Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change by Victor Papanek, 1971 [R. Buckminster Fuller]

Design for the Real World: Human Ecology and Social Change by Victor Papanek, 1st American ed., 1971. Pantheon Books, New York, USA. 8.25 x 5.5, 339 pages, English text. Jacket photograph [Girl with the Basket, Peru, 1955] by Georg Oddner/TIO. Jacket design by Helen Kirkpatrick. Printed in U.S.A. “This volume is dedicated to my students, for what they have taught me.” — Victor Papanek

Introduction by R. Buckminster Fuller, Carbondale, Illinois. This 1971 best seller has been translated into twenty-two languages; and for good reason. Design for the Real World is a provocative book by the Austrian American designer, theorist, and activist Victor Papanek who “charges the industrial design establishment with criminal negligence.”

It explores a progressive social design movement through politics, anti-corporatism, and environmental sustainability. Papanek argues that design should serve people and society, not just commerce or aesthetics. Loads of good advice and still relevant ideas highlighting the designer’s moral (and ethical), social and ecological responsibilities.

This influential book challenged ideas of good taste, profit-driven design, and technological optimism. When it was published, it shocked and angered many designers and institutions, but ultimately became a foundational text in socially responsible and sustainable design. If any of this rings true, you should read this! With (12) chapters, an extensive Bibliography and a Publisher’s errata slip laid-in. Illustrated throughout with more than (75) black and white examples.

A nearly fine black hardcover cloth with a previous owners name in ink. In a very good or better dust jacket with light wear along the edges. A 1st American edition in collectable condition.