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DESIGN RESEARCH NEWS Volume 8 Number 1, Jan 2003 ISSN 1473-3862
Digital Newsletter of the Design Research Society www.drs.org.uk
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CONTENTS
o Editorial
o A new year for DRN
o Doctoral Education in Design - ALMOST the FINAL call...
o Design Issues contents
o Calls
o Announcements
o Books
o Web
o The Design Research Society: information
o Electronic Services of the DRS
o Contributing to Design Research News
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EDITOR'S SPACE
May I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy and peaceful
new year, and I hope to meet many more of you at events this
year.
David Durling
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
A NEW YEAR FOR DESIGN RESEARCH NEWS
Welcome to volume eight of Design Research News and a new year
for the field of design research.
Ours is an emerging field. Building it requires a rich network
of social institutions. These include research literature in a
growing corpus of books and journals, as well as professional
conferences, research seminars, research centers, and
professional associations. Together, these contribute to a broad
institutional infrastructure that encourages the flow of
information among our many colleagues around the world.
We live in a period of dramatic growth and visible development
for our field. We had only two research journals in 1990. Today,
we have a dozen. In 1990, we held an occasional conference from
time to time. Now, we have a series of regular international
conferences along with regional and national conferences. Where
we had a handful of research books and no textbooks, we now have
a shelf of monographs, several textbooks, and more of each under
way. We also have over a dozen on-line discussion groups. The
newest -- Designing for Development -- was launched late last
year. It now has nearly 50 members. The largest is PhD-Design,
with over nine hundred subscribers. Research centers and
professional associations of many kinds meet different needs,
and research education is blossoming along with doctoral
education.
Our field is growing. Three vital factors will support further
growth.
The first is a richer flow of knowledge across the many
disciplines of our interdisciplinary field. This requires a
common body of knowledge, a rich shared vocabulary, and ability
for scholars and professionals in design research to speak with
each other from plural perspectives and backgrounds.
The second is critical mass. New fields grow slowly at first.
They take on momentum and grow dramatically when they reach
critical mass. Critical mass leads to a state change. Design
research is poised on the edge of a state change, but we have
not yet attained it. Part of the problem is a lack of
communication. Even though we have enough people at work in our
field to generate critical mass, critical mass requires
connecting local hubs and networks to the larger environment.
The third necessity is a progressive research program. This
requires a network of institutions that cumulatively document
and share research results. From these shared results, new
programs emerge, and the field as a whole makes progress. A
progressive research program does not require consensus on any
issue or agreement on any specific idea or platform. It requires
documenting and sharing information. Until now, most design
research involved specific projects. Research results are
accessible only on a local level and often lost when projects
are finished. To grow as a worldwide field, we require a
progressive research program that allows all members of the
field to share results for comparison, cooperation, new inquiry,
and future contribution.
Today, we are moving toward the richer flow of knowledge and the
critical mass we need. One important resource in making this
possible is in use, and you can help to make it more useful
still. The tool is Design Research News.
DRN began seven years ago. It reaches more than 6,300
subscribers around the world. Every month, editor David Durling
works with an international team of colleagues to gather
information on conferences, projects, grant funding,
publications, journal issues, lectures and seminars, calls for
papers, cyber news and current books. They go out each month to
DRN subscribers.
Over the past two years, DRN quadrupled in circulation from
around 1,500 to 6,300. DRN is now the largest design research
publication in the world -- and one of the most successful
electronic newsletters in any field. Despite the success of DRN,
circulation is below critical mass for our field. Given the
number of scholars, teachers, and research students active in
design research around the world, we must grow several times
more to approach critical mass.
I ask for your help in growing DRN to grow our field.
Please introduce one colleague to Design Research News. Tell
your colleague about this newsletter. Encourage her or him to
sign up for a free subscription at the JISCMAIL DRN web site.
You might even mention it at your next staff meeting and ask
your doctoral candidates to subscribe.
This is important for a simple reason. To develop a progressive
research program, we must grow our field past critical mass.
This is a step in that direction.
Design research today is where physics was in 1895. I would like
to see us move up to 1905, the year that Annalen der Physik
published Einstein's five great papers. For that to happen, we
must grow the field. If we are to find our Einsteins, our
Curies, our Poincares, we must attract outstanding researchers,
build a progressive research program, and share the knowledge we
generate.
Will you help?
Ask one person to visit this URL and subscribe:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/design-research.html
Thank you.
Ken Friedman
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________________________________________________________________
ALMOST the FINAL CALL FOR PAPERS
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CALL FOR PAPERS HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO THE
END OF FEBRUARY.
SYMPOSIUM -- DOCTORAL EDUCATION IN DESIGN
TSUKUBA, JAPAN, 14-17 OCTOBER 2003
The third symposium Doctoral Education in Design will be held
14-17 October, at the International Congress Center, Tsukuba,
Japan.
