The Responsible Object: A History of Design Ideology for the Future

by Marjanne Van Helvert (Editor)

A selected history of socially committed design strategies within the Western tradition, from the past 150 years Within the design discipline, calls for sustainability and social responsibility have become some of the most common rallying cries of the past decade, generating countless new products, materials and technologies―all designed to change the course of our future. Adjectives like “sustainable,” “green” and “eco” describe this new wave of socially committed design. But though today’s conditions are urgent and particular, the ideologies behind these new products are often not totally new, but rather a part of design history. Contemporary sustainable design is just the newest chapter of a story that stretches back throughout the previous centuries. The Responsible Object presents a selected history of socially committed design strategies within the Western design tradition of roughly the last 150 years, from William Morris to Victor Papanek, and from VKhUTEMAS to FabLab. It includes about 20 interstitial mini-posters with slogans from the text, printed on different colored papers.

Genres: Design, Nonfiction, Art Design, Art, Sustainability

288 pages, Paperback

Published February 28, 2017

Reviews

[Mantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will be a book i revisit often i think. Beautifully designed book. Ruben Pater really knows how to do a book layout, despite how tired (?) i think his writing is. This is one of the most considerate and engaging book designs I was lucky to get my hands on.

I picked up this book when i was first in a moment of distress. I still partly live in shame as i work towards my bachelors in design. I think this book soothed me. Like a binky to a baby.

The first half of this book was harder for me to get through than the second half. I took like a year long break. I dont think its because its in chronological order, but the histories talked about didn’t really seem to point to how it was relevant to today—until the last few paragraphs of the book. All of the standout articles for me (most heavily highlighted. When i picked up this book again after the year break, i made a decision to ditch the highligher and just read. The highlighter came back to me after the first essay i read) happened in the second half. What a perfect essay to end the book. I have the exact same conversation in my head between my activist and skeptic. It was, again, soothing to see the activist win, if only for a brief moment.

I thought this was a book i would be rehoming after finishing, but i will be keeping this in my collection!!!!! Yipee

[Triin Talk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, even for smb who is not particularly into design theory. Especially the chapter about William Morris and the arts and crafts movement, gave some interesting insights...
The 19th century movement was against cheap temporary products and waste. The competition in trade creates waste implicitly, he wrote. And the first anti-demolishing movement, "the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings" was started at the same time, by the same person. In the book "News from Nowhere" he envisioned a future, where the difference between rubbish and treasure is unclear. Has this future arrived? Sometimes it seems like it has. Need to read it. Amazon, here I come.

[Simo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect intro and eye opener about design's impacts, social design, responsibility and accountability... for somebody who has just started to read about it.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very Dutch. Loved it.