-A must-read for creators-
point
Study products from three generations ago.
Study art history, technology history, and intellectual history.
Practice designing for 10 minutes every day.
Enzo Mari
1932-2020
Italian artist and furniture designer
This book is by the renowned Italian product designer, Mr. Mari. He directly challenges the modern mass production and mass consumption culture of goods. He argues that good craftsmanship is similar to that of a farmer who cultivates their own fields, sows seeds, and harvests the harvest, and that it has the potential to shape the essence of form. While the value of the object will naturally increase, it will also be durable, repairable, and even reusable. And the disposable culture will disappear.
The book discusses manufacturing from the perspectives of buyers, manufacturers, and entrepreneurs. It deeply analyzes the situation where these conflicting desires clash and even contradict each other, and offers Mr. Marley's own answers. There are many passages that are particularly supportive of and encouraging to manufacturers. He states that manufacturers need decisiveness in the manufacturing process, the ability to overcome anxiety, and the physical strength to conduct continuous research.
I've reread this book many times since purchasing it in 2011. As a designer, I strongly believe that studying art history, the history of technology, and the history of thought is unavoidable when seriously engaging in creative work. I created this account as a platform to share what I've learned. I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in creative work. It's easy to see why it fetches such high prices in the used book market.
"Four or five years of curriculum is insufficient to face everything with any sense of dignity. Within a limited time, it becomes crucial to identify what experiences you should be passionate about and recognize their interconnectedness. You must abandon everything else. The fragments of knowledge and experience gained in this way will become ingrained in you over those years."
Author: Enzo Mari
Translation: Kaoru Tashiro
Published by: Misuzu Shobo
Paperback: 231 pages
First reading completed on 2010/7/26
Finished reading it for the second time on March 15, 2017.
Finished reading for the third time on 2021/02/16
Thank you for reading. Goodbye for now. Take care :)
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