This major symposium will be held in parallel with the Sixth
Asian Design Conference, also held at the same venue. It will
be possible to register for, present a paper at, and be a
delegate to, both events. Jointly, these two events represent a
major event in the 2003 research conference calendar.
The third symposium Doctoral Education in Design follows on from
events held in Ohio 1998, and La Clusaz, France 2000. The
organisers of the 2003 event are: Japanese Society for the
Science of Design (JSSD) and Design Research Society (DRS). The
main sponsor is: Science Council of Japan. Collaborating
Associations are: Korean Society of Design Science (KSDS) and
Chinese Institute of Design (CID).
Selection will be on the basis of firstly selection of
abstracts, and secondly by selection of full papers. In both
cases, abstracts and papers will be blind reviewed by an
international panel of experts in the field of doctoral
education in design.
FOCUS
The main focus for this symposium is: The practice of research
- Best practice in design research
- Doctorate in design practice
- Continuing professional development
We are particularly interested in best practice, and the
practical application of best practice, with a focus on the
doctorate in design. This might for example provide exemplars
of best practice in: supervision; supervisor qualifications and
training programmes; relations between supervisors and students;
definitions of doctoral study; programmes of research methods
training; organisation of doctoral cohort programmes; aspects of
full time and part time doctoral study; PhD by published work;
or case studies. This list is indicative, but the organisers
will welcome a wide range of proposals.
The organisers expect that papers will provide a snapshot of
best practice at the present time, and be of practical help to
research directors and supervisors of doctoral programmes in the
future. The proceedings will be published in book form with
full papers and biographical notes on the authors.
REGISTRATION
Registration will be valid for both conferences. Different
papers by the same author may be presented in both conferences.
The conference language will be English.
DETAILS
http://www.6thadc.com
For further information or informal discussion about proposals
contact <[log in to unmask]>
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________________________________________________________________
DESIGN ISSUES CONTENTS
Richard Buchanan, Dennis P. Doordan and Victor Margolin, Editors
ISSN 0747-9360
Vol. 18, Issue 4 - Autumn 2002
Introduction
Richard Buchanan, Dennis P. Doordan and Victor Margolin
From Formalism to Social Significance in Communication Design
Jodi Forlizzi and Cherie Lebbon
The "Stump-jumpers:" National Identity and the Mythology of
Australian Industrial Design in the Period 1930-1975
Simon Jackson
A "Social Model" of Design: Issues of Practice and Research
Victor Margolin and Sylvia Margolin
Massin in Continuo: A Dictionary Interview with Robert Massin
Bodoni Meets Franklin
Chris Vermaas
Introduction to Enzo Paci's Presentation at the 10th Triennial
Giovanni Anceschi
Presentation at the 10th Triennial
Enzo Paci
Nineteenth-Century Mexican Graphic Design: The Case of Ignacio
Cumplido
Marina Garone Gravier; Translated by Albert Brandt
Arthur Rackham's Phrenological Landscape: In-betweens, Goblins,
and Femmes Fatales
Leslie Atzmon
Design Issues Home Page
http://mitpress.mit.edu/item.asp?ttype=4&tid=19&mlid=9
________________________________________________________________
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CALLS
* 23-26 June 2003: International Conference on Designing
Pleasurable Products and Interfaces, DPPI03, Carnegie Mellon
University School of Design, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Co-sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University School of Design
and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).
The DPPI03 Conference, most recently held as the Conference
on Affective Human Factors (CAHD) in Singapore, 2001, is one
of the leading international forums for the exchange of
ideas and information about affective design. We invite
submissions in three categories -- papers, workshops, and
posters -- on a full range of topics related to affective
design, including but not limited to the following:
- How can we predict, design, and measure emotional response
to products?
- How can we design emotional interfaces?
- What theories, methods, and processes from human factors
and design can be applied to affective design?
- What tools do educators need to support affective design?
Submission Dates:
Papers January 10, 2003
Workshops January 10, 2003
Posters February 17, 2003
http://www.cmu.edu/cfa/design/dppi03/
* 3 April 2003: One day Symposium: Advice and the Teenage
Girl
Following the success of our first one day symposium
Cleanliness, Dirt and Women's Roles we are organising a
second symposium to accompany our exhibition Grow Up!
Advice and the Teenage Girl. The exhibition looks at advice
given to girls 1880-2001, how they took it, and traces
changes in expectations and aspirations for teenage girls.
This one day, inter-disciplinary symposium on 3 April 2003
will explore issues around gender, young women and advice.
