Customer Reviews

Humble Masterpieces: Everyday Marvels of Design

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book could be a guessing game. Look at the close-up photo and see if you can guess what humble, everyday object it is (don't peek at the text). The color and textures and shape in the photos are gorgeous on their own.
The book features 100 ordinary objects for their special designs. The book originates from a 2004 exhibition of the same title at MOMA. It celebrates objects familiar (scissors, lipstick, zipper, ballpoint pen, coffee cozy) to all of us.

I spotted this book at my college Library and promptly went and grabbed it from the bookstore. The book talks about how simple things like the bobby pin, chopsticks were invented.

Goes to show that innovation exists all around us.

A definite must have for a marketeer, or a business person dealing with consumers.

compact and concise, this small gem of a book gives star power to the everyday object. great for those who appreciate the little things.

I have bought a total of 8 of these books, the last batch from Amazon. I still need to get another because I have ended up giving them all away. Thoughtful, creative people love it! Also, it is a great gift for those who seem to have everything.

I couldn't make it past page 71 of this 203 page book. I was attracted to the book based on the author's comments about the need to have designers get involved in policy making. Her claim that designers always keep the human component in mind was convincing. So I started this book thinking that I would get more details on this insight from Antonelli's description of these "humble masterpieces". The first score or so items are actually very attractively designed, although they have become commonplace and maybe have lost their luster or appeal as a result - the Swiss Army Knife, the ice cream cone, for example. And the stories of how some of these creations came about can be as attractive as their physical design. Unfortunately, the number of common items to which you can apply this criterion should be limited, and this becomes obvious as Antonelli tries to talk up other common items, like Q-tips, coffee cup lids and post-its. I'm sorry, but to some degree we need ugly and mundane things to appreciate the beautiful and the sublime - there is no Beauty without the Beast. By elevating such dull items like the bobby pin and the Chinese food take out container to design masterpiece status, Antonelli levels the playing field to the point of incoherence. Perhaps life is just more interesting to her because of her ability to do so, but for the rest of us, I think the vast majority of the items she portrays will continue to be humdrum and uninspiring.

This book is about simple elegance. The way in which design has created enduring solutions to problems & how items as simple as the sugar cube have true power in their design.

This book is a great light read, An excellent tool for inspiration and well worth the price

This book is a compact little gem, tucked into a cool plastic sleeve. The close-up photography is stunning. Each picture is juxtaposed with a well-researched and well-written page, adding to the aesthetic appreciation of the 'everday marvels of design'.

Fascinating information about the invention and history of everyday objects. The book itself is an example of design excellence. The layout is gorgeous. I have read many books on product design and still got valuable information from this gem.

This book didn't stay on our coffee table for long. Some of the photographs are amazing, but the layout and paper quality of the book do not contribute well at all. This was a gift for my husband when he was just beginning his journey in photography, but I was disappointed at the lack of masterpieces I found.