It’s Time We Took Design Seriously
By Edwin Heathcote for the Financial Times
In this recent article for the FT, renowned architectural critic Edwin Heathcote turns his attention to design and offers an evaluation of the intellectual criticism available on the subject (which he seems to find pretty grim). Heathcote presents an intelligent and interesting argument in this article, and while we agree with a lot of what he says, we feel there is more serious criticism on design out there than what Heathcote describes.
According to Heathcote, ‘there is surprisingly little critique, an almost complete absence of theory and little genuinely popular, compelling writing on the subject.’ He conjectures that ‘perhaps its [design’s] ubiquity in an era of gadget obsession and extreme fashion-consciousness has allowed it to bypass theory, to become everyday currency with the need for manifestos or ideas.’
He discusses five texts in particular to elaborate his opinion, including ‘Dansk Design’ by Thoman Dickson and ‘Limited Edition: Prototypes, One-offs and Design Art Furniture’ by Sophie Lovell (both of which are available in the DeTnk Bookstore), and he argues that while these ‘books all do something to fill the gap of serious criticism... much more is needed.’
At DeTnk we agree that much more is needed and that the critical discourse on design needs to continue to expand and develop, but we do not share the view that aside from these few texts the world is devoid of valuable criticism on design.
The DeTnk Bookstore, for one, contains a plethora of texts beyond the few mentioned by Heathcote that offer a diverse range of discussions on design. Some focus on specific designers, others on techniques and processes, and others on overall theories and methodologies. More importantly though, DeTnk itself is a source of serious design criticism. From the latest articles, auction results, upcoming fairs, and exhibitions, to new, rare and important designs, we work to provide our readers with the highest calibre information on a topic that can sometimes seem like a flood-gate of new products and commercialism.
At DeTnk we already take design seriously.
To pick up your copy of the books mentioned in the article as well as a selection of many other useful books on contemporary design, please visit the DeTnk Bookstore.
