Reading glasses and strategically placed cappuccinos at the ready – it’s time for the fifth confessions of a design geek book club. Objects of Desire by Adrian Forty was recommended by one of our members. First published in 1986, it’s since become required reading on many design courses. “In this radical and highly original examination of design and its place in society, Adrian Forty challenges premises that have usually passed unquestioned,” says the text on the back cover. “He argues that design is used by societies to express their values. Its norms are shaped by economic and social conditions; it can confirm a role or status or be manipulated to overcome resistance to innovations that seem threatening.”
Arguing for an understanding of design that goes beyond the aesthetic, Forty says, “The study of design and its history has suffered from a form of cultural lobotomy which has left design only connected to the eye, and severed its connections to the brain and to the pocket.” The book covers design from 1750 until the 1980s taking in subjects from “hygiene and cleanliness” to “design, designers and the literature of design.” We can’t wait to get stuck in and we hope you’ll join us for the tweet chat at 9pm BST / 4pm EDT on Thursday 05 May 2016 using the hashtag #designbookclub.
Make a note of the next book club too: we are going for something a little lighter (but no less meaningful) after a few quite academic books and will be discussing The Man Who Made Things Out of Trees by Robert Penn at 9pm GMT (4pm EST) on Thursday 02 June 2016. Please feel free to suggest future books in the comments section below. Looking forward to seeing you on twitter in Thursday 05 May 2016.
