According to Luigi Colani, nature creates perfect designs. 'Straight lines do not exist in nature', explains the renowned designer. 'That's why I believe in bio-design which uses a vocabulary whose inspiration comes from organic shapes with their violence and sensuality.' It is this belief that has resulted in Colani's reputation as today's most unconventional product designer and creator of extravagant ideas. Born in Berlin in 1928 and holding degrees in sculpture and aerodynamics, Colani has pursued design in all of its manifestations as the highest form of bio-dynamism, anticipating by decades today's curvilinear architectural and design forms. From cameras and watches to sensuously streamlined car and vehicular designs and hyperorganic utopian visions for cities, Colani's quest for beauty, derived from nature and applied for human use and pleasure, has yielded a flamboyant and consistent body of work. This magnificent tribute collects for the very first time the complete works of a past, present and future master of design.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A. Bras
Format:Hardcover
The book is a splendid overview of Luigi (or Lutz) Colani's career with lots of highlights in his design career shown and discussed.
From architecture through vehicle design, furniture and kitchenware to toys the bio-design philisophy of professor is clearly visible in all.
It is a wonderful biography of a wondrous, sometimes maligned larger than life figure!
ATTENTION: there are several editions of this book, both softcover and hardcover, but also under a different title: Colani: The Art of Shaping the Future which has the exact same contents! Buying both is not really necessary!
From architecture through vehicle design, furniture and kitchenware to toys the bio-design philisophy of professor is clearly visible in all.
It is a wonderful biography of a wondrous, sometimes maligned larger than life figure!
ATTENTION: there are several editions of this book, both softcover and hardcover, but also under a different title: Colani: The Art of Shaping the Future which has the exact same contents! Buying both is not really necessary!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars
3 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect
27 Sep 2005
By Wayne A.
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
It's a pity the cover of this book shows one of Colani's sports cars. It's great and all but it's easily the least interesting thing he's done. What would have been better would have been the gigantic flying boat that looks like a swan or the astonishing--almost erotic--concept airliner for the Japanese airline with four petal-shaped wings and an indescribable fuselage. Then there's the wonderfully bizarre railway locomotive. Colani's designs are among the most radical and imaginative...and beautiful...ever.
What's strange is that he isn't better known and that this is really the first book to cover his work with any thoroughness. Colani is inspired by natural biological forms. To him nature is infinitely complex, provides infinite solutions, and has barely been tapped as a pragmatic design source by man. Nothing superficial--no mere mimicry--he points out the multifunctionality of many of these complex forms he adopts. He also points the way to a future design world that lives and breathes with the natural world. Designers of Green architecture are just now barely intersecting with his vision. More importantly, Colani insists that the right solutions, the healthy solutions, will invariably (as in nature) be beautiful. Too many ecologically-minded designers seem to wear the hair shirt and demand that of others too.
This book should appeal to those who feel technology is not some dysfunctional thing but a yearning to consciously merge with nature. It should appeal to those who love the most outlandish design work. It should appeal to sensualists and lovers of beautiful objects.
I can't imagine being interested in design and not owning this wonderful, beautifully illustrated, well-written, and comprehensive book on perhaps the most visionary designer of the last century. Colani's work makes virtually every other attempt at design look wooden and two-dimensional. History (and we) will eventually catch up with this man.
What's strange is that he isn't better known and that this is really the first book to cover his work with any thoroughness. Colani is inspired by natural biological forms. To him nature is infinitely complex, provides infinite solutions, and has barely been tapped as a pragmatic design source by man. Nothing superficial--no mere mimicry--he points out the multifunctionality of many of these complex forms he adopts. He also points the way to a future design world that lives and breathes with the natural world. Designers of Green architecture are just now barely intersecting with his vision. More importantly, Colani insists that the right solutions, the healthy solutions, will invariably (as in nature) be beautiful. Too many ecologically-minded designers seem to wear the hair shirt and demand that of others too.
This book should appeal to those who feel technology is not some dysfunctional thing but a yearning to consciously merge with nature. It should appeal to those who love the most outlandish design work. It should appeal to sensualists and lovers of beautiful objects.
I can't imagine being interested in design and not owning this wonderful, beautifully illustrated, well-written, and comprehensive book on perhaps the most visionary designer of the last century. Colani's work makes virtually every other attempt at design look wooden and two-dimensional. History (and we) will eventually catch up with this man.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing
26 Dec 2006
By Bettaman
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm glad the price dropped on this or I'd be sending it back. Mr. Colani is a modern genius and most certainly more than deserves a large, comprehensive book in celebration of his lifetime of work. In Japan he is considered an industrial design "god" along with Syd Mead and Japan still leads the world in its interest in "futuristic" possibilities. Although a very sincere attempt I'm sure, this volume is lacking in far too many areas to be considered much more than an "attempt" at giving the reader or design enthusiast what they sincerely lust for! Many incredible designs are either scarcly covered or lacking completely. The photography and reproduction of the same is extremely disappointing! Either many of the photos are out of focus or when prepared for reproduction the printer didn't bother to check the halftones for sharpness. They appear blurred and "flat", certainly an injustice to the organic flowing designs they are trying to capture. The written portion of the book is very insightful and IS well done! If you're really a Colani fan try to find one of the special issues (devoted entirely to Colani) of Car Styling magazine on the web or ebay. An issue of Omni from 1980 had a great article too. If this book's interior was printed as well as the cover it would be a near masterpiece. Very, VERY unfortunately, it is not.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic eternal designs
25 Nov 2011
By Stephen Russell
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Designs for the ages, though drawn in the 70s & 80s, still valid Today
In fact his long range trucks is basis for a new RV elleMent RV.
Classic designer for our Era.
His trucks, cars, planes & spacecraft stand out
Was on Discovery Ch show on Cars, 3 years back.
showcased his supersonic truck design.
In fact his long range trucks is basis for a new RV elleMent RV.
Classic designer for our Era.
His trucks, cars, planes & spacecraft stand out
Was on Discovery Ch show on Cars, 3 years back.
showcased his supersonic truck design.
›
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4.3 out of 5 stars
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