Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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!