Designing for People

by Henry Dreyfuss

From the first answering machine ("the electronic brain") and the Hoover vacuum cleaner to the SS Independence and the Bell telephone, the creations of Henry S. Dreyfuss have shaped the cultural landscape of the 20th century. Written in a robust, fresh style, this book offers an inviting mix of professional advice, case studies, and design history along with historical black-and-white photos and the author's whimsical drawings. In addition, the author's uncompromising commitment to public service, ethics, and design responsibility makes this masterful guide a timely read for today's designers.

Genres: Design, Business, Nonfiction, Psychology, Art Design, History, Engineering

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 31, 1967

About the author

Henry Dreyfuss (March 2, 1904 – October 5, 1972) was an American industrial designer.

Dreyfuss was a native in Brooklyn, New York. As one of the celebrity industrial designers of the 1930s and 1940s, Dreyfuss dramatically improved the look, feel, and usability of dozens of consumer products. As opposed to Raymond Loewy and other contemporaries, Dreyfuss was not a stylist: he applied common sense and a scientific approach to design problems. His work both popularized the field for public consumption, and made significant contributions to the underlying fields of ergonomics, anthropometrics, and human factors.

Until 1920 Dreyfuss studied as an apprentice to theatrical designer Norman Bel Geddes, his later competitor, and opened his own office in 1929 for theatrical and industrial design activities. It was an immediate and long-lasting commercial success. As of 2005 his firm continues to operate as Henry Dreyfuss Associates with major corporate clients.

Reviews

[Daniel Kuo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than designing for mollusks.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know nothing about formally trained industrial design, yet I know many products could use the advice outlined in Dreyfuss' approach to his craft.

While socially dated, this was a fascinating look into the mind of a brilliant industrial designer. I read the 1967 edition which contains an additional chapter updating Dreyfuss' predictions from the 1955 original. While we may not have ended up with rocket powered mail delivery systems, he made a bunch of fairly accurate predictions about travel, computers, video conferencing, and improvements in the home.

This ebook edition was about the worst thing I've ever tried to read in terms of errors and typos. I'm certain this was converted via some OCR software that no one bothered to spend the time to correct, it's a bit of a shame since the insightful material is worth more than this lackluster presentation.

[Sophia Exintaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent stories, pleasantly written.

Loved several parts where he talks about retainer fees that cover inspiration relevant to the client (which could come anywhere, anytime), and how when buying design you buy a SERVICE, not a bunch of drawings or prototypes.

Reeks of male priviledge and sexism though. Much like the world in 1955 I presume. But after 284 pages of being told that my place was in a man's home washing his shirts, cooking his food and cleaning... it lost a star. Sorry Henry. For all your visionary views you missed out on the most important aspect of life, WOMEN ARE PEOPLE TOO.

[Bob Ferrante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seminal. Examples are dated but practice is eternal

A collection of anecdotes; a sampler of work; a carefully turned thought here and there. This is a thoughtful, enjoyable, sometimes funny collection from one of the founders of industrial design.

True, the book was last touched in 1967, and the photos and examples are dated, as is the mid-century prognostication of the future (our current present.). See past these to the heart of the matter - design is about the measurements, proportions, and limitations of humans.

[Justina · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a UX Designer, I found Dreyfuss's career path and design philosophy to be inspiring and extremely relevant to my own practice. It's fascinating to see the birth of the industrial designer career in that time, and his knowledge and discipline is something to aspire to, even today.

His visions of the future are somewhat accurate and amusing. I definitely would recommend this book to anyone who has a career in design (industrial, product, digital, UX, etc.)

[John Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Henry Dreyfuss was responsible for a greater variety of attractive, useful industrial designs than any other 20th century designer. The Big Ben alarm clock, the round Honeywell thermostat, seven iconic models of John Deere tractors, a whole series of ubiquitous home telephones, the late '40s iteration of the Royal portable typewriter, ocean liners, locomotives, airliners, the Polaroid SX-70 camera...the list goes on and on. The amazing thing is that all these designs are good. You never look at one and think how it could be better. So I'd hoped for a book that was as exciting as its author's designs. Unfortunately, like a lot of really creative people, Dreyfuss isn't particularly great at communicating his genius. He thought of himself as a craftsman, and so his book is a book about craft. He seems to view all of his designs as the result of research and common sense. But if it were that easy, bad design would be a rare thing.

