Why Materials Matter: Responsible Design for a Better World
About this book
Why Materials Matter: Responsible Design for a Better World is a visual exploration of natural and man-made materials for design students, material researchers, and product designers. Written by Seetal Solanki, with a foreword by Liz Corbin, and published by Prestel in 2018, the 240-page English-language hardcover presents about 250 colour illustrations of projects by designers, artists, makers, and scientists. It looks at how ancient practices and new technologies can lead to more responsible materials, and considers the digital realm as another kind of matter.
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For coursework, the book serves as a catalogue of possibilities and a manifesto on how to consume, manufacture, and design more thoughtfully. Students can use it to find case studies for material-led projects, to question default material choices, and to build arguments for sustainable decisions. On a university reading list, it complements technical references by giving a cultural and ethical context to material selection, and it encourages experimentation with unfamiliar sources and processes.
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