Unpleasant Design

In collaboration 🤝 with Selena Savić
🌐 Link
Close up of Unpleasant Design book cover with sandpaper wrap
Close up of Unpleasant Design book cover with sandpaper wrap

Unpleasant Design is an artistic research of how objects and urban environments are intentionally shaped to influence human behavior in subtle yet significant ways. This book delves into the world of design strategies that, while often overlooked, serve to deter unwanted activities and exclude certain groups from public spaces. From anti-homeless architecture to devices that prevent loitering or skateboarding, Unpleasant Design exposes the hidden language of control embedded in our cities. Through insightful essays and striking visuals, it invites readers to reflect on the ethical implications of using design as a tool for social engineering, encouraging a critical reevaluation of the spaces we inhabit daily.

Unpleasant Design book open
Unpleasant Design book open
Re-enactment of fakir's rest in Rotterdam (Original by Gilles Paté)
Re-enactment of fakir's rest in Rotterdam (Original by Gilles Paté)

Credits

With contributions by Adam Rothstein, Francesco Morace and Heather Stewart Feldman, Vladan Jeremić, Dan Lockton, Yasmine Abbas, Gilles Paté, Adam Harvey and many others, the book is an attempt to recognise this nascent discipline within contemporary design taxonomies. Book chapters are illustrated with witty designs by Nikola Korać.

Generous support from CBK Rotterdam, BKVB Fonds and BMUKK Austria for conducting this research and the print publication.

Further reading