By: Steven Heller | January 26, 2009
Where Would The Button Be Without the Button Hole? is not a rhetorical question, designed to test the mettle of designers and Talmudists. It’s the title of George Tscherny’s latest celebration of “unsung heroes of anonymous design,” a rather pithy subtitle that forces a second think. The book, published by RIT CARY Graphic Arts Press, is a delightful survey of designed objects born of necessity; those often spontaneous but always functional items that we take so much for granted until they are observed in a book like this. It’s not a big volume, but just handy enough to reintroduce us to the simple cheese grater and amazing corn dryer, as well as various measuring devices, like the optician’s tool for measuring the bridge of the nose (the big orange thing at bottom). You can order here. In the meantime, what’s your favorite “unsung” design hero?