CATEGORY

100 of the World's Most Exceptional Young Product DesignersSelected by 10 Design Critics,Including Tom Dixon"Designers have a responsibility to show the future as they want it tobe--or at least as it can be--not just the way an industry wants it tobe..."-Yves B+har, designer Five years after the success of the groundbreaking SPOON (2002), whichfeatured a steel-covered spoon shaped book cover, Phaidon announces thepublication of a follow up collection.AND FORK is a comprehensive globaloverview of new industrial design today.This generously illustratedvolume presents 100 of the most exceptional product designers that haverecently emerged on the international scene, selected by 10 of the world'stop design critics including Chieko Yoshiie of Casa Brutus in Japan,Francesca Picchi of Domus, Tom Dixon from Habitat UK and Sang-kyu Kim, aKorea-based design curator. AND FORK features 1,000 color illustrations of hundreds of innovativeproducts created by the most forward-thinking young designers workingtoday.A wide range of objects (including chairs, lighting, footwear,kitchen accessories and electronics) provide an up-to-date snapshot of thenewest developments in the design world.The book will be an indispensablereference for students, designers, architects and the general publicinterested in learning about contemporary design in everyday life.With the expertise of a highly knowledgeable group of design stars, ANDFORK is set on the same table as Spoon.The 100 designers selected comefrom an impressive 24 countries including Brazil, Japan, Finland, UK,Denmark, Israel, Australia, South Korea and USA. Recent trends in designare revealed, such as a new generation of designers more concerned withsocial responsibility and the ethics of design, new product design thatcaters to our increasing dependence on portable and personal technology,and a rise in collaboration between young designers.Some highlights from AND FORK include: *D-Bros: The Japan-based design group is best known for their charmingHope Forever Blossoming Vase. It's a simple flat plastic bag, but when youpour water into it, it expands to take on both the look and behavior of aglass flower vase.*Piet Hein Eek: Much of the Dutch designer's furniture is made fromreclaimed scrap wood. He is an example of many of the young designersfeatured in AND FORK that are using environmentally-friendly or recycledmaterials and innovative manufacturing techniques. Eek says, "I like usingmaterials that are worthless and acting as though they are precious."*Jennifer Carpenter: The New York-based designer has made her mostdistinctive mark on children's products, designing an infant bed thateasily converts into toddler furniture. She has said, "Let's face it, babyproducts are not the sexiest arena, some designers would rather be workingon the next iPod...but the breast pump is what really needs the help."*Simon Heijdens: Heijdens is fascinated with the way things evolveover time which inspired the Broken White project (2004). He designed a setof ceramic bowls and plates that are immaculate and white when new, but asthey are used, delicate cracks appear in the glazing and with time slowlyspread to form a decoration. In result, the most used, favorite items standout portraying the intimate relationship between user and object. Arranged in alphabetical order, AND FORK displays each designer on fourpages that include photographs, technical drawings and text written by thecurators on why the designer's work has been chosen and details on futuredesign plans.Each curator has also chosen one piece of design, such asthe Radio Ts2 or the Schwinn Stingray bicycle, for the 'Good Design'chapter of the book. These are classics that have made a significant impacton the design world, and still influence young designers today. The pages of AND FORK illustrate superlative cutting-edge work fromdesigners whose products often display subversive manufacturing techniques,exciting displays of materials or refreshing twists on the everyday object.It is essential reading for anyone interested in the future of design. Emilia Terragni, Editorial Director at Phaidon Press, says in the book'sintroduction, "Good design has never before been so readily available,whether in products that make our lives simpler, or simply in those thatmake us smile. AND FORK is an invaluable reference book on an industry thatcontinues to shape the way we live."