Twentieth-Century Design by Jonathan M. Woodham
In this fresh look at the wider social, cultural, economic and political contexts of design, Woodham draws on current design scholarship, social/cultural anthropology, and women’s studies. Woodham positions design in terms of the aesthetic, social, economic, political and technological forces that have transformed design from within and without the praxis. Woodham elucidates his argument with many design examples from popular culture. From Design and Modernism to Pop and Post-Modernism to Design and Social Responsibility, Woodham maps a hundred years of design themes such as national identity, the Americanization and dissemination of the American Dream, the rise of the multi-nationals and nostalgia and heritage. As a social history of design, the author provides insights into the industrial cultures of Europe, Scandinavia, North America and Asia.
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Geometry of Design by Kimberly Elam
In this beautifully designed text with its detailed diagrams and vellum overlays, Elam walks the reader through the science of geometry and proportion seen in natural systems such as the Golden Sections and Divine Proportion, the Root 2 Rectangle, and the Fibonacci Sequence.
Elam’s writing is accessible even for the most math-squeamish among us. Examples include posters by Jan Tschichold, Wim Crouwel, and Joseph Müller-Brockmann, the Plywood Chair by Charles Eames and the Barcelona Chair by Mies van der Rohe, and the Volkswagen Beetle by Jay Mays, Freeman Thomas and Peter Schreyer.
Elams text is a must have addition to the designer’s library as it is a seminal text on proportion and composition.
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