Papers are sought across a wide range of fields including
the history of consumerism, girls' education, literary and
cultural studies, media and communications, art and design,
fashion, sociology and social policy. The symposium will
focus on the relationships between girls, their peers and
adults and the role of advice in concepts around the
representation of girls, their perceptions of themselves,
aspirations and roles. Themes may include; fashion and
consumption, teenage literature and publishing, photography
and film, sexuality and health, education, careers and work,
leisure activities, sub cultures, drugs, homelessness,
parenthood and prostitution.
Please send abstracts of 250 words to Hilary Clay,
<[log in to unmask]>, at The Women's
Library, London Metropolitan University, Old Castle Street,
London, E1 7NT by 24 January 2003. Successful proposals
will be confirmed by 30 January 2003.
* 11-14 September 2003: PARIP 2003 - National Practice as
Research in Performance Conference, UK.
http://www.bris.ac.uk/parip/sept2003.htm
* 22-25 April 2003: CADE 2003 SECOND CALL
We are pleased to invite you to participate in CADE 2003,
the fifth Computers in Art and Design Education conference.
As always the conference will be a forum for sharing ideas,
good practice, and creative solutions. We would like to
encourage and facilitate a wide range of contributions, be
they traditional papers, proposals for panel discussions and
participatory forums, presentations, demonstrations,
tutorials, exhibitions/performances or workshops.
If you would like to informally discuss a proposal for
inclusion, please contact: Sarah Humphreys, University of
Lincoln, Hull School of Art and Design, Wilberforce Drive,
Hull HU1 3DQ, t: 01482 462195, e: [log in to unmask]
http://www.interactive.humber.ac.uk/cade2003
* 10-11 September 2003: Call for Papers. International
Engineering and Product Design Education Conference, 2003
Bournemouth University, England.
The theme of the conference is Ethical Design, which will
encompass but is not limited to such topics as product
liability, design ethics, sustainable design, environmental
impact, design morality, design philosophy and intellectual
property, in each case from a training and education
perspective. Papers and poster displays are invited from
higher and further education, schools, training
establishments, government and regional bodies and
especially from industry.
For submission of abstracts and for further information,
please contact: Jean Lowe Institution of Engineering
Designers Courtleigh, Westbury Leigh Westbury, Wiltshire
BA13 3TA, UK Tel: +44 (0) 1373 822801 Fax: +44 (0) 1373
858085 E-mail: [log in to unmask]
* 28-31 October 2003: ISMIS 2003 FOURTEENTH INTERNATIONAL
SYMPOSIUM ON METHODOLOGIES FOR INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS.
Maebashi TERRSA, Maebashi City, Japan
This Symposium is intended to attract individuals who are
actively engaged both in theoretical and practical aspects
of intelligent systems. The goal is to provide a platform
for a useful exchange between theoreticians and
practitioners, and to foster the cross-fertilization of
ideas.
http://www.wi-lab.com/ismis03/
* 3-5 June 2003: Theory and Practice of Computer Graphics
2003 Organised by EGUK
The 21st Conference organised by the UK chapter of the
Eurographics Society will be the first Theory and Practice
of Computer Graphics 2003 Conference (TP.CG.03) and takes
place at the University of Birmingham Conference Centre with
a paper deadline of January 10th 2003. All accepted papers
will be published in an IEEE Computer Society Press
Conference Proceedings, available at the conference.
The aim of this conference is to focus on theoretical and
practical aspects of Computer Graphics and to bring together
top practitioners, users and researchers, which will
hopefully inspire further collaboration between participants
particularly between academia and industry.
http://www.eguk.org.uk/TPCG03/index.html
* 21-23 March 2003: Fourth International Conference on
Intelligent Data Engineering and Automated Learning
(IDEAL'03). The conference will be held at the same venue
and time period as the IEEE CIFEr2003 conference, which is
in Hong Kong.
http://www.comp.hkbu.edu.hk/IDEAL2003/
* 20-23 October 2003: Humanizing Information Technology:
From Ideas to Bits and Back. American Society for
Information Science and Technology Annual Conference
Long Beach, CA.
Papers, posters and presentations are solicited in a wide
variety of information and technology related areas.
Complete call for participation is at:
http://www.asis.org/Conferences/AM03/am03cfp.html
* 5-7 September 2003: ICSID 2nd Educational Conference
2003 Hanover. Critical Motivations and New Dimensions
As an official pre-conference for the ICSID 2003 Hanover,
the ICSID 2nd Educational Conference invites the world
design educators, professionals and students to Hanover.
Under the theme 'Critical motivations and new dimensions'
The conference aims to explore the rising issues and
emerging directions within the industrial design education
framework. During the two days, the conference will
investigate today's educational challenges and opportunities
and how they might shape the future of education and the
profession through lectures, discussions and workshop
sessions.
We hope that students will have and take the opportunity to
meet teachers and peers from abroad and those professionals
will be able to exchange views extensively on all matters of
joint concern to their work.
With great pleasure I invite you to take part in the ICSID
2nd Educational Conference as a presenter or participant.
