Need another good book on design

[Frederick Skelly]

Just bought Walker & Tolpin's By Hand and Eye. I'm very interested in learning about proportions and other key design principles. Can you folks suggest another good "beginner's" design book. (Most of my stuff is square and boring.)

Thanks,
Fred

[Jeff Battles]

By Hound & Eye from Lost Art Press has some great lessons and exercises on proportion.

[John Crawford]

I just checked out Fine Woodworking's "Practical Furniture Design" from the library, and was enjoying it. (I'm not an expert, so browse the table of contents online, to see if it is what you are looking for.)

[Keith Mathewson]

Any of Asher Benjamin's books are good.

[Mel Fulks]

Photos of home interiors of Pompeii and Herculanium and the work of the Adam brothers. The Adams said that Roman exterior designs had been inappropriately used for interior design so they designed modern interiors based on the ancient interiors but different and original. Gives you a feel for personal view point in design and the difference between old designs and their ongoing reinterpretations.

[Brian Holcombe]

'A Pattern Language' is a good read.

[george wilson]

I have found that the OLD books written back in the turn of the last century are the best. Some of the utter ghastly bad things that some magazines publish as fine work are just crazy.It causes me to quickly lose interest in renewing my subscription!

If those same publishers put out books on design,I'm staying away from them!

To tell the truth,I really do not know where a person can get a good education in design these days. I was lucky. Just plain lucky.

I have to pick and choose things for inspiration these days. But,I already know good design. That's the problem.

[Cody Cantrell]

Frank Gottshall has some good books on design, I believe he was a shop teacher in the 1940's? This is a good one.
http://www.amazon.com/Design-Craftsman-Franklin-Gottshall/dp/B000BWSQJY?scrlybrkr=54f54c14#

[Brian Holcombe]

I have found that the OLD books written back in the turn of the last century are the best. Some of the utter ghastly bad things that some magazines publish as fine work are just crazy.It causes me to quickly lose interest in renewing my subscription!

If those same publishers put out books on design,I'm staying away from them!

To tell the truth,I really do not know where a person can get a good education in design these days. I was lucky. Just plain lucky.

I have to pick and choose things for inspiration these days. But,I already know good design. That's the problem.


George, if you havent read Soetsu Yanagi's book 'The Unknown Craftsman' you might enjoy it. It's somewhat inline with what you are saying, the craftsman who has been creating beautiful works for many years, knows intuitively what is good design. It's not until it becomes a thoughtless process that it actually does become good. He uses pottery as example, but it applies to practically all works.

[george wilson]

I have been blessed with an intuitive sense of good design too,Brian. I do many things without thinking them through. I guess this sounds like bragging,but it is the truth. There are other areas where I am severely lacking!

[Brian Holcombe]

Your work is incredible George, it certainly is not bragging.

[Frederick Skelly]

Thanks for the recommendations guys! I'll dig into these after I finish By Hand and Eye.

George - we all admire your work. It ain't braggin' when you can back it up, Sir. Wasn't it you who posted a picture of a small chest you made for The Queen? That was magnificent. We're blessed to have your advice on this forum!

[Jim Koepke]

One interesting design element used in many things is the golden mean. Here is a drawing for making a gauge:

https://www.quantumbalancing.com/goldenmeantemplate.htm

My last one was made by first drilling the holes in a piece and then ripping out the separate pieces.

Here is my post:

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?223546-What-s-in-a-Name

It seems fibonacci gauges come up often here on SMC.

jtk

[Brian Holcombe]

My favorite design book is simply a book detailing Ming furniture called "classic chinese furniture'

But I have and have read:

-Genius of japanese carpentry - Brown
-Art Deco Furniture - Duncan
-soul of a tree - Nakashima
Upholstered furniture - Fabbro
Timberframe home - Benson
The home cabinetmaker - Burch
The Unknown Craftsman - Yanagi
Tansu - Heineken
Architecture - Ching
Architecture - Hymann
Mouldings in Practice - Bickford
LeCorbusier and the concept of self
LeCorbusier the noble savage
LeCorbusier The poetics of the machine and metaphor
A pattern language
The Art of Japanese joinery - Seiki
Japanese woodworking tools - Odate
Shoji and Kumiko - King
Crafting a Modern world - Raymond
Poul Kjearholm furniture architect
Nature Form and Spirit - Nakashima

Not quite design books but helpful;
A moveable feast by Hemingway
History of Italian Renaissance art - Hartt
Masterpieces of Japanese Prints -
Uffizi gallery
The moment of Caravaggio