"Design is one of the basic characteristics of what it is to be human, and an essential determinant of the quality of human life" (pg 2) This quote really got to me. I had never really thought that design went this deep into human life and how our lives run, but it really got me thinking about how much we analyze and criticize the things around us and how the way things are designed changes our daily lives. On page 4 Heskett talks about how very little of the earth has been left natural in this day and age. Even plants may be positioned or genetically altered to fit our wants and needs. I think it's crazy that most of the first cases of design were the simplest tools that improved what the human hand can do, and now we've evolved into designing things like space ships and skyscrapers. I really enjoyed the part about the design of Japanese toothpicks. I was never aware as to why there was a design on one end of toothpicks. I always thought it was merely for decoration, but apparently it was actually for making a stand in order to properly lay the toothpick on the table after use. It was really cool to look at the changes in design and the philosophy behind it in these couple chapters. I'm looking forward to see what the rest of the book had to offer.
Heskett, John. Design: a very short introduction. Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2005. Print.
No comments:
Post a Comment