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

"When I was introduced to this book by a friend, I was wrestling in my own business with the deep spikes of design capability that I wanted to represent for my company, with industrial design definitely as the tip of the spear. In my design practice I try to make sure no matter how strategic the engagement is, the industrial design opportunities where I apply my own two hands, that I am truly solving the critical problems for my clients. I never had the opportunity to meet Rowena Kostellow, but in this book you encounter the thoughtfulness of a craft-driven leader, someone who led by example, really inspired her students to trust the process. Through foundational shapes or divergent explorations of ways to rearrange the puzzles presented in the book, she made sure that students were appreciating how the solution might fit within the context of where it would reside. By doing these simple exercises as a young designer, you eventually find your hierarchy, you find the proportion, you find your scale, the dimensions that are necessary for your specific project. It was awesome for me to experience that journey."