MiniBookExpo: A Life’s Design

I came across this pic  (by galessa) while doing some photo research for a school project. Now, I know nothing about cameras but this must be a gorgeous specimen. All those lovely shiny buttons and dials and switches screaming to be prodded and turned. Yum. There are hundreds more spiffy photos of vintage, contemporary and even antique plastic products from around the world. Some are stunning, some are intriguing. There is plenty of kistch, surrealism, and iconic industrial design.

A few months ago, I read A Life’s Design by Charles Harrison. He is a hugely successful designer whose work includes the Viewmaster and other products that have probably found their way into your (or your parent’s) home at some point in time. A nice looking 10″ x 10″ hardcover with colourful photographs, it’s makes a helluva nice coffee table book, but it offers much more than a pretty set of pictures. Harrison has an amazing story to tell, from his roots in Louisiana & Texas, to  experience in college as one of only 20 black students, to his struggles to make it as a designer during the racism of the 60s and 70s.

A Life’s Design also offers a glimpse into the processes and inspiration behind the manufacturing of everyday products. For example, the humble plastic garbage can, as designed by Charles Harrison himself. The book describes his reasoning behind every aspect of the product (the colour, texture, material, and shape) with respect to ease of manufacturing and transport, marketing strategy and, of course, the needs of the consumer.

These are things we usually never think about as the buyer, but a lot of thought and hard work goes into each item we purchase. It’s staggering to see all the items that Harrison has had a hand in creating: TV stands, chairs, hair dryers, sewing machines, closets, radios, sundry plastic goods, toys, and even sculptures.

It’s a great book for those in the design industry, and for anyone who grew up during the ’60s and ’70s. I’m a bit too young to remember many of Harrison’s products, but I still got a kick from seeing the vintage ads and prototype sketches of items that set the standard for today’s household goods. Okay, maybe I have strange tastes. But A Life’s Design is also an inspirational account of overcoming the limits of design and the racial boundaries of our past; it’s a great look at recent history and of how far we’ve come.