Category: Essays

Jessica Helfand|Essays

The Real Declaration

It is the rare piece of journalism that considers the role of typography in history. Rarer, still, is the idea that such a piece leaves the ghetto of same-old design publications, and pierces the frequently inpenetrable veil of the …

William Drenttel|Essays

Paul Rand: Bibliography as Biography

This is bibliography as biography, and a posthumous testament to the considerable scope — and ongoing life — of one designer's mind. A Selected Bibliography of Books from the Collection of Paul Rand

John Thackara|Essays

From Movies to Moblogging [August 2003]

Report on the future of Kodak and Fuji, Moblogging, Japanese teenage girls and cell phone use, Alan Bradburne, mobile games, and more.

John Thackara|Essays

Danger: Disappearing Computers [June 2003]

Report on the Disappearing Computer conference, "anthropocentric interfaces," Greger Linden's thoughts on "psychosocial computing," Convivio's 2003 design summer school,project LifeLog, and more.

John Thackara|Essays

Life in Traffic [May 2003]

This free monthly newsletter starts conversations on issues to do with design for resilience — and thereby reveals opportunities for action

John Thackara|Essays

Interior Design at War [April 2003]

Report on design in the war in Afghanistan, the Pearl River Delta in China, the Media Lab Europe (MLE), the 50th anniversary of the German Design Council, New Mobility, and more.

John Thackara|Essays

The Promise of Proximity [March 2003]

Report on Marko Ahtisaari's thoughts on proximity as a design criterion, Massimo Banzi's restauraunt-from-hell analogy, Axel Thallemer, Dutch foundation Eternally Yours , The Futures of Everyday Life, and more.

John Thackara|Essays

Remembering Ivan Illich [February 2003]

Report on the death of Ivan Illich, the Dutch Electronic Art Festival (DEAF), the Sonic Lights festival, Politics of Code — Shaping the Future of the Next Internet, the 2003 International Architecture Biennial, and more.

Rob Walker|Essays

The Lives They Lived: Let There Be Lite

John Thackara|Essays

Trophy Buildings Are Over [December 2002]

Report on Doors 7, sociability as a new criterion for urban design, Data Knitting, the Future Cinema exhibition, the "user_mode symposium," and more.

John Thackara|Essays

Oil As Yuppy Crack [October 2002]

Report on speakers at Doors 7, who is attending Doors 7, 'deep impact' changes, the Web Issue Index, Eindhoven, and more.

John Thackara|Essays

Local Knowledge [September 2002]

Report on Mining Civilizaational Knowledge, Ezio Manzini, DoorEast, the second India Design Summit in Mumbai, Charles Leadbeater, and more.