By Design: Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel Louis XIV and Other Object Lessons [Paperback]

Ralph Caplan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1984

An inspiring resource for design students, professionals, or anyone else who could benefit
from a fuller appreciation of the design process, By Design vividly shows how design affects
our most significant human activities. A network of engrossing stories illuminate the process
as it applies to architecture, industrial design, interior design, fashion design, graphic
design, and the design of business and social situations. It is the perfect accompaniment to
a broad area of foundation courses for designers-in-training. This new edition of the popular
classic features updated examples of timeless ideas, illustrated in full color. A concluding
chapter discusses what has, and has not, changed since the first edition, examining
design responses to radical technological development and shifting consumer demands.

--This text refers to the Turtleback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

By Design is easy to read, entertaining . . . and full of simple but profound insights about the design profession. -- Roberto Rengel, professor of professor of environment, textiles and design, University of Wisconsin-Madison



Ralph Caplan's By Design will probably change the way you look at your world, rendering it less common. -- Rob Forbes, Founder of Design Within Reach

Ralph Caplan's writing on the subject of design is always both entertaining and profound. -- Milton Glaser


This book is captivating! --Katherine Ankerson, associate professor of architecture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln --Katherine Ankerson, associate professor of architecture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln --This text refers to the Turtleback edition.

From the Inside Flap

An inspiring resource for design students, professionals, or anyone who could benefit from a fuller appreciation of the design process. By Design vividly shows how design affects our most significant human activities. A network of engrossing stories illuminate the process as it applies to industrial design, interior design, fashion design, graphic design, and social situations.

This new edition of a popular classic features updated examples of timeless ideas, illustrated in full color. A concluding chapter discusses what has, and has not, changed since the first edition, examining design responses to radical technological developments and shifting consumer demands. An elegant foreword by Paola Antonelli of the Museum of Modern Arts Department of Architecture and Design reintroduces the book to a fresh generation of readers. --This text refers to the Turtleback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill (January 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0070097771
• ISBN-13: 978-0070097773
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,079,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book For Anyone in the Product Business, July 13, 2005

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: By Design: Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel Louis XIV and Other Object Lessons (Turtleback)

This outstanding book is said to be aimed at design students, professionals, or anyone else who could benefit from af uller appreciation of the design process. And yes, I have to agree, it is.

More important to me however is the presentation in this book of the essence of what design is all about. This is the kind of book that the financial people behind a new big hotel should read. It is the book that a product development engineer should read before he starts working with his industrial designer. This is the book that nearly any business manager from marketing, to engineering, to sales, should read.

The first time I travelled to Scandinavia I was struck with the simple elements of design that they do so much better than we do in this country. Simple things like the design of hotel doors, no more expensive than what we do here, just better.

And the sub-title, 'why there are no locks on the bathrobe doors in the Hotel Louis XIV' -that's a great story, it makes such eminent sense. A special problem, a great design, see page 179.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction to the meaningful aspects of Design, November 26, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: By Design: Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel Louis XIV and Other Object Lessons (Paperback)

A must have for all Designers interested in understanding how products are ultimately judged within their context-by thier effectiveness and usefulness.The six levels of Design Caplan outlines is a great measuring stick for all disciplines of Design and Engineering.

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than one would expect, February 10, 2011

By 

Nicolai Michel (Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: By Design: Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel Louis XIV and Other Object Lessons (Paperback)

This review is of the first edition (1982.)

By Design is an analysis of the design profession: where it came from, what designers do and don't do, what they do well and what they do badly, what design is and is not. This book should be of interest to anyone from layman to professional designer. Caplan writes in a very fluid style with a wonderful sense of humor and wit. By Design is truly a joy to read! Caplan delves into product design; the design of chairs; how designers interact with each other, engineers, and clients; and the relationship between design and art. There is a lot more to it than would appear from my description, however; Caplan looks at the big picture, the connections, the emotions and interactions between people and products. The longest section is about whether designers could design situations and possibilities rather than merely products. The point Caplan tries to make is that even though design is often preoccupied with relatively inconsequential tasks, it has the potential to solve some of humanity's greater problems.

Highly recommended!