Toothpicks & Logos

This is a general introduction and a sociological survey of design issues. John Heskett wants to make people more aware of design by showing how it is part of everyday life, from teacups to transportation systems.

He kicks off by discussing what the term 'design' means - a common reflection of the under-confidence of professionals in this field. This is followed by a historical survey of design. There's something of an odd tension here. This is a short (elegantly produced) book with double line-spacing to pad out the text - but the argument is so leisurely it requires much more space.




He skims across the history of civilization at breakneck speed, but with no scholarly references to back up his generalisations. This is a shame, because he obviously knows his subject, but doesn't take time to explain the background. He ends up by making statements such as: "Rolls-Royce automobiles ... are not only superb examples of technical craftsmanship, but are a symbol of achievement in societies around the globe". I think most of us already knew that, John.

There are interesting reflections on how a design might be interpreted differently in different cultures - but these do not lead us any nearer to the essence of what constitutes good design. In a way, he is writing about the sociology of design - who builds it and who consumes it.

He also covers globalisation (McDonalds the same everywhere) and the need for designers to keep an eye on local culture - but we skid across products, markets, and nations too quickly to gain genuine design lessons from any of it.

There's a chapter on signage and navigation systems for motorways and underground railways - which as 'systems' also leads into an interesting exposition of modularisation in design and just-in-time manufacture.

The latter parts of his study shade into thumbnail sketches of successful small businesses which have profited from good product design - Dyson vacuum cleaners and JCB diggers for instance. His account becomes more interesting at this level, when he starts to compare one designer with another.

The good thing about this study is that it will encourage those interested in design to see it in a wide cultural context. Another strength is that the thumbnail sketches of successful designers which litter these pages are likely to inspire readers to further study. The weakness is that it won't tell them much about what constitutes good design.