朝食に使うスプーンにしろ、生命を救う医療機器にしろ、私たちの生活を取り巻くものの大部分はデザインされています。それらは必然性、美的感覚、快適性が融合したものであり、形状や装飾によってはそれを使う人のアイデンティティにもなり得るものです。ソニー、英国航空、コダック、アレッシィ、ノキア、フォードといった有名企業のデザインへのアプローチも探りつつ、人々の生活にデザインがどれほど重要であるかを明確にし、デザインに対する考え方を根本から変える一冊です。
   

• 'This is the best book I have read about the design process and is based on the belief that design matters profoundly to us all in innumerable ways.' -- Terence Conran
• Reveals the subliminal effect design has on our everyday life and personal identity - at home, at work, and at play
• Includes interviews with international designers eg. Pentagram and discussion of major companies such as Sony, British Airways, Kodak, Alessi, Nokia, and Ford
• Covers all forms of design: product, industrial, fashion, advertising, websites, graphic design

   
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. 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 behaviour in different countries. There are also fascinating insights into how major companies such as Nokia, Ford, and Sony approach design. Finally, the author gives us an exciting vision of what design can offer us in the future, showing in particular how it can humanize new technology.