design be beautiful, functional, and accessible, and this enlightening and highly entertaining book sets out his ideas about visual, graphic, and industrial design and the role it plays in the objects we use every day. Lamps, road signs, typography, posters, children’s books, advertising, cars, and chairs — these are just some of the subjects to which he turns his illuminating gaze.
20.How are Things? by Roger-Pol Droit
Can we learn anything from the objects that surround us, the things we use in everyday life? If you look closely, yes. They may ignore us, they mostly outlive us, but they are the secret sharers of our days, as close to us as our spouses, our pets, our bodies, our selves. Things coexist with us, they store meanings for us — memories, desires — but do they inhabit the same world? Are they alive or dead? Do they have language? Can we make friends with them? Over the course of one year, Roger-Pol Droit assigned himself an experiment: to keep a cross-border record of his meetings with unremarkable things: sunglasses, an alarm clock, a chest of drawers, a train ticket, a statue, a tombstone, a wheelbarrow, a bottle-opener, a razor…This book is the diary of that quest. We might discover in these pages that a paperclip is a model of ethics, that a bunch of keys or a streetlamp are figures of love; that a washing-machine offers a lesson on the migration of souls, and that there is wisdom in the umbrella.
21.Design Disasters, Great Designers Fabulous Failures by Steven Heller
The thrill of victory…the agony of defeat. We’re not talking about just any failure. Design failure. So public. So humiliating. How do designers who are really, really good (we swear!) turn a disaster into a triumph? Read this book and find out, as dozens of top names reveal the heartbreaking — and sometimes hilarious — mistakes they have made and talk about how they were able to grow from the experiences. Self-delusion, overcommitment, procrastination…they’re all here. Poor communication missed deadlines, enraged clients…yes, they’re here too. Read Design Disasters and weep? No! Read Design Disasters and be inspired to find the silver lining in even the cloudiest situation.
22.Living With Complexity by Donald A. Norman
If only today’s technology were simpler! It’s the universal lament, but it’s wrong. In this provocative and informative book, Don Norman writes that the complexity of our technology must mirror the complexity and richness of our lives. It’s not complexity that’s the problem, it’s bad design. Bad design complicates things unnecessarily and confuses us. Good design can tame complexity. Norman gives us a crash course in the virtues of complexity. Designers have to produce things that tame complexity. But we too have to do our part: we have to take the time to learn the structure and practice the skills. This is how we mastered reading and writing, driving a car, and playing sports, and this is how we can master our complex tools.
23.Scandinavian Design by Taschen
What makes Scandinavia such a hotbed of design talent and innovation? In this suitably stylish volume, explore a century of masterful forms and lyrical lines from across Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland. Bridging the gap between crafts and industrial production, organic forms, and every functionality, this must-have guide includes in-depth entries featuring more than 180 designers.
24.1950s Decorative Art by Taschen
Latex, plastics, and fervent consumerism: discover the design trends and materials which literally shaped the American 1950s. This overview explores a decade of postwar rebuilding driven by idealistic vision and positive spirit, applied from the suburbs to the inner cities, and from furniture to metalware. This edition revives the rare and revelatory Decorative Art, The Studio Yearbook to trace the materials and styles behind the midcentury boom.
25.1960s Decorative Art by Taschen
From the snap and crackle of Pop to the florid excesses of the hippie era, explore the most memorable designs from the transformative 1960s. Drawn from the much-coveted Decorative Art, The Studio Yearbook, this colorful survey of interiors, lighting, textiles, and more records explosive creativity in a decade of unprecedented social, sexual, and political change.
26.Design since 1945 by Peter Dormer
The essential shape, form, and structure of some objects in our daily lives may have been fixed one, ten, or even a hundred generations ago; but the role of designers has become increasingly prominent in a society that in less than half a century has gone from a restless search for the new to the recycling of old materials. Peter Dormer defines with great clarity the contexts within which designers work, and surveys the wide range of postwar activity, including industrial and product design, graphics, furniture, textiles, kitchen utensils, and tableware.
27.Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher
Hailed as an “eco-bible” by Time magazine, E.F. Schumacher’s riveting, richly researched statement on sustainability has become more relevant and vital with each year since its initial groundbreaking publication during the 1973 energy crisis. A landmark statement against “bigger is better” industrialism, Schumacher’s “Small Is Beautiful” paved the way for twenty-first-century books on environmentalism and economics, like Jeffrey Sachs’s The End of Poverty, Paul Hawken’s Natural Capitalism, Mohammad Yunis’s Banker to the Poor, and Bill McKibben’s Deep Economy. This timely reissue offers a crucial message for the modern world struggling to balance economic growth with the human costs of globalization.
28.Design by John Heskett
John Heskett wants to transform the way we think about design by showing how integral it is to our daily lives, from the spoon we use to eat our breakfast cereal, and the car we drive to work in, to the medical equipment used to save lives. The design combines “need” and “desire” in the form of a practical object that can also reflect the user’s identity and aspirations through its form and decoration. This concise guide to contemporary design goes beyond style and taste to look at how different cultures and individuals personalize objects. Heskett also reveals how simple objects, such as a toothpick, can have their design modified to suit the specific cultural behavior in different countries. There are also fascinating insights into how major companies such as Nokia, Ford, and Sony approach design. Finally, Heskett gives us an exciting vision of what design can offer us in the future, showing in particular how it can humanize new technology.
