i wanted to let you know I’ve written a book. it looks like a design book and reads like a memoir. it’s an 11 X 11 inch, 400-plus page art object book geared towards anyone who has had a stake in design and architecture and appreciates design-related storytelling. here are some pages from the beginning of the design of me and from select pages.
above> front cover of my book // below> inside front cover
about this book — this is my first book. i wrote it to chronicle my own history. that’s what you do if you care about who you are and/or what you did, and when you get an incurable rare cancer diagnosis. writing a memoir might seem self-serving, especially when the title is the design of me. i’ve concluded it is. unless you add content that you deem driven to inform your readers, something useful to them, content that will benefit them rather than just info all about you.
as the book materialized, i found solace in thinking about my potential audience, that it didn’t matter if they knew me or not. i told myself that someone will find what i say more useful than useless. that’s all the motivation i needed.
i bring to this enterprise a 50-year design career, 30 years of which have made me an expert in my field. at least i think so. however, in the past 10 years, my thoughts, beliefs, and ideas defining what a designer does have greatly changed. so have my opinions about what constitutes good design.
i’ve also been a teacher of design. my interactions with students, me teaching them as well as them teaching me, caused me to rethink how to teach as well as what to teach.
and lastly, as i’ve shaped design, with its unusual expansion of touching so many walks-of-life endeavors, i’ve learned about how design ultimately shaped me as a designer and as a person.
~ron kovach
above> photo artist david rosen casts me in an homage to maxell’s blown-away man
above> structured around nine chapters the design of me was developed with three objectives in mind. 1] to communicate through the eyes of a designer 2] to tell a unique and compelling story 3] to be appropriate, useful, and educational.
above> throughout the book there is original fine art, pivotal graphics, captivating photography, and notable words. original and unique, the design of me was written to entertain, enlighten, and inspire those people drawn to design. And it raises a reflective question. design hugely impacted my life. how might it affect yours?
the design of me offers glances at worldwide design shows as seen through my eyes. here are images from london while at london design week 2018 and milan design week 2018 as featured in DesignApplause. above> because DesignApplause covers design events around the world, i’ve been exposed to different cultural aesthetics, such as this efficient london bus stop and [opposite] beautiful tube stop near the victoria & albert museum. below> another off-site venue celebrating the 25th anniversary of surface magazine with visitors united around a quintessentially american concept: the diner. designed by american architect david rockwell and the lab at rockwell group. renowned design studio 2×4 created the project’s graphic identity.
the design of me presents over 300 powerful examples of visual communication. above> a graphic created by me using turner duckworth packaging graphics exemplifying how brand graphics can stand out more in a competitive marketplace than the coca-cola wordmark by itself. below> a 2024 mural proposal to the american cancer society also created by me while undergoing cancer treatment.
prominent contributors to the design world are featured in the design of me. above> walter and elizabeth paepcke, design patrons, commissioned eero saarinen to design the tent for their aspen design conference, large enough for a full orchestra and an audience of 2,000 people. below> the most powerful, elite, and intimidating brand identity designers ever assembled were invited by me to jury sta trademark usa2. front from left—walter marguiles, robert vogele [sta president], walter landor, saul bass. back from left—ivan chermeyeff, john massey, me [co-chairman], and wayne webb. photo ron gordon. 1983.
innovative and memorable design concepts are presented throughout the design of me. above> as a judge at the inspired home show competition in 2016, i found these visible measuring spoons designed by pam daniels and brandon williams for welcome industries to be award winners. bottom> when i ask design students to create one-page info sheets about themselves in order to assess their abilities i look for high concept solutions such as these. l to r—info sheets from jeff stark, kora kopieniak, christian terzich, kora kopieniak.
the design of me celebrates people who impact design and architecture. seven creative masters are specifically showcased because of their attention to creativity, technology, environment, social impact, sustainability, and climate in their design—yves behar, guillio cappellini, formafantasma, jeanne gang, nicolae halmaghi, jasper morrison, and jean nouvel. above> chicago architect jeanne gang incorporated natural elements in her design for the chicago o’hare global terminal. below> tokyo designer jasper morrison designed 1-inch chairs for always sustainable emeco.
because one goal of the design of me is to foster learning, design education is featured. above> in my brand identity class, student serafin lopez learned about the importance of a persuasive presentation. below> when in college, i learned about the importance of design philosophy from professor victor papanek. shown here are his infographics from design for the real world, illustrating some of his revolutionary ideas, that design is a tool for political transformation and should consider social and ethical points of view.
below> back cover of the design of me
peeks of the design of me will be appearing in DesignApplause. also, keep an eye open for our launch announcement of the printed book!