Thinking Objects: Contemporary Approaches to Product Design

is a book by our friend Tim Parsons.

So this is not just a promo for Tim, who is a great guy, very clever and a great designer, but as I am reading this at the moment, I thought I'd put up a few thoughts.

Firstly I think it's a great book. As a reader for students and designers it gives a great overview of product design as a discipline, touching on many different aspects of design, including designers motivation, ethics, and how to operate in the real world - something that many design books avoid.

The book is well laid out graphically, with references easy to find, and aspects of subjects expanded on in specific areas.

Although sometimes chapters lack an in-depth investigation into the nuances of the subject areas (some of the design 'research area' may benefit form a little more thoroughness), as the aim of the book is to be a platform to other reading materials and specialist knowledge, I can't be too hard on that.

I have found Tim's perspective on design very enjoyable, and he poses some valid contemporary questions of the Industry with astute observations. I am sure some of my international colleagues would claim that the approach is very 'euro-centric', and many of the examples within the book are from a school of thought (poetic, witty - cottage industry objects') that are a prevalent in European, especially UK design and it could have been interesting examining the 'superstar' Industrial Design (Grcic, Morrison) with many of the more gritty, mundane realities of life within a consultancy, or on working for low-to mid end clientele (rather than Morroso, Magis, Apple et al), a position that many designers end up in.

This said, it is one of the best introductions to design, and the many design related issues which are inherent in our profession, that I have read for a long time. The book will open doors to a richer design practice and thought process, and would be a great edition to any Michael Marriott bookshelf.