Prof. Ron Nabarro, Chairman
http://www.icsid.de
* In 2002 the Journal of Design Research has published:
Mereotopology for Product Modelling. A New Framework for
Product Modelling Based on Logic
Filippo Salustri
Comparing Desktop Virtual Reality with Handmade Sketches and
Real Products
Mikael Soderman
(Re)presentation and Supposition
Taeke de Jong
Dynamic Interactive Aesthetics *)
Audrey Bennett
A Socio-Technical Research Method for Analyzing and
Instrumenting the Design Activity *)
Jean-Francois Boujut and Henri Tiger
Designing Work: Situating Design Objects in Cultural Context
*)
Lorna Heaton
New Perspectives for Distributed Design Support *)
Steven MacGregor
Architectural Design as Social Engineering *)
Lubomir Popov
*) Published in the Theme Issue Design as a Social Process,
guest edited by Louis L. Bucciarelli
Journal of Design Research:
http://jdr.tudelft.nl
* 8-12 July 2003: CHALLENGING THE FRONTIERS IN GLOBAL
BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY: IMPLEMENTATION OF CHANGES IN
VALUES, STRATEGY AND POLICY. GLOBAL BUSINESS AND TECHNOLOGY
ASSOCIATION. Budapest, Hungary.
Among the topics sought are ones on the new
computer-assisted education technologies and their relevance
for business disciplines in university or corporate
contexts.
http://www.gbata.com/updatejune4.html
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ANNOUNCEMENTS
* 1 February 2003: Passionate Machines the art and
science of emotional computing
A pan-disciplinary conference that brings together key
international figures from the fields of computing science,
psychology, communication theory and fine art.
http://www.carte.org.uk/passionatemachines
* Information Design Journal
Information Design Journal is an international refereed
journal which provides a forum for theoretical and
practice-oriented discussions concerning the effective,
efficient and attractive presentation of information. Topics
include the design of infographics, public information
signs, forms, product labelling, typography, instructions
for use, user interfaces, websites and instructional
textbooks.
CONTENTS (Volume 10, issue 3):
Editorial - The conquest of space
Alan Davis
Theme: Information landscapes
- Applications of isometric projection for visualizing web
sites
Paul Kahn, Krzysztof Lenk, Piotr Kaczmarek
- Large scale network visualization with 3D-graphics
Eleftherios KoutsoWos, Stephen North, Russ Truscott
- Constructing n-space: Establishing a conceptual framework
for the management and processing of complex and dynamic
networked information flow
Paul Wilson
- A grammar for zooming interfaces: Using interaction design
strategies to improve user's navigation and spatial
awareness
Deborah Rodgers
- Designing with a 21/-D attitude
Colin Ware Cartoon by Conrad Taylor
InfoDesign-cafe discussion
- Lucid or obscure? A discussion on cameras, designs and
history
Michael Andrews
Case Study
- Improving the user-friendliness of a directory of chemical
substances: The Approved Supply List
Linda Reynolds
Book Reviews
- Trevor Bounford: Digital Diagrams: Effective design and
presentation of statistical information
Reviewed by Frank M. Marchak
- Robert Spence: Information Visualization
Reviewed by Beth C. Lisberg
- Nathan Shedroff: Experience Design 1: A manifesto for the
creation of experience
Reviewed by Michael Andrews
- Jeff Raskin: The Humane Interface: New Directions for
designing Interactive Systems 291
Reviewed by Harvey L. Molloy
http://www.benjamins.com/idj
This issue can be ordered from: John Benjamins Publishing
Company (Amsterdam/Philadelphia)
http://www.benjamins.com/idj
Subscriptions include access to the electronic edition with
full text.
* An event in May 2003 at HP Labs in Bristol to bring
designers and technologists together to talk about the
design of new media and computing appliances.
The Appliance Design publication, and the event, are
nonprofit and intended as academic/research forums but we
have been fortunate enough to have HP Labs in Bristol host
the event.
http://www.appliancedesign.org/1ad/
* The latest edition of the International Journal of
Concurrent Engineering (Volume 10, Number 3) has just been
published. Information about the journal, paper
submissions, subscriptions and past papers' listing can be
obtained from:
http://www.ceraj.com/
Electronic Listing of Papers and abstracts are available
free for online viewing at
http://www.sagepub.co.uk/journals/details/jc0423.html
* JAPAN SOCIETY OF IMAGE ARTS AND SCIENCES
I would like to introduce the Japan Society of Image Arts
and Sciences (JASIAS) and invite interested persons to
become a member.
The JASIAS was founded in 1974 and is the main academic
society in Japan focusing on modern image studies, including
film, photography, computer graphics, digital media,
animation, virtual reality, television, and related media.
