Reading Design: The Visual Language of Common Objects

In Reading Design, noted architect Craig Hodgetts sorts through the myriad of things that surround us with an eye trained by years of teaching at UCLA’s world class School of Architecture

In Reading Design, noted architect Craig Hodgetts sorts through the myriad of things that surround us with an eye trained by years of teaching at UCLA’s world class School of Architecture. Since the success of the precedent-setting Blueprints for Modern Living exhibition at the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Hodgetts has been immersed in the selection and appreciation of objects that are not only outstanding examples of contemporary design, but that exude an emotional connection to evolving lifestyles – attributes that range from the sublime to the brutal. Consisting of over two hundred hand drawn sketches illuminating themes and bold departures from the norm, this book can change the way we look at things, and break down the barriers that markets and tastemakers erect by their recommendations.

With a background in theatre arts, architecture and exhibit design, Craig Hodgetts has created enduring designs that continue to resonate more than fifty years after their completion. As a founding partner in the seminal architectural firm Studio Works, the originating Dean of the Design School at the California Institute of the Arts, and now the Creative Director of award-winning Hodgetts+Fung Design Associates, he has a well-earned reputation as an innovative designer and architect. He is the author of numerous articles on design as well as several books, including Design Quarterly #100 dedicated to architect James Stirling, Swimming to Suburbia, a collection of environmental essays and illustrations, and the Art of Syd Meade, the prolific designer of futuristic motion pictures. Twice invited to exhibit work at the Venice Biennale and featured in numerous Museum exhibitions, he and partner Fung created the immersive Casa Pulpa installation for the Milan Triennale and Visionary San Francisco at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in collaboration with Science Fiction legend William Gibson. His Punchout line of furniture is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.