Qu'est-ce qu'un designer : objets. lieux. messages.

Qu’est-ce qu’un designer, first published in French in 2011, is a book for students and professionals in the fields of architecture and design. Far from being content with a well-formulated question (or answer), it sets out the conditions under which design activity itself constitutes an open question, and under which design decisions – and the artifacts they produce – are bound to admit of a social response.

Designers will find in this book a lively portrait of their profession, as well as an account of the traditions essential to the modern movement. Students and teachers, for their part, will find a rich discussion, drawn directly from the author’s personal experience. Translated from the fourth, revised edition, What is a designer is now considered the definitive text in its field.

Although the text was written in 1969, the author’s singular point of view and political stance are as relevant as ever, making it a reference work for many professionals. This reprint includes the preface written by Tony Côme on the occasion of the previous reprint (2018), which looks back at Norman Potter’s career as a carpenter, teacher, designer, poet and anarchist activist.