Design: 101: Zanotta Stories

A tractor seat that transforms into a stool; a bicycle seat that becomes an oscillating yet practicable point of support; a shapeless bag full of polystyrene balls that accommodates and accompanies any movement; a bundle of sticks that opens to become a clothes hanger—these are just several examples of groundbreaking designs produced by Aurelio Zanotta's design company, founded in 1954. Here, Zanotta has written a collective history of the Italian design industry, covering 550 projects created by 120 designers—including Enzo Mari, Alessandro Mendini, Bruno Munari, Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni, Gio Ponti, Marco Zanuso, Gae Aulenti, Ettore Sottsass, just to mention some—in 60 years of history and including almost 100 award-winning pieces featured in design museums across the world. Organized alphabetically, Design: 101 is a dictionary of design stories, anecdotes and critical interpretations with accompanying illustrations in a handsome and portable volume.