Urban character is frequently cited by planners, developers, and architects as something they wish to protect and enhance. But little or no effort is ever made to define urban character in specific or quantitative terms. In Designing London, architect and critic Ike Ijeh provides a definitive and comprehensive analysis of London's urban character. He establishes key principles by which the architecture of the capital's streets, buildings, and spaces can be designed to enhance the character of the city. He first identifies and analyses the constituent physical, social, and environmental ingredients that form London's urban character and reviews the architectural, historic, and planning context within which these ingredients operate. Then, through case studies of recent and proposed architectural projects, he discusses examples of how London's character has either been undermined or enhanced. Ultimately, the book emphasizes the enormous value of London's unique urban character and encourages greater understanding and awareness of how that character is directly affected by architectural design decisions.

Design for London was a unique experiment in urban planning, design and strategic thinking. Set up in 2006 by Mayor Ken Livingstone and his Architectural Advisor, Richard Rogers, the brief for the team was ‘to think about London, what made London unique and how it could be made better’. Sitting within London government but outside its formal statutory responsibilities, it was given freedom to question and challenge. The team had no power or money, but it did have the licence to operate without the usual constraints of government. With introductions from Ken Livingstone and Richard Rogers, Design for London covers the tumultuous and heady period of the first decade of this century when London was a test bed for new ideas. It outlines how key projects such as the London Olympics, public space programmes, high street regeneration and greening programmes were managed, critically examines the lessons that might be learnt in strategic urban design and considers how a design agenda for London could be developed in the future.

Since its establishment 150 years ago as the world's first urban subway, the London Underground has continuously set a benchmark for design that many transit systems around the world - from New York to Tokyo to Moscow and beyond - have followed. London Underground by Design is the first meticulous study of every aspect of that feat. Beginning in the pioneering Victorian age, Mark Ovenden charts the evolution of architecture, branding, typeface, map design, interior and textile styles, posters, signage and graphic design and how all these came together to shape not just the identity of the Underground, but the character of London itself. This is the story of some of the most celebrated figures in design history - from Frank Pick, the guru who conceptualised the design of the modern Tube with his idea of 'design fit for purpose', to Harry Beck, the creator of the Tube map, and from Marion Dorn, one of the leading textile designers of the 20th Century, to Edward Johnston, creator of the distinctive font that bears his name. Rich with stunning illustrations, London Underground by Design shows that design is about more than aesthetic pleasure, but is crucial to how we get around.

There isn't a business that doesn't want to be more creative in its thinking, products and processes. In The Art of Innovation, Tom Kelley, partner at the Silicon Valley-based firm IDEO, developer of hundreds of innovative products from the first commercial mouse to virtual reality headsets and the Palm hand-held, takes readers behind the scenes of this wildly imaginative company to reveal the strategies and secrets it uses to turn out hit after hit. Kelley shows how teams: -Research and immerse themselves in every possible aspect of a new product or service -Examine each product from the perspective of clients, consumers and other critical audiences -Brainstorm best when they are focussed, being physical and having fun The Art of Innovation will provide business leaders with the insights and tools they need to make their companies the leading-edge top-rated stars of their industries.

An unprecedented and intimate behind-the-scenes look at London designer fashion over the last fifteen years, edited by Tania Fares and Sarah Mower and profiling 50 leading London fashion designers, from Paul Smith and Stella McCartney to Erdem and Simone Rocha. London has long been a fashion-world capital, and the past fifteen years have been an especially fertile period in its centuries-long history of setting trends. This stunning book is an all-access pass into the world of designer fashion - an exclusive behind-the-scenes studio tour that calls in on fifty of the city's leading design talents - London-based global superstars - all of whom open up about their practice and philosophy, and share a wealth of images from their rivate collections.

David Gentleman has lived in London for almost seventy years, most of it on the same street. This book is a record of a lifetime spent observing, drawing and getting to know the city, bringing together work from across his whole career, from his earliest sketches to watercolours painted just a few months ago. Here is London as it was, and as it is today: the Thames, Hampstead Heath; the streets, canals, markets and people of his home of Camden Town; and at the heart of it all, his studio and the tools of his work. Accompanied by reflections on the process of drawing and personal thoughts on the ever-changing city, this is a celebration of London, and the joy of noticing, looking and capturing the world. 'David has spent a lifetime depicting with wit and affection a London he has made his own' Alan Bennett 'He delivers a poetry of exultant concentration ... The surface fusion of the sensuous and the sharply modern is echoed by Gentleman's imagery' Guardian 'The artist and illustrator has been responsible for some of the most-seen public artworks in this country' The Times 'Perhaps the last of the great polymath designer-painters' Camden New Journal

London has a well-deserved reputation as a premier European design and style center. This volume covers up-to-the minute London design from the worlds of architecture, interiors and fashion. This truly is a comprehensive survey with coverage of cultural, commercial and residential spaces. In addition, there's an analysis of product design and other specialized areas. With a multitude of works from both Londoners by birth and those who've made their home there, this tome helps you stay in sync with all that's happening in the British capital.

A highly imaginative psychogeographic journey through (and history of) London from Patrick Keiller, author of Robinson in Spaceand View from the Train In London, the celebrated filmmaker and writer Patrick Keiller offers a journey through the London of 1992, as undertaken by an unnamed narrator and his companion, Robinson. The unseen pair complete a series of excursions around the city, in an attempt to investigate what Robinson calls "the problem of London"; in so doing, the vast palimpsest of the city is revealed. Based on Keiller's acclaimed 1994 film of the same name, Londonis a unique take on the essay-film format in the style of Chris Marker, with scathing reflections on the recent past, enlivened by offbeat humor and wide-ranging literary anecdotes. The amazing locations reveal the familiar London of the near past: Concorde almost touches suburban houses as it takes off; Union Jacks fly from Wembley Stadium; and pigeons flock around tourists in Trafalgar Square. These images, in combination with the script, allow us to see beyond the London presented on the page. This volume offers both a fascinating reflection on the diverse histories of Britain's capital and an illuminating record of 1992, the year of John Major's reelection, IRA bombs and the first crack in the House of Windsor. The publication constitutes the first time that the film has been fully reproduced in print and contains an introduction from the director.

Newly revised and expanded, this classic in book design argues for a non-dogmatic approach, one open to traditional and modern, and symmetrical and assymetrical solutions. Jost Hochuli's work of over 30 years as a book designer is showcased, along with detailed comments by noted designer and critic Robin Kinross."As a designer, Hochuli's main concern is to work out individual solutions for individual books. This book is sure to help anyone who is seeking to develop a considered attitude toward the design and production of the book as a codex." -Fernand Baudin, Logos