Aesthetics Aside? Observations on Design in the Everyday

by Justin Zhuang

From riding escalators in a city to chart its ascent to visiting a factory that manufactures plastic chairs used everywhere, this collection of 30 essays chronicle Justin Zhuang’s decade-long search for design in the everyday. Each offers a journey beyond the stylish “designer” world, on to the designed graphics, environments and objects that we encounter daily.

The essays cover four themes, including the nature of design, the histories of anonymous objects, as well as design and urban development in Singapore.

Genres: Design

Paperback

Published January 1, 2022

Reviews

[Dann · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely read! Snappy writing with a good balance of historical contextualisation and contemporary rumination. The selection of essays display a wide range of design situations, from everyday objects like the kopitiam chair and early PCs made-in-Singapore for graphic design, to marine habitat engineering and vernacular design strategies for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Some essays are stronger than others, especially when they are delivered with a clear thesis and backed by relevant historical research; I especially adore two essays: one on the closure of the Tanjong Pagar railway station that calls out nostalgia-hunters and spotlights sentiments of residents in the area, and the other one on the tension between hawking culture and the government's over-engineering of its public spaces.

Zhuang's writing thorougly inspires me to make more astute observations around me, every day, and perhaps even write and research more about them.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

prompts good topics and questions for thought, but is a bit too surface level for me. would probably be a better read for someone who has not engaged with design readings as much. did enjoy learning some singapore-specific design history and challenges, especially noting the small tension between singapore as the people live it and the singapore that the government and urban planners/architects try to shape it to be. I think the first half of the book including the photo series in the middle would be a 4/5 and the second half I'd rate it as 3/5.

[carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

a sufficiently deep contemplation of the design considerations in our everyday lives, from mrt station signs to the ugly-looking plastic chairs we see in coffee shops and funerals. i don’t normally think about design so this was a welcome way to look at how everyday objects are made the way they are.