Design for a Contemporary World: A Textbook on Fundamental Principles
Christian Boucharenc
Design for a Contemporary World is a textbook that presents the theory and practice of design fundamentals. Design plays a significant role in environmental, ethnical, economic and cultural arenas, and contributes to people's wealth, cultural identity and quality of life.
Drawing on a rich published literature and extensive classroom and practical experience, Christian Boucharenc offers learning objectives that develop motivation, creative spirit, cognitive strategies - especially critical thinking and problem-solving - and perceptual motor skills among students. The teaching strategy encourages design students and aspiring designers to work with a variety of materials in an experimental, creative and open-ended manner.
The teaching approach promotes a clear understanding of the subject matter, and links the teaching of design fundamentals to professional practice. Abundant real-world design examples are used, some from students and others from the portfolios of three eminent designers: Toshiyuki Kita from Japan, Yrjo Wiherheimo from Finland, and Patrick Chia from Singapore. The book is relevant for teachers, students and aspiring designers of widely varying cultures, skill levels and orientations.
« Christian Boucharenc presents a ground-up methodology for teaching and learning design
fundamentals ... This new design pedagogy brings structured learning to students, awash in
imagery and possibilities of digital tools, by encouraging expression and exploration with a
carefully crafted and clearly communicated learning process. »
- Toshiyuki Kita
« The book is primarily a serious and practical textbook and its main contribution is therefore to
advance learning and teaching in design education by extracting and furthering the principles
derived from the modernist design studios of the 20th century … [it] provides an excellent formal
foundation for later extemporisation. »
- Prof. Martin Woolley, Central Saint Martins College, The
University of the Arts London
« This book ... should be found in every library of design
books. »
- Prof. Alain Findeli, School of Industrial Design, National University of Montreal
« [This book] is a coherent and well argued proposal for structured design fundamentals.
… The flow of exercises and the logic of it all seem impeccable. … Case studies are
especially helpful to students to locate their studies along with the challenges faced by
professional designers. »
- Prof. David Durling, School of Arts Education, Middlesex
University
Christian BOUCHARENC is Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore.
publication year: 2008
256 pages
ISBN: 978-9971-69-347-3 Paperback US$45.00 S$58.00
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