The current membership stands at about 800, with the film
scholar Prof. Iwamoto Kenji of Waseda University now serving
as president.
The society's main activities include holding an annual
conference, publishing the journals EIZOGAKU (in Japanese,
twice a year) and ICONICS (in English, French or German,
once every two years) as well as the society newsletter
(four times a year), and sponsoring research groups on
various topics. Regional divisions of the JASIAS also hold
their own conferences and seminars.
Especially with the lack of a cinema studies society in
Japan, the JASIAS has become the main venue for scholars of
cinema and related media to gather, give papers, and publish
articles. EIZOGAKU in particular has become an important
showcase for new research in Japan on the modern image.
http://www.art.nihon-u.ac.jp/jasias/
* 19-22 March 2003: Museums and the Web 2003 Charlotte,
North Carolina, USA
The MW2003 Preliminary Program is now available. It features
over 25 sessions, 7 full-day and 6 half-day pre-conference
workshops, and dozens of demonstrations, the Crit Room and
an on-site Usability Lab. Many thanks to the Program
Committee who reviewed almost three times as many proposals
as could be accepted, and to all those who proposed to
participate.
http://www.archimuse.com/mw2003
* 11-14 February 2003: GRAPHITE 2003 International
Conference on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques
in Australasia and South East Asia, Melbourne Australia.
GRAPHITE 2003 is a unique opportunity for researchers,
technologists, artists, industry professionals, educators
and students to experience a state of the art showcase of
technical and artistic work from this region and from around
the world. This years conference will include a wide
selection presentations and panels, art gallery, electronic
theatre screening, and social events.
http://www.anzgraph.org/graphite2003
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
BOOKS
* Heskett, John. 2000. Toothpicks and Logos. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.
John Heskett writes that design - stripped to the essentials
- is the human capacity to create. This capacity enables to
make (and remake) our surroundings in ways that have no
precedent in nature. These meet our needs and add meaning to
our lives. This basic human capacity is realized in ways
that are all subjects for our choices.
Our humanly shaped surroundings are the result of design.
Nevertheless, the design choices we make are not inevitable.
They can be good or bad and they are open to analysis and
discussion. To design is a choice. With choice comes
responsibility.
Heskett's book challenges several prevalent myths about
design. In taking on popular myths, the book has generated a
public debate in the United States, where it has once again
placed design on the public agenda.
One myth that Heskett takes on is that notion design is the
child of "the modern movement" and that design made its
first appearance at the world exhibition in the Crystal
Palace in the late 19th-century. If we accept Heskett's
definition of design, we face a fundamental human phenomenon
of a that has existed for a very long time. To seek the
beginning of design, we must travel back several thousand
years through archaeology.
The first tools were extensions of the human body. While we
can dig into the earth with one hand, it is much less
stressful to dig with a mussel shell or a piece of hollow
wood. From acknowledging this, it is not very far to go to
think about improvements. The hand can also be used for
drinking but a horn of hollow material is better.
Heskett has made a number of studies in archaeological
museums. He has found several examples of objects that may
have been used for practical purposes by coincidence. They
were gradually improved through a planning process that has
involved into new technologies. Peoples who were skilled in
developing tools of natural materials were able to improve
their techniques and later to specialize. This division of
labor led to the specific organization of the guild system
seen in many cultures.
Heskett also challenges the functionalist myth that form
follows function. This may have been true in earlier
societies, but today it is the myth. Instead, Heskett
discusses utility and significance.
To illustrate this, he presents the example of toothpicks.
For example, the Norwegian-made Jordan toothpick is
sharpened with a nearly triangular end. They are easy to
grip with an effective design for oral hygiene. It is a
useful tool.
Heskett compares these with Japanese toothpicks that are
round and sharpened on one end while the other end has an
inscription. This hardly seems practical or meaningful. In
relation to Japanese culture, it is. The Japanese have a
refined food culture. One aspect of this culture involves
eating with sticks. While eating, it is felt to be
unhygienic to put a stick directly on the table. The
Japanese use a support to rest their sticks so that the end
put in the mouth cannot touch the tabletop. This is similar
to the toothpick. The user rests one end on the table, using
it as a support so that the sharp end does not touch the
table. This refined little object mirrors a refined culture.
While use and function are important in design, meaning, and
significance can be just as important.
The major myth that Heskett challenges is the notion of the
designer as a solo artist. It is probably this concept that
led to such terms "designer furniture," "designer interiors"
and "designer clothes." John Heskett emphasizes the fact
that everything has been designed. Despite this, we may not
always know the name of the designer. Most designers do not
work as artists. They work in industry and they work on
industrial terms.
Designers also work in teams. Some work in teams with other
designers. Many work on cross-disciplinary teams with
experts in engineering, information technology, ergonomics,
marketing, psychology, and more. This does not reduce the
importance of the designer. Even so, the notion of the
designer as a self-sufficient artist who relies on intuition
and private insight has little place in the working world.
