Materials for Inspirational Design by Chris Lefteri

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

Reviewed by James Novak

Overview:

The title really says it all; the amazing materials in this book will inspire! Over 150 recent materials are categorised into the following sections: ceramics, glass, metal, plastic and wood. Each material is given 1 or 2 pages showing products and/or the raw material, with a brief outline of the materials properties, production method, uses and often a description of the featured product that uses the material. Best of all, each material includes a table listing the dimensions, key features, typical applications and web-addresses to find out more. In essence, this book is a concise materials database, providing the means to find more detailed information should you require it.

About the author:

Chris Lefteri, the author, is a graduate in industrial design from the Royal College of Art and is currently teaching (when the book was printed) at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design. Many of the top industrial/product designers today studied at both of these training institutions.

Relevance to product design: 10/10

Utilising the latest in materials technology is one way to create innovative products that stand out from the crowd. This book provides the means to do this, with amazing materials like Memory Alloys, thermochromics, recycled plastics and flexible ceramics all in the one place.

Is the book informative?:  9/10

This book is extremely informative in that it includes such a wide variety of new materials with information and photos to whet your appetite. This is what it is designed for. It does not contain all the information you need to make informed materials choices for your projects, but does provide relevant websites to find out more.

Is the book easy to read?: 10/10

With just enough text and plenty of big colour photos, this book is very easy to flick through and quickly find some inspiring ideas. The tables allow you to very quickly get an idea for what uses each material has, and the written information is user friendly without lots of jargon.

Is it aesthetically pleasing?: 9/10

As visual people, this book is full of colourful pictures, many of them full page size, and simple layouts to keep you interested. Unlike some materials books that could break your back to carry around, this book is nice and compact, making it easy to carry around or fit on a bookshelf.

Is it a favourite book?: YES

For a source of the latest in materials technology, this is a fantastic book. It’s definitely something to be used at the beginning of new projects or assignments in order to get you thinking outside the box. Best of all, it’s at great price and therefore a must have addition to your collection.