Elements of Design: Rowena Reed Kostellow and the Structure of Visual Relationships

by Gail G. Hannah

A hands-on book design students and designers alike will welcome. Elements of Design is a tribute to an exceptional teacher and a study of the abstract visual relationships that were her lifelong pursuit. Rowena Reed Kiostellow taught industrial design at Pratt Institute for more than fifty years and the designers she trained-and the designers they're training today-have changed the face of American design. This succinct, instructive, invaluable book reconstructs the series of exercises that led Kostellow's students from the manipulation of simple forms to the creation of complex solutions to difficult design problems. It includes her exercises and commentary along with selected student solutions, and concludes with examples of work from former students who became leaders in the field, including such well-known figures as Tucker Viemeisater, Ralph Applebaum, Ted Muehling, and many others.

Genres: Design, Art, Art Design, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[Brian Kovesci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was assigned for reference for Foundations at DAAP. I read what I needed to do the assignment with Gerry Michaud, but the wisdom didn't sink in. After 8 years I understand what Rowena was preaching, and it's changing the way I think about priorities.

The first half of the book discusses the need to value form in 3D design. For Rowena, form is all that mattered. There was even a passage in this book that calls out her criticism of some schools of thought, where the emphasis is placed on learning tools of the trade and not dedicated to developing an eye and hand for form. My school did the former, Rowena would have been disappointed in Craig. Her concerns are more in line with Art Center and CCS, which consistently are the beacons leading the rest of the schools. This might help me to better connect with my vp...

So far, most valuable industrial design book.

[Amir · Rating 4 out of 5]

a must read book

[Safoura]

Excellent book!! a must read

[vale · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐

lectura para una clase de dii 🙂‍↕️

[ლ(╹◡╹ლ) · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an interesting read that introduced me to some concepts that my mediocre school did not bother to teach. I however wish they expanded on the content more and not just praising Kostellow as some kind of design god.

[Justine · Rating 3 out of 5]

We got this book as a textbook for the form course. I think it fulfills that purpose pretty well. The books is essentially a collection of exercises with explained expected outcome or expectations. Despite that, executing them was not part of our course, and it might be difficult for an individual to complete an exercise and evaluate it without someone else's help. Moreover, sometimes it is difficult to make sense in what regard those exercises are actually helping. Nonetheless, much of the content and especially the direct quotes from Rowena Reed are very helpful and eye-opening.

The only disturbing aspect is the amount of constant praise of Rowena Reed, which gets a bit in the way. The book starts with the history of the first industrial designers, and quickly becomes the story only about her. In the first part I got the feeling she was only complementary to the other people who deserved equal, if not more recognition than her, and by the end of the book the reader is made believe she's some goddess of industrial design.

I think it's an interesting book for those who want to really understand the form of designed objects and learn to control it, through completing a lot of the abstract exercises. Otherwise it just gives insight in how form is important in industrial design, and that it does not only follow function.