Professional Designers

Here is a selection of videos that provide information on professional practice.

Details: Written by: Andrew Nicholls; Published: 23 March 2019; Last Updated: 09 May 2019

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Popular Books

Hot

Practical Furniture Design: From Drawing Board to Smart Construction

Woodwork

Offers woodworkers with the advice they need to design their own projects by presenting insights on the design process, ideas for creating working drawings and information on how to solve construction problems. This book features furniture types that include tables, casework, cabinets, chairs and a selection of special-purpose furniture.

50 Products: Innovations in Design and Material

Industrial / commercial art & design

When the creation of the tools we all use in our everyday lives is placed in the hands of today's imaginative, adept designers, the results will range from the adorable to the plain-Jane, the light-hearted to the sober. A range of their efforts over the past decade is presented in 50 Products: Innovations in Design and Materials, a summary of utilitarian objects which offer more than the expected feature of function.

The Atlas of Furniture Design

History of Art & Design

In 2019, the Vitra Design Museum will publish the Atlas of Furniture Design, the definitive, encyclopedic overview of the history of modern furniture design. Featuring over 1700 objects by more than 500 designers and 121 manufacturers, it includes approximately 2800 images ranging from detailed object photographs to historical images documenting interiors, patents, brochures, and related works of art and architecture.

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The Elements of Design: A Practical Encyclopedia of the Decorative Arts from the Renaissance to the Present

History of Art & Design

In the bestselling tradition of The Elements of Style, The Elements of Design is a comprehensive visual survey of the design styles that have had the greatest impact on the decorative arts in the Western world. With more than 3,000 prints, photographs, and line drawings, the book covers five centuries of the Western decorative arts tradition, including Renaissance, Baroque, Rococo, Regency, Gothic, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modernism, and the Space Age. The key elements of the Western decorative arts tradition are explored chronologically.

Cross Laminated Timber: A design stage primer

Materials

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) has long been heralded as a wonder material, with a light environmental footprint, high strength, quick installation times and reduced waste – so why isn’t everyone using it? Delving into the key considerations including fire safety, cost and value, visual aspects, planning, feasibility and engineering, this book is an essential companion to designing and delivering exemplar CLT buildings. Abundantly illustrated with over 130 colour images and in-depth case studies from around the world, it will help the entire project team - whether design team, constructor or clients - to better understand and build using a truly modern method of construction.

Outlines key challenges as well as benefits of CLT, including quality, cost and environmental benefits, risk reduction and health and safety benefits
Presents lessons learnt to aid the development process, from the earliest stages of design to production and assembly
Accessible, easy-to-read handbook format allows you to dip in and out, investigating issues as necessary
Multidisciplinary in approach with contributions from a range of practitioners

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Visual Literacy: A Conceptual Approach to Graphic Problem Solving

Technical Design

The process of visual communication runs throughout our daily lives, whether its as simple as a traffic light or as complex as sign language. Many people find learning the underlying principles of visual communication a very personal venture, though most graphic design and illustration teaching methods focus only on technical facility, ignoring the need for personal and innovative thought in visual communication.

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Fabric for Fashion: The Complete Guide: Natural and Man-made Fibres

Fashion and textile design

Fabric for Fashion: The Complete Guide is the only book specifically for fashion designers to explain the behaviour and properties of different fabrics. Fashion design is largely determined by how the fabrics work, move, feel and look. The most successful fashion designers are those who understand their materials, who match design skill with technical knowledge.

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Dynamic Light and Shade

Drawing

This book, illustrated with drawings in pencil, charcoal, pen and ink, and brush and ink, shows how to interpret subjects in terms of light and shade. Hogarth demonstrates how a dark silhouette on white paper can communicate form and space.

50 Lights: Pro-design

Industrial / commercial art & design

Mel Byars's 50 LIGHTS offers an intelligent, long-overdue survey of distinguished 20th-century lighting design. Detailed information is provided concerning the conception and eventual production of some of the most famous examples, including some highly unusual and rare fixtures. This volume is useful for designers, collectors, students, libraries, and museums. 250 color illustrations.

Gropius

History of Art & Design

Modernist visionary Walter Gropius was founding director of the Bauhaus and pioneer of the International Style. From the Bauhaus School in Dessau, Germany, to the Chicago Tribune Tower, his fundamental tenets of functional beauty and a complete aesthetic environment remain benchmarks for architects, designers, and urbanists alike.

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