Designers develop projects through solid argumentation
backed by solid analyses, just as professionals do in any
other discipline.
Designers also work with many functions. Today, we are
seeing companies such as SONY where designers work
strategically to design the future of the company. This is
true strategic design.
Heskett's analysis demonstrates that the design process is
not a single process. There are many design processes. There
are differences between mobile phones, automobile door
handles, and home pages for voluntary organizations. Each of
these requires a different design process than the others
do.
Design has many manifestations. The outcomes include
objects, communication systems, environments, identities,
and contexts. Each of these is given a chapter in the book.
The book offers a valuable introduction to design. Heskett
avoids jargon and needless technical terms. Anyone can read
this book.
Where technical terms are required, Heskett opens the
chapter with an explanation of relevant terms and useful
examples. The examples describe the main thrust of the
argument and they are chosen with care.
The book includes well-known examples that many will
recognize, along with a number of new ones.
For example, the chapter on environments analyzes physical
space. This includes the workspace and the private habitat.
Heskett offers an interesting story about the American
advertising agency TBWA/Chiat/Day. In the early 1990s, the
firm eliminated all its offices, moving to a flexible office
saluted by New York Times for its advanced thinking. It was
not long before the employees rebelled against constant
circulation through an ever-changing workspace. They began
to fight for good working space to relieve their sense of
homelessness. The company learned from its experiences. when
it opened new offices in Los Angeles in 1999, they
implemented a new concept adapted to actual work patterns.
The firm located personal workstations in neighborhoods that
gathered team members together, connecting the neighborhoods
by a main street with a central park for rest and
contemplation.
The book shakes up the popular image that compares designers
with heroic artists. It replaces this notion with a far more
important concept, emphasizing the innate capacity to create
and shape our surroundings.
This book makes an important contribution to public
understanding of design. It emphasizes the human capacity to
design through analyses and planning processes that are
shaped by the specific purpose and domain in which they take
place.
The book is well written with a clear voice that cuts
through myths while spreading a message that can be easily
understood. The book should be required reading for everyone
who works with design professionally, and it should be on
the reading list of every design department and research
center. Those who working with design from other
perspectives such as technology, cultural studies, or
management will also find this book worth reading.
-- Reviewed by Tore Kristensen
Tore Kristensen is associate professor of product
development and marketing at Copenhagen Business School
where he is director of the Center for Design and Business
Development.
* Holleley, Douglas. 2001. Digital Book Design and
Publishing. Elmira Heights, New York, and Rochester, New
York: Clarellen and Cary Graphic Arts Press.
From the clay tokens of the Neolithic era (Schmandt-Besserat
1978) on to the cuneiform tablets of Sumeria and the first
codex books of the early Christian era (Hobart and Schiffman
1998: 91), books and their predecessors have played a
central role in human culture. Each shift in book technology
was embedded in and helped to bring about a vast series of
social and intellectual developments. The birth of the
printing press in the fifteenth century "left no field of
human enterprise untouched" (Eisenstein 1979: 11)
The advent of digital media meant a revolution in book
production and book publishing. halfway through the last
century, electromechanical typesetting systems began to
change the book production process. In the late 1980s,
personal computers and digital typesetting pushed
developments farther. Electronic publishing has now become a
central feature of the information age, transferring the
content of paper media to such electronic media as CD-ROM,
DVD, and the World Wide Web. What the digital media have not
done is bring an end to the book as a communications medium,
an information artifact, and an art form.
When scholars and futurists began predicting the death of
the book, they failed to reckon with the convenience and
congeniality of the book as a reading medium. In the 1990s,
many believed that the World Wide Web would render books
obsolete. Instead, the Web has increased the market for new
books and extended the circulation of used books. Access to
richer information sources brings more books to the
attention of more readers, while book sales and book reading
have grown through the impact of on-line booksellers and web
sites (Friedman 1996). Rather than replacing books, digital
media supplement them. Beyond this, however, digital media
now contribute to the growth and continued health of the
book as a physical artifact. This is where Douglas
Holleley's Digital Book Design and Publishing begins.
Holleley has produced two books in one. First, an explicit,
comprehensive textbook covers every aspect of digital book
production from concept to binding. Second, a visual tour de
force illustrates the book production process with beautiful
examples of books from recent artist books to historical
printed artifacts.
The crisp structure of the text makes this an excellent
manual. It is suitable for classroom use in book design and
production classes. It is also a helpful personal guide.
After an opening chapter on the nature of the book, ten
chapters systematically chart the steps in making a book.
