cover image New British Design

New British Design

. Thames & Hudson, $14.95 (111pp) ISBN 978-0-500-27446-0

Assembled by former Design Magazine editor Thackara, this visual survey of current British design considers a wide range of categoriesjewelry, ceramics, glass, interiors, furniture, fashion, textiles, illustration, graphics and industrial design. Thackara maintains that there is ""systematic exclusion of aesthetic and sensuous delight from much of today's product design,'' and thus he emphasizes craft designers who work with advanced materials and contemporary imagery, as seen in wardrobes by Jane Dillon and Julian Gibb that are made from honeycombed aluminum, steel, wood and silk``a soft-tech fantasy inspired by childhood memories of these mysterious, huge household objects.'' Certain artisans, such as furniture designer Tom Dixon, have reacted against minimalism with a return to the decorative. Much of the innovative work here challenges the usual conservatism of corporate design, and both Thackara and Dormer effectively question the alienation of these creative talents from mainstream manufacturing. (April)