{"product_id":"what-was-design-declarations-and-definitions-from-a-century-of-creative-quest-1","title":"What was design? Declarations and definitions from a century of creative quest","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhat was design?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a quick starter to one of modernity’s most contested terms. In its brief but meteoric career, “design” was subject to vast controversy. Celebrated as an engine of change, denounced as a driving force of commercialization, and regularly lamented as overused, design remains a concept whose true meaning is still being sought. While answers to the question \"What is design?” are constantly shifting, the time has come for a retrospective. This book looks back, presenting a century of design thinking in its most compact form: a collection of bold quotes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"s1\"\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhat was design?\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003epits 87 historical one-sentence answers from practitioners, theorists, and philosophers against one another. The result is a web of radical short-form definitions that remain strikingly contradictory in their references. This selection is accompanied by an essay from\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eFlorian Walzel, exploring the deeper reasons behind the conceptual ambiguity of design.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe publication will also be introduced in two upcoming events this April, extending the discussion into a shared, conversational setting. On Thursday, April 9, 2026, at 7 p.m., a book premiere \u0026amp; apéro will take place at\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eopen.form\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein Darmstadt (Rundeturmstr. 16, 64283 Darmstadt). A second presentation follows on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. at\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eKulturraum B25 – Raum für kulturelle Fragen\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein Frankfurt-Höchst (Brüningstr. 25, 65929 Frankfurt am Main). Both evenings invite guests to engage with the question “What was design?” beyond the page — through exchange, reflection, and drinks.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Slanted","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57394876514639,"sku":"PK2280","price":26.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0774\/3068\/6031\/files\/PKB_3754.jpg?v=1775223446","url":"https:\/\/publicknowledgebooks.com\/products\/what-was-design-declarations-and-definitions-from-a-century-of-creative-quest-1","provider":"Public Knowledge","version":"1.0","type":"link"}