Chapter 2 on the process of design covers conceptualization,
development, and the general printing process. Chapter 3
covers typography, giving a nice overview of basic issues
and a selection of important details. Chapter 4 covers the
physical set-up of the book, including a discussion of
folding and stitching. Chapter 5 discusses page layout
programs. While the chapter is written for Quark-Xpress, it
can be used will all major programs. Chapters 6, 7, and 8
discuss images - scanning them, correcting them, and
acquiring them in other ways. Chapter 9 covers printing,
with special attention to the relationship between digital
media and final print production. Chapter 10 discusses the
printing surface and materials, while chapter 11 covers
binding. Chapter 12 is a discussion of the copyright and
legal issues that have become increasingly important in an
era of computer technology. The book includes a useful
bibliography covering artist's books, bookbinding, design
and typography, photography and digital imaging, printing,
and periodicals. This is followed by a useful glossary of
terms and a thorough index.
If I were to suggest modest improvements to a new edition of
this fine work, it would involve covering two gaps. The
first would be a chapter that offers a broader and more
general vision of the book in today's digital world. While
this book is written from the perspective of artist's books,
it is such a fine book that it will find a far wider
audience and larger uses. That makes a slightly more general
perspective helpful in conceptual terms. This can be covered
in a single chapter.
The other improvements would be to the bibliography. Two
important topics are absent. The first topic involves the
history of the book as a communication medium and cultural
artifact. A selection of half a dozen titles would cover
this admirably. The second topic involves a selection of
titles on general book making, book production and
publishing. Those who use this book to develop project for
commercial publishers will want to know more about
large-scale book production and publishing.
"Of making many books, there is no end" writes the weary
author of Ecclesiastes 12:12. Douglas Holleley's beautiful
text is more optimistic. Holleley gives reason to hope that
books will be made for centuries to come. This practical and
entertaining guide to book production meets today's needs
and suggests new avenues for book production in the future.
References
Eisenstein, Elizabeth L. 1979. The Printing Press as an
Agent of Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Friedman, Ken. 1996. Books in the Age of On-Line
Information: Will We Read More or Fewer Books? Statistical
Summary and Preliminary Conclusions. Saertrykk No. 40, 1996.
Sandvika, Norway: Norwegian School of Management.
Hobart, Michael E., and Zachary S. Schiffman. 1998.
Information Ages. Literacy, Numeracy, and the Computer
Revolution. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Schmandt-Besserat, Denise. "The Earliest Precursor of
Writing," Scientific American, 238, vi (June 1978), 50-59.
Web Resources
The Clarellen Web site carries images of Digital Book Design
and Publishing along with interesting information on author
Douglas Holleley and his other books. URL:
http://www.clarellen.com
Cary Graphic Arts Press has a Web site linked to the Cary
Graphic Arts Collection at Rochester Institute of
Technology. The Cary collection is an outstanding resource
on the arts and history of printing, typography, and all
that has to do with the physical craft of books. This richly
illustrated site allows visitors to browse the Cary
collection and to find useful links on book arts, book
collecting, and collections, printing history, typography,
and book illustration as well as offering the full catalogue
of Cary Graphic Arts Press. URL:
http://wally.rit.edu/cary
-- Reviewed by Ken Friedman
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WEB
* ArtResearch - a new mailinglist
ArtResearch encompasses any practice-based research,
artistic research, art-practice-led research or research in
art or design that consists of postgraduate studies leading
to a Doctorate in Fine Arts or any other equivalent degree.
ArtResearch's primary objective is to supply a discourse for
artist's postgraduate studies specifically in, but not
restricted to, Northern Europe.
http://lists.chalmers.se/mailman/listinfo/artresearch
* Electronetwork.org is creating an online gallery of
electromagnetic art & artifacts, and work is currently
underway to present works from various vantages of art,
science, and technology, across timespans and mediums.
Thus far work is being collected and compiled according to
those works, whatever they may be, that explore the realm of
electromagnetism in a way that helps one to better
understand or question it. Where the line between
electromagnetic and non-electromagnetic art & artifacts is
drawn is still an unknown. Thus, this is an experiment, and
an open-development of sorts.
The hypothesis being utilized is that there has been a
gradual incorporation, more and more so, of electromagnetism
in artworks and artifacts, and that this lineage can be seen
in various ways and at various stages. Works in pottery,
sculpture, installation art, video art, poetry, dance,
music, weaving, and other mediums where electromagnetism is
a central idea are currently sought.
Please e-mail if you know of work that relates to this idea,
and- or if you are interested in participating in this
online show.
brian thomas carroll, founder
http://www.electronetwork.org
more information on phase 1 available at:
the Electromagnetic Education Initiative
http://www.electronetwork.org/works/eei/
* ThinkCycle in a Nutshell: ThinkCycle is nothing more
than a shared online space for designers, engineers, domain
experts and stakeholders to discuss, exchange and construct
ideas towards design solutions in critical problem domains.
