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Neomania
Anne Burdick diagnoses the profession's addiction to novelty, exposing how designers preach function while chasing trends. She reveals a cycle where styles are consumed overnight in the relentless pursuit of the new. Designers claim to serve communication, yet their work prioritizes visual experimentation over clarity. This obsession with newness has become self-perpetuating—what's innovative today becomes a cliché tomorrow, forcing an endless search for the next aesthetic.
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Cult of the Ugly
Steven Heller attacks design schools for producing deliberately ugly work in the name of experimentation. He argues that ugliness without purpose threatens the profession's credibility and creates style without substance.
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Under the Surface of Style
Ellen Lupton argues that style isn't shallow but a complex cultural code. She demonstrates how style communicates identity and taste, challenging Modernist binaries that dismiss it as mere decoration.
Continued on Page 1995 →