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How the Small Becomes Large, the Large Becomes Unthinkable, and the Unthinkable Becomes Possible
From research to practical application, Not To Scale explores an influential theory in an accessible way.
For almost a decade, Jamer Hunt has been exploring and researching what scale means to our everyday lives. As the founding director of Transdisciplinary Design at Parsons School of Design, he brings a unique perspective to this topic that is the basis for all major business models, and for the world itself.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines scale as a range of numbers used in a system to measure or compare things. Jamer expands on that and argues that scale is present in all of our everyday-decisions, like how often to choose paper over plastic at the grocery store.
Jamer constantly searches for connections across fields that others don't see and studies the patterns that emerge, leading to more opportunity. The first half of NOT TO SCALE will explore scale and the opportunity it brings, and demonstrate how we push scale to its limits, making material items bigger, faster, stronger. The second half of the book offers lessons and advice for navigating the effects of scale. This will be the first book that demonstrates how scale is remaking our experiences while also providing new strategies for succeeding in its wake.
For almost a decade, Jamer Hunt has been exploring and researching what scale means to our everyday lives. As the founding director of Transdisciplinary Design at Parsons School of Design, he brings a unique perspective to this topic that is the basis for all major business models, and for the world itself.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines scale as a range of numbers used in a system to measure or compare things. Jamer expands on that and argues that scale is present in all of our everyday-decisions, like how often to choose paper over plastic at the grocery store.
Jamer constantly searches for connections across fields that others don't see and studies the patterns that emerge, leading to more opportunity. The first half of NOT TO SCALE will explore scale and the opportunity it brings, and demonstrate how we push scale to its limits, making material items bigger, faster, stronger. The second half of the book offers lessons and advice for navigating the effects of scale. This will be the first book that demonstrates how scale is remaking our experiences while also providing new strategies for succeeding in its wake.
- GenresNonfictionDesign
272 pages, Paperback
Published March 3, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 24, 2021
The first quarter of the book or so is rather weird, with a fancy exposee into the history of scale and measurement (and I still think it’s uncalled for). But then the reading gets more interesting, as the author presents his method of scalar framing. The examples he uses (of both the movie in the 60s and of cycling) are telling and a very clear application of a method that we can all apply to train our creativity and lateral thinking. The method of scaffolding also seems interesting, but I’d have appreciated more examples of how to apply it practically (some design principles), not just the one on Linux.
December 31, 2024
Difficult read, it is quite unclear what problems the author tries to bring to light, or to solve. The structure is overly complex to the point that it has no beginning or end. Dissapointing.
January 12, 2021
If you are a fan of Donella Meadows, the choreographer of the systems thinking, you simply have to read this book. You will understand how to fine tune the concepts, how to scale or unscale them, why some solutions work and other will never lead to any change.
July 27, 2021
Interesting, rather cerebral, some entertaining examples.
February 23, 2022
Would highly recommend to everyone but a must read for most designers. This book highlights design and system thinking with examples, our relationship to other organisms, materiality and problems.
July 13, 2024
eh
This book starts strong and then becomes convoluted, messy in its approach and does not provide any real conclusions that are actionable in any way.
This book starts strong and then becomes convoluted, messy in its approach and does not provide any real conclusions that are actionable in any way.
November 12, 2025
Themes: Design, systems-thinking, scalability, community
I read the book because my school program's founder wrote it. He's such an intelligent, caring educator (and person), so I'm curious about what he wrote. I wished I knew about this book when I was still working in tech, maybe I would have had approached my work differently (or maybe not). But I really think people who work in tech need to read this book. It's also a must-read for designers. Because we often talk about the scalability of an idea or a solution, but we didn't realize that once something lives in a different scale of environment, it's no longer what it was before, it becomes something else entirely.
What I like about the book is that it gives examples from different fields, from city planning and community intervention programs to art installations, to show how an initiative could evolve into something else once brought into a different scale. I learned a lot about the emergent properties of design and design as facilitation rather than offering solutions to problems. The book's first part might feel a bit "out there" because it brought us to this exposition on the history of measurement and some analogy using butterfly metamorphosis (but I like this part).
I read the book because my school program's founder wrote it. He's such an intelligent, caring educator (and person), so I'm curious about what he wrote. I wished I knew about this book when I was still working in tech, maybe I would have had approached my work differently (or maybe not). But I really think people who work in tech need to read this book. It's also a must-read for designers. Because we often talk about the scalability of an idea or a solution, but we didn't realize that once something lives in a different scale of environment, it's no longer what it was before, it becomes something else entirely.
What I like about the book is that it gives examples from different fields, from city planning and community intervention programs to art installations, to show how an initiative could evolve into something else once brought into a different scale. I learned a lot about the emergent properties of design and design as facilitation rather than offering solutions to problems. The book's first part might feel a bit "out there" because it brought us to this exposition on the history of measurement and some analogy using butterfly metamorphosis (but I like this part).
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews