Small Things Considered

Why There Is No Perfect Design

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Last edited by MARC Bot
April 24, 2010 | History

Small Things Considered

Why There Is No Perfect Design

  • 2.00 ·
  • 1 Rating
  • 5 Want to read
  • 0 Currently reading
  • 1 Have read

The ultimate context of design is, of course, the human user. Many designed things are "one size fits all," and so if they fit anyone perfectly, it is a statistical coincidence. This being so, all the rest of us must make do. Sometimes we can shop around and try a different brand or model of a designed object, hoping to find the one that seems to have been made for us. Most likely, we never find such a thing, and so we compromise in our choice, selecting a less attractive chair because it is more comfortable or picking an uncomfortable chair because it looks more striking in our living room. We learn to live in a world of imperfect things, just as we do in a world of imperfect fellow human beings. If we cannot find a pair of shoes that is a perfect fit for us, and if we cannot or do not wish to spend the money to have our shoes custom-made, then we choose a pair whose looks and fit are as close to what we want as we can find. We think, therefore we design. Indeed, there is barely anything that we do, much less use, that does not have a design component to it. - p. 15.

Publish Date
Publisher
Knopf
Language
English
Pages
304

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Previews available in: English

Edition Availability
Cover of: Small Things Considered
Small Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design
September 14, 2004, Vintage, Vintage Books
Paperback in English
Cover of: Small Things Considered
Small Things Considered: Why There Is No Perfect Design
September 16, 2003, Alfred A. Knopf
Hardcover in English

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Book Details


The Physical Object

Format
Hardcover
Number of pages
304
Dimensions
9.4 x 6.3 x 0.8 inches
Weight
1.4 pounds

ID Numbers

Open Library
OL8362921M
ISBN 10
1400040507
ISBN 13
9781400040506
Goodreads
1562035

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Download catalog record: RDF / JSON / OPDS | Wikipedia citation
September 7, 2024 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
July 4, 2021 Edited by ImportBot import existing book
December 5, 2020 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
July 15, 2019 Edited by MARC Bot import existing book
October 11, 2010 Edited by ImportBot Added new cover