Design: Fashionable Is Not Enough

The year's finest work is not so much chic as helpful, with flair

The distinction between design and fashion was further blurred in 1982. Design (of buildings, industrial products and graphics) was dominated by fickle fashion. And fashion (of clothing and other non-durables) made free with the word design, relying slavishly on the signature and authority of the fashion designer.

The verbs "to design" and "to fashion" have always been closely related. But when it conies to the nouns, there is a clear distinction, or ought to be. Design is supposed to combine the practical and economical with a dash of artistic...

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