Design History

Since its improvised creation at Microsoft in the mid-1990s, Comic Sans has become one of the most used and talked—about typefaces of the digital age. The subject of April Fools pranks and endless internet discourse, it has spawned a movement to ban it, inspired revivals and spinoffs, and continues to be widely promoted by educators. In this delightful history, bestselling author Simon Garfield tells the story of how Comic Sans emerged from speech bubbles on educational software to become one of the most recognized—and reviled—typefaces on earth.

A bold, expansive argument for a new way to understand immoral art in our time of cultural and political upheaval In this unconventional journey through the history of art, philosopher and artist Daisy Dixon explores works of art that society has condemned as depraved, obscene, or dangerous...

An urgent, globe-spanning exploration of languages at risk, from Kichwa to Ukrainian, that asks: What do we lose—culturally, politically, and personally—when a language is silenced? Languages can be killed in many ways: war, the climate crisis, nationalism, and even quiet choices made at the...

From “tomorrow’s greatest designer” (The Atlantic), a deeply researched “essential guide” (Chelsea Clinton) to how humankind designs its world and how those decisions shape us. For the majority of the world, purposefully designed spaces are often only available for those who can afford...

Joséphine Bonaparte, future Empress of France; Térézia Tallien, the most beautiful woman in Europe; and Juliette Récamier, muse of intellectuals, had nothing left to lose. After surviving incarceration and forced incestuous marriage during the worst violence of the French Revolution of 1789, they dared sartorial revolt.

Brimming with rich, electrifying tales of the precious dye and its ancient heritage, Indigo is also the story of a personal quest: Catherine McKinley is the descendant of a clan of Scots who wore indigo tartan; Jewish "rag traders"; a Massachusetts textile factory owner; and African slaves - her ancestors were traded along the same Saharan routes as indigo, where a length of blue cotton could purchase human life.

An industrial designer and former Global Creative Director at Nike delivers a sharp critique of the consequences of a world built by and for men, and offers an optimistic look at how we might build a better world for us all. Women and men inhabit the same world, yet it does not suit them both...

Despite the abundance of books on the Civil War, not one has focused exclusively on what was in fact the determining factor in the outcome of the conflict: differences in union and southern strategy. In The Grand Design, Stoker examines how Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis identified their political goals and worked with their generals to craft the military means to achieve them - or how they often failed to do so.

From the acclaimed New York Times science writer George Johnson, an irresistible book on the ten most fascinating experiments in the history of science—moments when a curious soul posed a particularly eloquent question to nature and received a crisp, unambiguous reply. Johnson takes us to...

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice Pick “Cosmetic, tool of rebellion, status signifier: Eyeliner has been all these and more. Moving through millenniums and across civilizations, Hankir gives the makeup its eye-opening due.” —The New York Times Book Review “An impressive...

Drawing on unprecedented access to a vast array of primary sources and interviews with nearly every influential design leader - including Douglas Engelbart, Steve Jobs, and Don Norman - Katz reveals design to be the missing link in Silicon Valley's ecosystem of innovation.

日本史上屈指のキャリアデザインの達人と言えば、足軽から天下人となった豊臣秀吉を思い浮かべる人も多いでしょう。織田家臣時代の彼は、早くから光秀同様に織田家成果主義の欠陥を見抜き、そして光秀以上の手腕でそれを乗り切っていました。ただ、そんな彼の作った人事制度には致命的な欠点がありました。　　　　　秀吉が信長の草履取りから地道に功を重ねて軍団長にまで出世する話は、興味深いが有名な話なので、ここでは繰り返さない。墨俣一夜城や越前からの撤退戦など、基本的に人がやりたがらないイヤな仕事を進んでこなす真面目な人だったことがうかがえる。これは恐らく、自らの身分が低いことから、与えられるチャンスは何でもモノにしようという姿勢だったのだろう。その点、最初から中途採用エリートとして軍事・外交のメインステージで活躍した明智光秀とはまったく異なるキャリアコースと言っていい。（本文より） 城繁幸『サラリーマン・キャリアナビ』★出世と喧嘩の正しい作法はこちらから→http://yakan-hiko.com/joe.html

WHAT IS IT THAT DRIVES THE SUCCESS OF AMERICA AND THE IDENTITY OF ITS PEOPLE? ACCLAIMED WRITER AND CONTRIBUTING EDITOR TO THIS AMERICAN LIFE JACK HITT THINKS IT’S BECAUSE WE’RE ALL A BUNCH OF AMATEURS. America’s self-invented tinkerers are back at it in their metaphorical...

Today, mobile connections are so readily accessible that it is perhaps easy to forget the time when only the elite had access to a phone provided by the sole operator: the Government of India. It all changed in the early 1990s as liberalisation stirred the Indian economy out of its decades of...

09.07 am. 12 de abril de 1961. Un cohete de alto secreto en la URSS. Un joven ruso se sienta en una minúscula cápsula encima del misil balístico intercontinental más potente de la Unión Soviética -diseñado originalmente para transportar una cabeza nuclear- y despega hacia el cielo. Se...

From the late editor, writer, and critic, one of the great chroniclers of the art, fashion, and celebrity scenes: an expansive collection of thirty-five essays that offer an intimate look into the worlds of some of the most important and well-known artists, designers, and actors of our time. For...

Embark on a captivating journey through the mystical world of magic sigils with "Magic Sigils for Beginners." This comprehensive guide unveils the ancient art of sigil creation, offering a rich tapestry of historical insights, practical applications, and modern adaptations.

Many people assert that all of reality, including life, has simply emerged as a result of natural law and circumstance. How credible is that assumption? This audiobook provides a clinician’s perspective on the evidence for design in living things. Hear about the critical processes that must be successfully navigated at the time of birth for every individual to have any prospect of survival. Beyond that, think about thinking itself. This book is a powerful challenge to the belief that the universe, life, and conscious experience can result only from unguided, natural processes.

Al di là di sedie, lampade o automobili, che hanno a lungo identificato il loro campo di intervento, oggi i designer progettano anche sistemi e servizi, dall'interfaccia del bancomat al car o bike sharing. Nuove tecnologie, nuovi modi di produzione, come la digital fabrication, consumatori sempre più evoluti, attenti ai valori della sostenibilità e della facilità d'uso dei prodotti, obbligano il design a confrontarsi con le possibilità inedite offerte dai fenomeni culturali e socio-economici dell'età contemporanea.

The latest and most bitterly contested battle in the culture war is the controversy over Darwin and intelligent design. But much of what you've heard about it is wrong. Jonathan Wells, a battle-hardened veteran with doctorates in biology and theology, sets the record straight.