A new design book is set to hit shelves next month, and will be released via a unique 6 minute 40 second presentation.

The book The means by which we find our way: Observations on design is the culmination of a design project developed and curated by design lecturers David Gardener and Andrea Wilkinson at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) in Hamilton. A new design book is set to hit shelves next month, and will be released via a unique 6 minute 40 second presentation.

The book The means by which we find our way: Observations on design is the culmination of a design project developed and curated by design lecturers David Gardener and Andrea Wilkinson at the Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) in Hamilton.The project's original focus was to bring international design perspectives to the local New Zealand design community.

The book will be formally launched to the wider public within Hamilton's own Pecha Kucha Night vol. 2 at the Wintec Hub on November 3rd. Pecha Kucha, a collection of short presentations (20 slides of 20 seconds each), starts at 8:20pm, with doors opening at 7:30pm. Book sales at the launch will be for a one-off reduced price of $10.00 and the project curators will discuss the project's idea, collaborative aspects and development into a book as part of the Pecha Kucha format. Entry to Pecha Kucha is $7.

Using local, New Zealand urban landscape as a canvas, The means by which we find our way; Observations on design, offers the reader 248 pages that investigate how graphic designers and educators navigate both the visual and the printed landscape. By the varied responses to similar visual design problems, personal reflections on design experiences and the consequent included essays, this book aims to provide a platform for learning and be a source for new collaborations and initiatives within the field of both design and design education.

Since its first viewing as an exhibition in Ramp Gallery last November, the design project The means by which we find our way has begun to tour internationally with stops in both Kansas (Kansas State University, Manhattan) as well as South Carolina (Winthrop University, Rock Hill) and was featured in the European design and typography journal TYPO, Issue #32. Showcasing over 70 design educators, and representing over 20 countries, the project now has a permanent home in this book as both a resource and catalogue of the submissions received. The texts and essays provide fertile ground for further exploration into usability, cultural artifacts, design-experience and design education.

Even if you are not a designer, the content promises to challenge and inspire.

The book is available on the New Zealand art and design store www.endemicworld.com and for international purchase through www.amazon.com

More information

Waikato Institute of Technology

School of Media Arts, Hamilton, New Zealand

DesignProject

29/10/08