Design Disasters: Great Designers, Fabulous Failure, and Lessons Learned [Paperback]

Steven Heller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 2008

Design Disasters captures the flip side of success, bringing insight, solace, and energy to the act of failure.

The thrill of victory…the agony of defeat.  We're not talking about just any failure. Design failure. So public. So humiliating. How do designers who are really, really good (we swear!) turn a disaster into a triumph? Read this book and find out, as dozens of top names reveal the heartbreaking—and sometimes hilarious—mistakes they have made and talk about how they were able to grow from the experiences. Self-delusion, overcommitment, procrastination…they’re all here. Poor communication, missed deadlines, enraged clients…yes, they’re here too. Read Design Disasters and weep? No! Read Design Disasters and be inspired to find the silver lining in even the cloudiest situation.

Featuring essays by: Henry Petroski • Alissa Walker • David Barringer • Allan Chocinov • Peter Blegvad • Ross MacDonald • Robert Grossman • Ina Saltz • Warren Lehrer • Rob Trostle • Ralph Caplan • Richard Saul Wurman • Marian Bantjes • Rick Meyerowitz • Amanda Bowers • David Jury • Veronique Vienne • Francis Levy • Colin Berry • Nick Curry • Debbie Millman, and more!

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Steven Heller is the co-chair of the MFA Designer as Author program and co-founder of the MFA in Design Criticism and MFA in Interaction Design programs at the School of Visual Arts, New York. For thirty- three years he was an art director at the New York Times, and currently writes the “Visuals” column for the New York Times Book Review. He is editor of the AIGA VOICE: Online Journal of Design and contributing editor to Print, EYE, Baseline, and ID magazines. He contributes to Design Observer and writes the DAILY HELLER blog for Print magazine. He is the author or editor of over 130 books on design and popular culture, including Design Literacy, Design Disasters, Born Modern: The Life and Design of Alvin Lustig, and Vintage Type and Graphics. He is the recipient of the 1999 AIGA Medal for Lifetime Achievement. Heller lives in New York.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Allworth Press; 1 edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581156529
• ISBN-13: 978-1581156522
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.5 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book was pleasant surprise, December 22, 2009

By 

James William Martin "Author" (Boston/ Providence) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Design Disasters: Great Designers, Fabulous Failure, and Lessons Learned (Paperback)

I have been doing research for a new book describing the failures of products and services. The title of this book caught my attention and I purchased it. It consists of a series of articles written by great designers. These articles describe what the designers have learned from failures in their lives. It's a great book which I read in a few days and I am glad I bought it. We all should read more of these sorts of books. I highly recommend it.