Design as an Attitude is Alice Rawsthorn's subjective field guide to contemporary design — mapping everything from book-making and craft revival to social design and gender politics with the authority of one of the world's leading design critics.
About This Book
Contemporary design is vast, contested, and often deliberately opaque. Rawsthorn cuts through it. Written as a personal field guide rather than a neutral survey, Design as an Attitude traces the most dynamic developments in design today and examines their consequences for how we live now and in the future. The scope is genuinely broad — social design sits alongside craft revival; gender politics in design alongside the art of book-making — but Rawsthorn's critical voice gives the whole a coherent point of view. This is design writing that demystifies without dumbing down, aimed at anyone who wants to understand not just what designers are making, but why it matters.
Key Features
- 192 pages of critical survey essays covering contemporary design practice and culture
- Written by Alice Rawsthorn, London-based critic and journalist
- Published by JRP|Ringier, ISBN: 9783037645215
What You'll Discover
- How social design has expanded the discipline's scope beyond objects and into civic and humanitarian contexts
- The resurgence of craft and what its revival signals about attitudes to making and authenticity in contemporary design
- The gender politics shaping who designs, who is credited, and whose work enters the canon
- How design intersects with book-making and other cultural practices often overlooked in mainstream design discourse
About the Author
Alice Rawsthorn is a London-based critic and journalist recognised as one of the world's leading commentators on design and culture. Her writing demystifies the field for broad audiences while retaining critical rigour, and Design as an Attitude reflects her reputation for authoritative yet accessible analysis.
Specifications
- Format: Softcover
- Pages: 192
- Dimensions: 152 x 210 mm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9783037645215
- Publisher: JRP|Ringier
- Publication Date: [Details available upon request]
Perfect For: Designers, critics, and culturally engaged readers seeking a sharp, opinionated survey of where contemporary design stands and what it is doing in the world.