ThinkCycle simply provides a web-based collaboration
framework that supports individuals and organizations in
seeking, documenting and sharing information about problem
domains and emerging design. It is largely a self-organized
and decentralized system, allowing individuals to create
online communities of interest around specific domains and
contribute or learn from ongoing discussion and design
activity.
As an academic and non-profit initiative, the goal is to
foster a culture of 'Open Collaborative Design' among
students, industry and organizations worldwide while
providing meaningful awareness, resources and design
solutions to problems in critical domains. The goals,
approaches and policies of ThinkCycle will continue to
evolve, shaped by the participants involved and the nature
of projects and problem domains tackled over time.
http://www.thinkcycle.org
* Loop Number 6 is now online. Archiving Experience
Design.
Loop Number 6 features a "virtual" roundtable discussion on
the importance of archiving experience design, its
practicality and its limitations. The panelists include Hugh
Dubberly, Jodi Forlizzi, Challis Hodge, Nathan Shedroff,
Brenda Laurel, Peter Lyman and Peter Morville.
http://loop.aiga.org
* New online community hosted by the London Institute.
The site aims to develop collaboration and dissemination of
good practice in the art and design community on a global
basis. We already have members from New Zealand, Australia,
Canada and Europe and are looking for more members.
This new site will offers opportunities for interaction and
collaboration with educators, researchers and practitioners
in art and design.
Details from: Julia Gaimster, LEADGLOBAL-Moderator
<[log in to unmask]>
* Comma, Lebanon. Comma is a quarterly publication
dedicated to graphic design in the Middle East.
Details from: <[log in to unmask]> or
<[log in to unmask]>
* Design Summit in India: A multitude of ideas were
presented, which is luckily being made into a cd
presentation with synchronised powerpoint and video of the
speakers. Anyone interested may order a cd, write to seema
gupta at <[log in to unmask]>
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DESIGN RESEARCH SOCIETY
The Design Research Society is the multi-disciplinary
international learned society for the design research community.
DRS was founded in 1967, and since then has established a
record of significant achievements in contributing to design
knowledge.
DRS has facilitated an international design research network in
40 countries comprising members who maintain contact through the
publications and activities of the Society. Members are drawn
from diverse backgrounds, not only from the traditional areas of
design, ranging from fine art to engineering, but also from
subjects like psychology and computer science.
Our interests include:
o recognising design as a creative act common to many
disciplines
o understanding research and its relationship with education
and practice
o advancing the theory and practice of design
We realise these by:
o encouraging the development of scholarship and knowledge in
design
o contributing to the development of doctoral education and
research training
o sharing knowledge across the boundaries of design disciplines
o facilitating networks to exchange and communicate ideas,
experience and research findings among members
o disseminating research findings
o promoting awareness of design research
o organising and sponsoring conferences, and publishing
proceedings
o encouraging communications between members internationally
o responding to consultative documents
o collaborating with other bodies
o lobbying on behalf of members' research interests
o recognising excellence in design research through awards
o sponsoring email discussion groups and a monthly emailed
newsletter
Membership of DRS provides:
o regular communications about research activities worldwide
o reduced subscription to Design Studies, the international
journal for design research in engineering, architecture,
products and systems. Design Studies is published by
Elsevier in cooperation with DRS
o reduced fees to DRS sponsored events
o representation of the design research community and members'
interests
o a means of identifying and contacting other members
o an opportunity to contribute to the international design
research community
For further details and an application form, contact the
membership secretary:
Professor Robert Jerrard, School of Design Research, Birmingham
Institute of Art and Design, University of Central England,
Corporation Street, Birmingham, UK B4 7DX
email: [log in to unmask]
or the interactive form at http://www.drs.org.uk
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________________________________________________________________
ELECTRONIC SERVICES OF THE DESIGN RESEARCH SOCIETY
o Design Research News is the digital newsletter of the
Design Research Society. It communicates news about
research throughout the world. It is mailed automatically
at the beginning of each month and is free. You may
subscribe at the following site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/design-research.html
o DRS is a discussion list open for unmoderated discussion
on all matters related to design research. You may
subscribe at the following site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/drs.html
o PHD-DESIGN is a discussion list open for unmoderated
discussion on all matters related to the PhD in design.
Topics include philosophies and theories of design, research
methods, curriculum development, and relations between
theory and practice. You may subscribe at the following site:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/phd-design.html
o Full information about the Design Research Society may be
found at:
http://www.drs.org.uk
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CONTRIBUTIONS
Information to the editor Dr David Durling, Director, Advanced
Research Institute, Staffordshire University, UK.
<[log in to unmask]>
Book information and suggestions for reviews should be
sent to the book review editor Dr Ken Friedman, Norwegian
School of Management, Oslo, and Advanced Research Institute,
Staffordshire University, UK. <[log in to unmask]>
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