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Super Normal: Sensations of the Ordinary
The designers Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa have compiled 204 everyday objects in search of ""super normal design"": alongside examples of anonymous design like the Swiss Rex vegetable peeler or a simple plastic bag, there are design classics like Marcel Breuer's tubular steel side table, Dieter Ram's 606 shelving system, or Joe Colombo's Optic alarm clock of 1970. With products by Newson, Grcic, the Azumis, and the Bouroullec brothers, it also represents the generation to which Morrison and Fukasawa belong. The phenomenon of the super normal is located, as it were, beyond space and time; the past and present of product design both point to a future that has long since begun. The super normal is already lying exposed before us; it exists in the here and now; it is real and available: we need only open our eyes; Fukasawa and Morrison make it visible for us.
128 pages, Paperback
First published October 3, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 11, 2018
Super normal comes out and says what so many designers have been trying to say for so long: that there can be delight in the normalness of the mundane. The greater accomplishment might not be to create a shockingly exciting design, but to design something that never grows any less enjoyable to use.
August 28, 2018
Durante el Salone de Milán de 2005 Morrison cayó en la cuenta de lo que sucedía con sus propuestas de diseño, de lo que buscaba y de lo que le parecía andaba mal. Sus conversaciones con Fukasawa lo llevaron a la conclusión buscada, lo que hacía falta al diseño es ser “Super Normal”
El resultado fue una exhibición itinerante que juntaba un poco más de 200 objetos, algunos clásicos, unos con autor, otros notoriamente anónimos lo único que tiene en común es que caen en la definición de “Super Normal”. La idea, dejar claro el concepto, poner sobre la mesa una provocación que de paso definiera una visión. Para Naoto y Jasper el diseño estaba desviándose de su tarea medular, los departamentos de mercadotécnica y las voraces estructuras comerciales de las más notables marcas comenzaban a exigirle al diseño lo que no es. Se trataba de producir objetos notoriamente escandalosos para sobrevivir en un ridículo guerra mercantil y eso no hacía ni a los objetos mejores ni a los usuarios más felices, lo que se necesita, dicen ellos, son objetos “Super Normales”.
Este pequeño volumen, editado a propósito del paso de la muestra por la Triennale di Milano, hace un recuento de un poco más de 50 de estos objetos y extiende un breve explicación de su super normalidad. Además hay textos y entrevistas que dejan entrever la profundidad de un pensamiento ten sencillo.
Considero que este “no manifiesto” de Fukasawa y Morrison es fundamental para entender su trabajo y sienta las bases de todo un movimiento clave que continúa desarrollándose hoy en día y que es fiel reflejo de lo que sucede en el mundo del diseño. Me parece que su lectura y compresión es clave para cualquiera interesado en descifrar el diseño contemporáneo.
El resultado fue una exhibición itinerante que juntaba un poco más de 200 objetos, algunos clásicos, unos con autor, otros notoriamente anónimos lo único que tiene en común es que caen en la definición de “Super Normal”. La idea, dejar claro el concepto, poner sobre la mesa una provocación que de paso definiera una visión. Para Naoto y Jasper el diseño estaba desviándose de su tarea medular, los departamentos de mercadotécnica y las voraces estructuras comerciales de las más notables marcas comenzaban a exigirle al diseño lo que no es. Se trataba de producir objetos notoriamente escandalosos para sobrevivir en un ridículo guerra mercantil y eso no hacía ni a los objetos mejores ni a los usuarios más felices, lo que se necesita, dicen ellos, son objetos “Super Normales”.
Este pequeño volumen, editado a propósito del paso de la muestra por la Triennale di Milano, hace un recuento de un poco más de 50 de estos objetos y extiende un breve explicación de su super normalidad. Además hay textos y entrevistas que dejan entrever la profundidad de un pensamiento ten sencillo.
Considero que este “no manifiesto” de Fukasawa y Morrison es fundamental para entender su trabajo y sienta las bases de todo un movimiento clave que continúa desarrollándose hoy en día y que es fiel reflejo de lo que sucede en el mundo del diseño. Me parece que su lectura y compresión es clave para cualquiera interesado en descifrar el diseño contemporáneo.
December 18, 2022
Like walking in a museum between daily used stuff.
November 22, 2015
The interview with Naoto Fukasawa and Jasper Morrison at the end of the book makes this a great read. It is a great opportunity to hear more from masters in the design field with so much experience about their outlooks and approach to the practice.
The categorization of Supernormal objects leading up to the interview is a bit weak. The text that accompanies feels rushed and as though it only touches on the tip of what must be many thoughts and ideas that went into their selection for this collection.
