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Synopsis
A brilliant exposé of the interaction between art, design, and commerce.
In The Language of Things, the director of London's Design Museum charts our relationship with all things designed. With scintillating wit and an eye for the pleasures and dangers of rampant consumerism, Deyan Sudjic takes us from luxury car commercials to glossy advertisements for seasonal variations of the Prada purse to the hype surrounding the latest version of the iPhone, exploring how we are manipulated and seduced by our possessions. Who would've thought that it's the subtle visual similarity between the Volkswagen Golf GTI and the barrel of an automatic pistol that makes people want to get behind the wheel? And why is it that digital cameras in cell phones "click" even though they don't have a shutter? Sudjic's illuminating argument will resound with anyone who has ever been affected by how things look―lured, in other words, by the powerful siren call of design. 71 black-and-white and 5 color illustrations"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Deyan Sudjic is director of the Design Museum, London. He is the author of 100-Mile City and The Edifice Complex and the coauthor of The Architecture Pack.
Reviews
Like geese force-fed grain until their livers explode, to make foie gras, we are a generation born to consume, says this witty commentary on rampant consumerism enabled by design innovation. Indeed, Sudjic (director of LondonÖs Design Museum and author of The Edifice Complex) says, consumer snobbery and design obsession can border on high-functioning autism. Writing almost conversationally, he explores how consumer engineering expanded the design process, inspiring the world to consume [its] way out of the Great Depressionand becoming the present marketing ideal. Luxury, fashion and art, says Sudjic,are the highlights of modern design, with fashion as the most developed form of built-in obsolescence—and consumers are willing to pay dearly for the impermanence. Brimming throughout with primarily British examples, pricing and language, SudjicÖs appreciation of first-rate design shows through his vivid descriptions of universally classic functional or aesthetically pleasing archetypes. Especially appealing to marketers and design connoisseurs, this is easily digestible for the average consumers interested in knowingly purchasing quality design for the senses—if they can still afford it in todayÖs economy. 71 b&w illus, 5 color illus. (June)
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The Language of Things: Understanding the World of Desirable Objects
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The Language of Things : Understanding the World of Desirable Objects
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Language of Things: Understanding the World of Desirable Objects
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ISBN 10: 0393070816
ISBN 13: 9780393070811
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Hardcover. Condition: Used - Very Good. What is it that persuades us to camp outside Apple stores to be the first to buy an iPhone? Why is it that a generation ago a typewriter might have lasted someone a lifetime, but now we write on computers that we upgrade every couple of years to shinier, faster, sleeker models? Why do the clicks of some car doors sound expensive ? Deyan Sudjic charts our relationship both innocent and knowing with all things designed. From the opulent excesses of the catwalk to the playfulness of an Alessi jam jar, he shows how we can be manipulated and seduced by our possessions. With scintillating wit he addresses these questions and more, exploring the reasons why every designer yearns to put a personal stamp on a chair or an adjustable lamp, and where design ends and art begins. In this brilliant expose of the interaction between art, design, and commerce, Sudjic charts our relationship with all things designed. From the opulent excesses of the catwalk to the playfulness of an Alessi jam jar, he shows how we can be manipulated and seduced by our possessions. Very nice clean, tight copy free of any marks. Seller Inventory # 332066
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THE LANGUAGE OF THINGS Understanding the World of Desirable Objects
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Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. With illustrations, A fine copy in fine dustjacket, as new. In The Language of Things Deyan Sudjic, Director of the Design Museum, decodes the things around us: their hidden meanings, our relationship with them, how they shape our lives and why we desire them. ; 215 x 145mm; 208 pages. Seller Inventory # 19840
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