Showcasing the work of more than two hundred designers from around the world, this thirteenth edition of The International Design Yearbook presents varied and creative approaches to domestic design, uncovering a rich seam of examples from the contemporary culture of objects. The book provides a cross-section of design from the past eighteen months, including both established designers - Philippe Starck, Ron Arad, Michele de Lucchi, Achille Castiglioni, Ingo Maurer, Jean Nouvel, Enzo Mari, Ross Lovegrove - and the latest technology from JVC, Canon, and Sony. Also featured are newer names such as the young Swiss design group N2; Olgoj Chorchoj and the small but intense design scene focused around Prague; the dryly witty Dutch collective Droog Design; the innovative designs of London-based Inflate; and a new furniture line from film director David Lynch. This year's selection has been made by inter-nationally acclaimed designer Richard Sapper, product design consultant for the IBM Corporation and resident professor of industrial design at the Academy of Art in Stuttgart.
From his perspective as a designer with forty years of experience, Sapper draws attention to the revolution currently being brought about by technical and scientific developments. Deploring the current climate of relentless consumerism, he makes an impassioned plea for the design and production of objects that genuinely enhance our lives and improve the future of our planet. Focusing as in past editions on the areas of furniture, lighting, tableware, textiles, and products, the book also draws attention to the increasingly blurred boundaries between the domestic and the industrial, and between home and work, evidenced by the current use of the car as an extension of the home and by advances in communication technology that allow telephones, faxes, computers, and pagers to invade all spheres of our lives. General editor Michael Horsham sees the opportunity for a redefinition of domesticity and calls for a return to the idea of quality in domestic design. Full technical data are provided for each object, and a comprehensive reference section includes designers' biographies, a list of suppliers and their addresses, and an update of design acquisitions at major international museums.