That said, it is worth going back and reviewing the collection again after reading the NF and JM interview.
The categorization of Supernormal objects leading up to the interview is a bit weak. The text that accompanies feels rushed and as though it only touches on the tip of what must be many thoughts and ideas that went into their selection for this collection.
That said, it is worth going back and reviewing the collection again after reading the NF and JM interview.
January 9, 2025
One of my New Year's resolutions was to read more non-fiction, so here we go!
This exhibition book describes the terms 'Normal' and 'Super Normal', coined by designers Naoto Fukasawa and Jasper Morrison. In a world were design has become solely focused on innovation and beauty, the normalcy of amazing, discrete and functional design has been overlooked.
A goose egg with its simple curvature. Paperclips with balled ends. A tilted wastepaper basket with a lipped edge. Things that are ambivalent and discrete but suggest action or function.
"We must analyse and understand our contemporary society as if it is our historical society".
In shinto, Shutaku is the value something gets as it is used, wabi-sabi is the beauty aquired through being useful. This is core to understanding Normal and Super Normal, that useful and expected design is the best design. Function is forefront.
"Both shutaku and wabi-sabi refer to things that aren't cool design-wise but rather normal with nothing special about them except for that they have the potential for becoming great with use. Something that was normal gains shutaku and has the potential for acquiring the beauty of wabi-sabi." NF
Interesting and thoughtful, still making my mind up how I feel entirely as I'm not sure that this is an entirely new concept to me. But then again, both designers say that these concepts are just realised rather than anything new.
This exhibition book describes the terms 'Normal' and 'Super Normal', coined by designers Naoto Fukasawa and Jasper Morrison. In a world were design has become solely focused on innovation and beauty, the normalcy of amazing, discrete and functional design has been overlooked.
A goose egg with its simple curvature. Paperclips with balled ends. A tilted wastepaper basket with a lipped edge. Things that are ambivalent and discrete but suggest action or function.
"We must analyse and understand our contemporary society as if it is our historical society".
In shinto, Shutaku is the value something gets as it is used, wabi-sabi is the beauty aquired through being useful. This is core to understanding Normal and Super Normal, that useful and expected design is the best design. Function is forefront.
"Both shutaku and wabi-sabi refer to things that aren't cool design-wise but rather normal with nothing special about them except for that they have the potential for becoming great with use. Something that was normal gains shutaku and has the potential for acquiring the beauty of wabi-sabi." NF
Interesting and thoughtful, still making my mind up how I feel entirely as I'm not sure that this is an entirely new concept to me. But then again, both designers say that these concepts are just realised rather than anything new.
May 30, 2021
I'm split on whether to review a book like this based on its ideas or how it presents those ideas.
For the first 4/5ths of the book I found the descriptions of the objects that they had chosen as 'supernormal' to be a bit pretentious, but it felt more like this pretention came from the apparent struggle to translate a 'feeling' into words.
Eg: "The exaggerated radius of the foot of the stool in no way detracts from the smoothness of the form, which is as easy on the eye as it is on the behind"
By the time I reached the final interview pages I was probably going to rate this book a 2 or 3. But the conversation between Naoto and Jasper was a nice turning point. They manage to talk about their ideas much more subtly than was managed in the object descriptions.
The best summaries of the idea came towards this end of the book:
"Our relationship with things we aren't usually aware of is richer than wit things that are viewed in terms of design"
Overall, thoughtful concepts but not the best presentation. The book may have gained a lot from not offering any descriptions of the objects, and instead just letting us form our own understanding.
For the first 4/5ths of the book I found the descriptions of the objects that they had chosen as 'supernormal' to be a bit pretentious, but it felt more like this pretention came from the apparent struggle to translate a 'feeling' into words.
Eg: "The exaggerated radius of the foot of the stool in no way detracts from the smoothness of the form, which is as easy on the eye as it is on the behind"
By the time I reached the final interview pages I was probably going to rate this book a 2 or 3. But the conversation between Naoto and Jasper was a nice turning point. They manage to talk about their ideas much more subtly than was managed in the object descriptions.
The best summaries of the idea came towards this end of the book:
"Our relationship with things we aren't usually aware of is richer than wit things that are viewed in terms of design"
Overall, thoughtful concepts but not the best presentation. The book may have gained a lot from not offering any descriptions of the objects, and instead just letting us form our own understanding.
February 12, 2023
Great book that for the first part felt like a walk through an exhibition, and for the second part like an essay on the (super) normal objects surrounding us.
