Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers

by Leonard Koren
published by Stone Bridge Press
Buy it at Amazon.com.

Review by Todd Dominey |

As a graphic designer, I was very intrigued by the title of this book, and the philosophies contained inside, so I decided to give the book a shot. This is the type of book you blaze through in about 30 minutes, but will most likely want to keep for a lifetime as inspiration. Reason? Because there simply isn’t another book like it.

The essence of Wabi-Sabi is that true beauty, whether it comes from an object, architecture or visual art, doesn’t reveal itself until the winds of time have had their say. A cracked pot, for example, has an essence that a perfectly round pot is lacking. Beauty is in the cracks, the worn spots, and the imperfect lines.

As a graphic designer, Wabi-Sabi is the antithesis of what I pursue every day — perfection in my typography, layout, tight invisible Swiss inspired gridlines, etc. Mathematical symmetry is an unshakeable mission for many in my profession, and the ancient philosophies of Wabi-Sabi rip a hole in the side of it.

I enjoy owning the book as a reminder that nothing in life, or design, is perfect. The very essence of life, work, art and nature is free of right angles, and chaos reigns supreme.

" Wabi-Sabi: for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers "
by Leonard Koren
Sale Price: $10.47 / Used Price: $9.50
(Prices updated September 4, 2003 04:32 PM )
Buy it at Amazon.com