Every single thing that has been made by man or woman has been designed. We are quick to recognise the designer's imprint in the cut of a couture dress, in the outline of a landmark building or in the shape of the latest motor car. Less visible are those designers who shape and fill our daily lives with everything from the paperclip to the personal stereo, the flatpack shelving unit to the supermarket label. In fact, design is all around us, but we very rarely notice it. In this book, Terence Conran makes us open our eyes and address the ways in which we encounter and relate to design on a daily basis. A fascinating text full of information and anecdote, along with stimulating photography, makes this book an indispensable reference book for all those interested in the subject.
Sir Terence Conran was educated at Bryanston School, Dorset, and trained as a textile designer at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London. Hand in hand with his much-publicized career as an arbiter of good taste for a whole generation goes a career in cookery and restaurant management. Having learned the basic skills in the kitchens of a two-star Parisian establishment, he opened several small restaurants in London.These were later sold to finance his fast-expanding furniture business, from which grew the hugely successful Habitat stores. No-one has had a greater influence on contemporary living style than Conran. From the outset of his career, in the brilliant era of the '60s, he devoted his talents to interpreting the home-making aspirations of the bright, busy people of his generation - and to providing them with an excellence of craftsmanship and design at a price they could afford.