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A Life's Design [Glen's review]

A Life's Design: The Life and Work of Industrial Designer Charles Harrison feeds Glen's enthusiasm for both form and function with its tribute to one of the best in the business:

As someone who has an interest in usability and design, I was impressed with how many of Charles Harrison's designs affected my life.

 I grew up in a small town where the Sears catalog was a staple, and as I read through this book i was surprised at how many of his designs I had used growing up. The plastic garbage cans, the sewing machines, the radios, television sets and even my Viewmaster™ all had his touch out upon them.
This is a small sampling of the several thousand products he had designed in his time.
The book itself shows us some of the many products he has created over the years, the pictures are large , rich and printed on glossy stock so that you can see the details put into the put into all of his designs.
Not only were the designs esthetically pleasing - but the thought of features (like hand holds, self sealing lids and durability on his garbage cans) lets you know that he was taking the use of the product into consideration as well.

Charles Harrison was one of the first black designers in corporate America. And his contributions to industrial design in the past and towards the future have been substantial.
* 5 stars *

 

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More information

• Book Site: A Life’s Design
• Extra Info:
  • Table of Contents
  • A Look Inside
  • First Page
• Highspot | Chapters.ca  | Amazon.com
• ISBN-10: 0977327108
• ISBN-13: 978-0977327102

A Life's Design [Charles Harrison]

The Life And Work of Industrial Designer Charles Harrison

Courtesy of Highspot 

Designs by Chuck Harrison not only reflected our changing lives, they often drove the transformation itself that took place in the American home and workplace during the era following World War II through the mid-1980s.

Retired from both professional design and teaching, Harrison is currently speaking on his life's work and passion as captured in this insightful memoir. 

A Life's Design chronicles the life, career and the emergent philosophy of Charles "Chuck" Harrison, one the most prolific and respected industrial designers of his time, an influencer on style and design today, and a pioneer as the first African American executive ever hired by Sears Roebuck & Company.

"The range of design projects that Harrison completed in his career was quite remarkable," writes Professor Noel Mayo, Department of Design at Ohio State University. "This book will be very helpful to designers, historians, design educators and students around the world." 

Harrison's inspirational life, his timeless approach to design and his passion for inspiring others with humour, insight and humility provide a story worth hearing.

About the Author      

Charles "Chuck" Harrison  is an American industrial designer residing in Chicago. He was the first African-American executive to work at Sears, Roebuck and Company, starting in 1961, directing the product design department, and eventually becoming the company's Chief Designer. He was involved in the design of over 750 consumer products, including the iconic Fisher-Price View-Master toy, portable hair dryers, toasters, stereos, lawn mowers, sewing machines, Craftsman power tools, the see-through measuring cup, fondue pots, stoves, and the first plastic trash can, which has been credited with changing the sound of trash collection day. [From Wikipedia]

 

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More information

• Book Site: A Life’s Design
• Extra Info:
  • Table of Contents
  • A Look Inside
  • First Page
   
• Highspot | Chapters.ca  | Amazon.com

Product Details

• 3 copies available This book is CLAIMED 
• Hardcover: 125 pages
• ISBN-10: 0977327108
• ISBN-13: 978-0977327102

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