Design: Models of change
ISBN References
ISBN: [hardback, colour] 978-1-909671-00-3 … £55.00 RRP
ISBN: [paperback, B&W] 978-1-909671-01-0 … £15.99 RRP
ISBN: [ebook, mobi] 978-1-909671-21-8 … £9.99 RRP
The print versions are available from The Great British Book Shop, online book sellers (eg BOOKS etc) and all good book shops.
A print replica ebook version for Kindles is available from Amazon.
About This Book
How do designers do what they do? How do architects,engineers, industrial, fashion and graphic designers think? What is it that goes on in their minds that enables them to shape the things that people buy, use and inhabit? And how far do they share their mental abilities with people at large? Is it true that everyone is a designer in their own way?
In Models of Change, Ken draws on a lifetime’s research and experience to suggest answers to these questions. He uses the latest findings from neuroscience and evolutionary biology but also traces the story of designerly thinking back to the early days of homo sapiens sapiens and such momentous changes as the invention of cooking, the Enlightenment and the industrial revolution. Essentially the ability to design depends on the capacity of the human mind to make coherent causal models of our experience and the world. Using these cognitive models we remember the past, interact with the present and imagine the possibility of alternative futures. Design focuses on the future of material culture and so sets out to provide a favourable environment for the evolution of human society.
So far so positive. However, Ken also identifies a malignant role played by design in the environmental, social and economic crises now facing the world. How can the energy and creativity of designerly thinking be directed to these key issues? A central aim of the book is to launch a debate on this topic which is crucial to the survival of homo sapiens.
Download Sample PagesBlog and Reviews
Further information can be found in the Blog item concerning Design:Models of Change and reviews can also be found on LDP’s Blog by Eileen Adams, Peter Green, Frank Hills and John McCardle
Try This At Home
When researching the significance of cognitive modelling, Ken used to invite audiences to practice ‘seeing in the mind’s eye’. One activity involved imaginary teacups, another childhood memories and a third imaginary worlds. All these are discussed in Models of Change but Ken would like to invite you to try one at home and to send us the results via our Contact page. We will put some of the most interesting ones up on our Site and Ken will be using them for further research into this remarkable mental ability. Ken explains it this way: ‘Cast your mind back to childhood. Try to remember a place that you either liked very much or found frightening or unpleasant. Please write a short description of the place (or draw it) and choose some key words to characterize its emotional character’ ‘Notice the senses that are engaged by the memories. Are they mainly visual,or do you also remember smells and textures? How vivid are the memories?’ Later Ken will be inviting you to contribute to his research into imaginary worlds. Watch this space!
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