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library_ann's review against another edition
4.0
had a slow start for me, but eventually found its stride. I especially liked near the end when the author was foreseeing the rise of design engineers to work on the aesthetics of products and not just solve perceived problems in the workings of things.
Never again will I say "form follows function."
Never again will I say "form follows function."
statman's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting book which describes how simple items such as forks, paper clips, screwdrivers, plastic bags and soda cans were developed over time. You won't look at these items in the same way. This book had a lot of potential but it was hard to get through. Written in a dry style, more in an academic style. Would be more interesting for industrial designers than for the broader readership.
rlse's review against another edition
2.0
This was more a collection of individual examples of design accreted under the concept that designers try to correct previous failings. I enjoyed some of the storylines, such as the fork and the post-it note, much more than the others. In other chapters I had a hard time remaining engaged.
natemanfrenjensen's review against another edition
3.0
This is an interesting and entertaining book, as much about sociology and psychology as engineering. It even explains the use of that little fork above your dinner plate, assuming you eat at fancier establishments than I do.
myrto229's review against another edition
2.0
I agree with the other reviewers who said that this book has a lot of fascinating information, but I couldn't enjoy it because the writing is so dry and stodgy.
camsand's review against another edition
3.0
While interesting, this book gets bogged down in detail that doesn't appeal to me. It is a bit more comprehensive than I expected.
submergedplane's review against another edition
3.0
Boring beginning. Interesting chapters on how things came to be though.
giantarms's review against another edition
2.0
What I wanted was a close examination and demonstration of arcane objects that were once a part of everyday life. Instead, I got this man's theory as why humans alter an object in the first place. Which is possibly the most banal reason I can think of: because it wasn't good enough.
I think you'd have to be a complete cloud dweller to actually take the whole "form follows function" doctrine seriously. All them dang modernist buildings got roofs that leak.
So, I enjoyed learning about forks and zippers, but there was a lot of stuff in between that made me snooze.
I think you'd have to be a complete cloud dweller to actually take the whole "form follows function" doctrine seriously. All them dang modernist buildings got roofs that leak.
So, I enjoyed learning about forks and zippers, but there was a lot of stuff in between that made me snooze.
psalmcat's review
4.0
DIdn't read the whole book, just parts. Interesting stuff about (e.g.) where forks came from & how they evolved.