It really made me think about how we relate to the things in our life, and the value they bring us. I definitely feel more appreciation for, and see more beauty in the objects in my home, and I know I will be coming back to this book to re-read parts of it.
It really made me think about how we relate to the things in our life, and the value they bring us. I definitely feel more appreciation for, and see more beauty in the objects in my home, and I know I will be coming back to this book to re-read parts of it.
January 12, 2023
"...a chair might have a backrest with a shape that invites me to lean on it when I'm standing behind it, so it's not the beauty of the shape as such that is appreciated but rather a form's presence that sparks off actions and contributes to the atmosphere around it".
July 16, 2019
Some interesting things but overall a bit pretentious without much depth.
December 21, 2019
Design Design Design. So dang important, especially in the everyday and this book underscores it. I like the idea that bad design is pollution.
June 12, 2020
I respect it (Super normal) but it ain't me
April 17, 2021
This was very interesting. Cool ideas.
July 5, 2021
A pretty normal book, but it shows you how to look at and appreciate designs. I would say this is a explanation of form follows function.
April 30, 2022
Es mas el catálogo de la exposición, pero con los dos breves textos y la entrevista que trae, lo explican todo muy bien. Muy interesante
February 9, 2023
i want to print out the catalogue at the back of this book and hang it on my wall
February 13, 2023
Te amo, me cambiaste la vida.
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February 28, 2023Super Normal: Sensations of the Ordinary by Naoto Fukasawa (2007)
June 11, 2016
Designers general do not think to design the “ordinary” If anything, they live in fear of people saying their designs are “nothing special.”… People do have an unconscious everyday sense of “normal”, but rather than try to blend in, the tendency for designers is to try to create “statement” or “stimulation.” So “normal” has come to mean “unstimulating” or “boring” design...
“Normal” refers to things as they’ve come to be; thus “Super Normal” is the designing of things just as “normal” as what we’ve come to know, albeit in no way anonymous. There’s a creative intent at work here, even if that intent maybe regarded not so much as designing, but simply not going against the inevitable flow of things as they come to be.
Naoto Fukasawa - What is the idea of Super Normal?
“When I start a project, I tend to check what is normal or archetypal in the category, because I believe that Super Normal is about extracting the essence of this normality. Once the archetypal character of the category is discovered, I refine it to suit today’s lifestyle… The essence of normal is found and refined, the result is naturally something Super Normal."
The idea of designs that result when we take ourselves a little less seriously and do what comes naturally overlaps with Super Normal. I think this comes from a desire to share the pleasurable sensation that comes with realizing the hint of “goodness” in an object that is sensed with the entire body, apartment from one’s consciousness.
Shutaku and wabi-sabi refer to things that aren’t cool design-wise but rather normal except that they have the potential for becoming great with use.
“Normal” refers to things as they’ve come to be; thus “Super Normal” is the designing of things just as “normal” as what we’ve come to know, albeit in no way anonymous. There’s a creative intent at work here, even if that intent maybe regarded not so much as designing, but simply not going against the inevitable flow of things as they come to be.
Naoto Fukasawa - What is the idea of Super Normal?
“When I start a project, I tend to check what is normal or archetypal in the category, because I believe that Super Normal is about extracting the essence of this normality. Once the archetypal character of the category is discovered, I refine it to suit today’s lifestyle… The essence of normal is found and refined, the result is naturally something Super Normal."
The idea of designs that result when we take ourselves a little less seriously and do what comes naturally overlaps with Super Normal. I think this comes from a desire to share the pleasurable sensation that comes with realizing the hint of “goodness” in an object that is sensed with the entire body, apartment from one’s consciousness.
Shutaku and wabi-sabi refer to things that aren’t cool design-wise but rather normal except that they have the potential for becoming great with use.
August 4, 2014
This is a really interesting read. The book helps you to appreciate the design of everyday objects that we've surrounded ourselves with. It's the evidence of great design at work, where we longer look at these objects as 'designed' objects, and there is no link to a designer. These are objects which have achieved the perfect balance of aesthetic and functional requirement.
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May 8, 2023An interesting thesis . Of course, only so much can be experienced in a book recollection of an art display. The passages by the editors-in-chief were confusing and convoluted, but the writings by the artists were poignant. This book made me miss city life.
December 1, 2007
Beautiful book. Lots of typos. So it's a design book. What can you expect? One of the co-authors works for Muji. Did see an awfully lot of Muji objects in the book.
February 1, 2015
"[Design's] historic and idealistic purpose...of conceiving things easier to make and better to live with, seems to have been side-tracked."
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews