Writing Design

How do we learn about the objects that surround us? As well as gathering sensory information by viewing and using objects we also learn about objects through the written and spoken word - from shop labels to friends' recommendations and from magazines to patents. But even as design commentators have become increasingly preoccupied with issues of mediation the intersection of design and language remains under-explored.<i>Writing Design</i>provides a unique examination of what is at stake when we convert the material properties of designed goods into verbal or textual description. Issues discussed include the role of text in informing design consumption designing with and through language and the challenges and opportunities raised by design <i>without</i> language. Bringing together a wide range of scholars and practitioners <i>Writing Design</i> reveals the difficulties ethics and politics of writing about design.