Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

A fascinating look at the subjects of art, design, and consumerism. Published by the Design Museum in London, this book, it is hoped, will be one of many to be produced by this new institution devoted exclusively to the design disciplines. This series of essays delves into the rich territory of the visual arts and their relationship to marketing strategy. Although the book has a decidedly European viewpoint (particularly in the role of museums as arbitrators of good taste), there are a few brief essays by Americans. Tom Wolfe uses Loewy's orange ball design for Union 76 gasoline stations to prove his claim that "commercial designers are now a good decade ahead of serious artists"; Milton Glaser's question, "Why don't we discard the word art' and replace it with work'?" sets the tone for much of the volume. Because design and art are now both marketed, the distinction between them has increasingly blurred. It is not so much that design is elevated to the level of art, but rather that art is now down at the same level as design. Although artists may dismiss such an argument, designers will probably embrace it. The assembled writings are provocative and the photographic illustrations profuse, but the design of the book is uncomfortably stuffy. This is unfortunate, as the editor and his essayists have much to contribute in the arena of contemporary design philosophy. For upper-division undergraduate and above. -J. Mendenhall, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo