Member of the Advisory Board of the Istanbul Design Biennial, designer and academician John Heskett passed away on 26 February 2014.
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He is the author of Industrial Design (1980), widely used as a basic textbook on design courses in many countries and subsequently translated into several languages; German Design 1870-1918 (1987) and Philips: A Study in Corporate Design (1989). His most recent book is Toothpicks and Logos: Design in Everyday Life, published by Oxford University Press in 2002 and reissued in paperback format as A Very Short Introduction to Design in 2005. He also contributed articles, essays and reviews to numerous magazines, anthologies and catalogues.
In July, 2010, John Heskett retired from his post as Chair Professor of Design at the School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, a post he took up in July of 2004 after fifteen years as Professor of Design at the Institute of Design, Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.
His recent research focused on the theme of how design creates economic value, with particular emphasis on industry in the Pearl River Delta and Yangstze River Delta of China, and the role of design policy in governments and corporations. Other areas of teaching included the relationship between design and innovation, the problems of changing the nature of markets, and the problems of designing for global markets. He had also acted as consultant to numerous government and business organizations around the world.
John Heskett was among the participants of the symposium titled "Why Design, Why Biennial?" held by the 1st Istanbul Design Biennial on 2 and 3 December 2010 with his presentation "Design Policy and the Rise of Japanese Design."
John Heskett will be remembered for his valuable contributions to the design world.