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Consider this new read from Phaidon to add to your summer reading list

Designed for Life: The World’s Best Product Designers, published by Phaidon, offers an illuminating look at the most influential figures in product design today. Organized alphabetically, this extensive volume highlights 100 of the most innovative and creative designers currently shaping our world. With an insightful introduction by Kelsey Keith, brand creative director of Herman Miller, the book spans over 300 pages, features more than 500 images, and includes designers from 30 different countries (including Canada), showcasing the global impact of contemporary design.

Designed for Life Book Review, Designlines Magazine
Designed for Life Book Review, Designlines Magazine

Designed for Life. The World’s Best Product Designers. Introduction byKelsey Keith. Phaidon.

Visually stunning, the book is a feast for the eyes with meticulously curated photographs and illustrations that capture the essence of each designer’s work. The clean and engaging layout makes it a pleasure to navigate through the diverse array of profiles, each a testament to the beauty and functionality that great design can achieve.

One of the book’s standout qualities is its breadth and inclusivity. It covers a wide range of design disciplines, from industrial precision to unique textures and one-off pieces. The featured designers push boundaries and create new ways to engage with design objects. From jellyfish vases and pebble-like sofas to benches made from silkworm cocoons and tables carved from rocks, the book showcases the astonishing diversity and creativity in contemporary design.

The selection of designers is thoughtfully curated by an esteemed panel of industry experts, ensuring a compelling array of talent. Icons like Jasper Morrison, India Mahdavi, and Jonathan Olivares are featured alongside rising stars such as Nifemi Marcus-Bello, Minjae Kim, Mimi Shodeinde, and Mac Collins. This dynamic mix provides an unparalleled glimpse into new approaches, materials, and technologies in the design world.

Designed for Life
Designed for Life

Designed for Life: The World’s Best Product Designers. Published by Phaidon. 2024.

Designed for Life honours the legacy and evolution of design, showing how product design can rejuvenate and enrich our environments. Perfect for industry professionals, aspiring designers, and design enthusiasts alike, this breathtaking book celebrates contemporary designs that will enchant, astound, and inspire for years to come.

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Okay, but it clearly is

For the first 16 years of my life, the bat cave at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM)—a reconstruction of an actual cave in Jamaica—was among my favourite places in the city. The cave was decorated with cast stalactites and wax bat models, which hung from the ceiling and threw jagged shadows on the walls. A few other features imbued it with spooky verisimilitude: the drip-drip-drip sound effects, the mirrors arranged to create the illusion of infinite depth, the strobe lights strategically placed to make the shadows flutter. When I visited as a five-year-old, the bat cave scared me. When I visited as a stoned fifteen-year-old, it scared me even more. Then came the renovation.

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