The Unimportance of Form and Other Arguments collects 31 early texts by Jasper Morrison — written between 1984 and 2002 — tracing the formation of the ideas that would come to define one of industrial design's most quietly radical practices.
About This Book
Before Jasper Morrison's objects became shorthand for a particular kind of authoritative restraint, he was writing: manifestos, essays, thesis drafts, musings, and notes for an unfinished novel. This compendium, edited by industrial designer Sina Sohrab and published together here for the first time, maps the intellectual groundwork behind a career built on usefulness, ordinariness, and a sustained scepticism toward design's more performative impulses. Taking its title from Morrison's 1991 essay, the book cuts to the core of his argument: that form, as a goal in itself, is a distraction. Essential reading for anyone serious about the philosophy of industrial design and the ethics of making.
Key Features
- 184 pages of essays, autobiographical manifestos, critical writings, and personal notes spanning 1984 to 2002
- Edited by industrial designer Sina Sohrab
- Includes Morrison's 1985 RCA thesis and his landmark 1991 essay The Unimportance of Form
- Published by Apartamento, 2016
What You'll Discover
- How Morrison's argument for the value of ordinary, useful things developed across nearly two decades of writing before it was fully realised in his objects
- The early articulation of his critique of the designer's role — a scepticism toward novelty, authorship, and form as spectacle
- The breadth of his voice as a writer: sharp and analytical in his essays, personal and often humorous in his autobiographical pieces and novel notes
- The intellectual continuity between his 1985 thesis and the mature design philosophy that made his practice internationally influential
About the Author
Jasper Morrison is a British designer celebrated for objects that feel as though they were always meant to exist — work defined by quiet authority and a deep commitment to usefulness over novelty. Sina Sohrab is an industrial designer who collected and edited these texts, bringing Morrison's early writings into print together for the first time.
Specifications
- Format: Softcover
- Pages: 184
- Dimensions: 24 x 21 cm
- Language: English
- ISBN: 9788409833467
- Publisher: Apartamento
- Publication Date: 2016
Perfect For: Industrial designers, design historians, and serious practitioners interested in the philosophy and ethics of design — and in the formative thinking behind one of the field's most influential careers.