In the early 1970s, the editors of the Harvard Business Review, received a critical letter from Edward Tufte, scolding its design director – me – as basically incompetent in designing intelligent diagrams for the journal’s audience. He introduced himself as an expert and included his book as example of good design. It was the first […]
Design Theory + Criticism
Notes on Personal Bias
Simplicity vs. Complexity Singularity vs. Plurality When a teacher is given the opportunity to assess the work of students, who are spending time and energy defining their own philosophical positions, I consider it only fair that he is asked to provide a statement so that they can recognize in his presentations and critiques his framework […]
Myths + Realities
It is time for design historians worth their salt, to untangle the amazing myths that obscure a very simple reality, behind which many American designers have been hiding, to shield themselves from exposure to something that is not as glamorous as has been portrayed by their professional design media. For instance, historians have to set […]