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In his classic work, first published in 1964, David Pye considers the varied elements that go towards good design, and investigates the scientific nature of function and its tenuous relationship to form. He explores the priority of economy, physical components, and manufacturing technique, and he clarifies the relative utilitarian and aesthetic roles of design. In his introduction to this second edition, craft scholar Ezra Shales revisits Pye's brilliant refutation of "form follows function" and functionalism - battles that he dropped in 1978 because they seemed settled. Today's enduring interest in Modernism makes Pye's 1964 text seem more prescient and even postmodern, because in it he questions industrialization and positivism.The second edition is illustrated with new images, including several of Pye's own work as a maker, and of artists and makers who have been influenced by Pye's practice.
About the author
David Pye OBE (1914-1993), was Professor of Furniture Design at The Royal College of Art, 1964 - 1974. Pye was an accomplished wood-turner and carver, as well as an important writer on the theory of design and handcraft.
The Nature and Aesthetics of Design, first published in 1964, and
The Nature and Art of Workmanship, first published in 1968, were both hugely influential for the development of craft studies and design history.
Ezra Shales is Associate Professor at Massachusetts College of Art and Design, and the author of
Made in Newark: Cultivating Industrial Arts and Civic Identity in the Progressive Era (2010).