Only persons with a serious interest in the history of commercial design will be well served by this book's discussion of design. For the rest of us, including those such as me who have a serious but more casual interest in the field, the book is interesting more as a guide to how to think about design and as a time capsule to the 1950s. When it came to predictions, Dreyfuss was visionary in many ways, and blinkered in others. Like everybody back then, he thought that Americans of the future would be awash in leisure time, and that energy would be limitless and cheap. It's fun to look at his predictions and see which panned out and which did not. But the world has changed too much for Dreyfuss' pioneering thoughts about design — he was one of the first people to call himself an "industrial designer," a new term — to be really applicable to the modern day. I could recommend Donald Norman for a 1980s and '90s perspective, and the Macintosh Human Interface Guidelines of 1992 as more accessible guides to modern design, and I'm sure there have been still better examples during the generation since. The bottom line? Fun to look into, but a curiosity piece.

[BookBurner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This journey through the life of Henry Dreyfuss and being able to absorb his philosophy is an honor. I was treated to a wealth of industrial history that provided a grounded foundation and insight to the world of yesteryear. His predictions came off so insane that they defied reality but he truly paints a clear image of how far we have fallen in our potential. So much can be taken away from him. From his humble beginnings to the fact he opened his office in 1929 to his extensive self driven attitude and unfolding reality of self created opportunity. He must have been a real charmer. Every meeting resulted in opportunity but I can't help but picture him quietly trying to enjoy gourmet cheeses. I was treated to a wealth of names that opened up even more portals into the design of the past. Walter Dorwin Teague, Raymond Loewy, Van Doren, and then the more obscure David Chapman, Hunt Lewis, and Jean Reinecke, I was treated to another adventure of discovery of more and more obscure and rare books. I am so glad I asked GPT who made this clock. It sent me on a rabbit hole bringing me back to a father that I had always known of but never knew the name of. Now I know. Henry Dreyfuss. A true legend of design and inspirational as a person.

How is this book not a 5 star? He drew all over it! So many photos.

[Suzanne Loving]

Just getting started, and finding it an interesting study of social mores from the time. Getting past the male-dominated male-thinkers requires some attention. The moment he moves away from gendered thinking, though, and looks at the human body and its interactions with its environment, it's gold.

More as I read more, ha.

[Ed Orozco · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most beautiful and inspiring books I've even had the good fortune of reading. Dreyfuss dedication and professionalism for design, and his fascinating power of observation, are qualities everyone working in creative industries should try to emulate.

[Synaps · Rating 5 out of 5]

This classic of the 50s deserved re-edition because it arguably pioneered all subsequent research around what we now know as people-oriented, customer-centric, or user-friendly design. Dreyfuss built tools and places attuned to living cultures and bodies, not fads and fantasies.

[Maria Cerase · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book for foundational design, yet I can't help to think of all the gender bias in thr writing and the product design.

[Luke Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Designing for People is showing its age. Essential reading if you're a designer, but read some other books first.

[Jaidev Shah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for everyone - who is interested in what clear honest person thinks and works like.

[Nathanael Coyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book. The author had an amazing history of experience in industrial design and human factors - he and his company were so precise and deliberate in ensuring their designs were thoroughly tested, informed and functional as well as aesthetic. Written in 1955, it's not very PC with many references to "the housewife" and such but humorous, conversational and teaches the fundamentals of good design like no other book I've read that's been written since. Whilst it's about industrial design and the author's projects of designing the interiors of ships, trains and planes the principles are relevant to all modern fields of design.

[Claudia Yahany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Este libro tiene 60 años y se le notan. En el contexto que está escrito, los automóviles seguían siendo "novedad", la lucha espacial era un sueño y los principales productos de diseño eran los electrodomésticos. Aun así, debí haberlo leído hace 10 años.
Imposible no compararlo con el trabajo de Clara Porset y otros diseñadores y arquitectos mexicanos (al menos como referencia).

[Sbisker · Rating 5 out of 5]

if "Designing Interactions" were written 50 years ago, it would be this book. Actually, apparently it was written 50 years ago, or this book wouldn't exist. Great read (and available from CMU library.)

[Brad Needham · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the seminal book of Industrial Design, described by the founder of the discipline. While some chapters are of necessity dated (being originally written in 1953) his descriptions of the practice and value of Industrial Design are as true today as 1/2 century ago.

[Morten · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you ever wondered about those cool-looking products from before you were born, this is a nice quick read, finally available on Kindle. On the light end considering its status as a classic.

[Sandheep Vurukkara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Henry, considered to be one if the founding fathers of ID, he gives a layman intro about human centered aspects of design

[Dylan Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic.

[Vikas Yadav · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good design is timeless but ever evolving.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally very interesting and informative.