29.Draping for Apparel Design by Helen Armstrong
This book combines Joseph-Armstrong’s classic step-by-step instructions with a user-friendly layout. To show how to turn two-dimensional drawings into three-dimensional garments, the author presents the following three draping principles and techniques: manipulating dart excess, adding fullness, and contour draping. New and updated design projects illustrate how to prepare a draping plan. Design analyses identify the creative elements of each design and help determine draping techniques required to develop patterns. This text emphasizes the importance of draping foundation garments for building more complex designs. Designers will gain essential skills to creatively apply draping techniques to their own designs.
30.Design and Crime: And Other Diatribes by Hal Foster
In these diatribes on the marketing of culture and the branding of identity, the development of spectacle — architecture and the rise of global cities, Hal Foster surveys our new political economy of design. Written in a lively style, Design and Crime explore the historical relations of modern art and modern museum, the conceptual vicissitudes of art history and visual studies, the recent travails of art criticism, and the double aftermath of modernism and postmodernism in an attempt to illuminate the conditions for critical culture in the present.
31.Understanding Architecture: Its Elements, History, and Meaning by Leland Roth
This widely acclaimed, beautifully illustrated survey of Western architecture is now fully revised throughout, including essays on non-Western traditions. The expanded book vividly examines the structure, function, history, and meaning of architecture in ways that are both accessible and engaging.
32.Basics Design Ideas by Bert Bielefeld
Design Ideas offers students a variety of different ways to go about finding a design solution. In addition to suggesting fundamental ways to get the creative process moving and develop a design approach, it also proposes various sources of inspiration for design ideas. It focuses on the three elements of place, form, and function, which can sometimes constitute immediate springboards for concrete designs. These elements must eventually be incorporated as the design process.
33.The Empire of Signs by Roland Barthes
With this book, Barthes offers a broad-ranging meditation on the culture, society, art, literature, language, and iconography — in short, both the sign-oriented realities and fantasies — of Japan itself.
34.The Courage to Create by Rollo May
What if imagination and art are not, as many of us might think, the frosting on life but the fountainhead of human experience? What if our logic and science derive from art forms, rather than the other way around? In this trenchant volume, Rollo May helps all of us find those creative impulses that, once liberated, offer new possibilities for achievement. A renowned therapist and inspiring guide, Dr. May draw on his experience to show how we can break out of old patterns in our lives. His insightful book offers us a way through our fears into a fully realized self.
35.Art, Design, and Visual Culture by Malcolm Barnard
This fascinating examination of visual experience offers an explanation and assessment of the traditional means of analyzing visual culture. Most of our experience is visual — we obtain most of our information and knowledge through sight, whether from reading.
36.The Gutenberg Galaxy by Marshall Mcluhan
The Gutenberg Galaxy catapulted Marshall McLuhan to fame as a media theorist and, in time, a new media prognosticator. Fifty years after its initial publication, this landmark text is more significant than ever before. Readers will be amazed by McLuhan’s prescience, unmatched by anyone since, predicting as he did the dramatic technological innovations that have fundamentally changed how we communicate. The Gutenberg Galaxy foresaw the networked, compressed ‘global village’ that would emerge in the late-twentieth and twenty-first centuries — despite having been written when black-and-white television was ubiquitous. A must-read for those who inhabit today’s global village, The Gutenberg Galaxy is an indispensable road map for our evolving communication landscape.
37.Experiencing Architecture by Steen Eiler Rasmussen
Widely regarded as a classic in the field, Experiencing Architecture explores the history and promise of good design. Generously illustrated with historical examples of designing excellence — ranging from teacups, riding boots, and golf balls to the villas of Palladio and the fish-feeding pavilion of Beijing’s Winter Palace — Rasmussen’s accessible guide invites us to appreciate architecture not only as a profession but as an art that shapes everyday experience. In the past, Rasmussen argues, architecture was not just an individual pursuit, but a community undertaking. Dwellings were built with a natural feeling for place, materials, and use, resulting in “a remarkably suitable comeliness.” While we cannot return to a former age, Rasmussen notes, we can still design spaces that are beautiful and useful by seeking to understand architecture as an art form that must be experienced. An understanding of good design comes not only from one’s professional experience of architecture as an abstract, individual pursuit but also from one’s shared, everyday experience of architecture in real-time — its particular use of light, color, shape, scale, texture, rhythm, and sound.
38.The Craftsman by Richard Sennett
The Craftsman engages the many dimensions of skill — from the technical demands to the obsessive energy required to do good work. Craftsmanship leads Sennett across time and space, from ancient Roman brickmakers to Renaissance goldsmiths to the printing presses of Enlightenment Paris and the factories of industrial London; in the modern world, he explores what experiences of good work are shared by computer programmers, nurses, and doctors, musicians, glassblowers, and cooks. Unique in the scope of his thinking, Sennett expands previous notions of crafts and craftsmen and apprises us of the surprising extent to which we can learn about ourselves through the labor of making physical things.
39.Archetypes of Wisdom: An Introduction to Philosophy by Douglas J. Soccio
This book uses a historical approach to bring philosophy to life through lively narratives, engaging illustrations, and a student-friendly writing style. Using its signature conversational prose, the textbook guides students through the lives and works of history’s greatest philosophers, drawing from both canonical primary sources and the latest philosophical critiques.
40.The Art of Color and Design by Maitland E Graves
The purpose of the book is to clarify and integrate design principles and terminology on the basis of common experience and common understanding.
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