Ralph Caplan

Ralph Caplan is a writer and communications consultant and lectures on design. He is the former editor-in-chief of I.D. Magazine and the author of several books including By Design: Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel Louis XIV and Other Object Lessons, Cracking the Whip: Essays on Design and its Side Effects and The Design of Herman Miller. Caplan is an Emeritus Board Member for the International Design Conference in Aspen. An honorary member of the Industrial Designers Society of America, he is the 2010 recipient of the “Design Mind” National Design Award.

In this audio interview with Debbie Millman, Ralph Caplan discusses being kicked out of high school, working for Industrial Design, the difference between making things right as a designer as opposed to making things nice, branding, the civil rights movement, fashion, obsolescence, and the responsibility of the designer.

Posted in: Design Matters

Comments [6]

Ralph Caplan is a bright and shinning light; smart, funny and moral.
His work is the benchmark of design writing.

Eric Baker
11.03.10
06:35

And that face… what a handsome devil! Good stuff.

VR/

Joe Moran
11.03.10
08:06

Ralph Caplan's mind: luminous, uncluttered, original. Thanks for an insightful interview Debbie.

Lana Rigsby
11.10.10
12:19

Fascinating interview with the great man, I especially loved hearing his candid report of his misspent youth onstage, in the boxing ring, that first interview at ID.

Randolyn Zinn
11.18.10
12:18

A really wonderful interview.
Ralph Caplan is funny and insightful, as only he can be, about design and how we live.
Good questions, great answers. Thank you both.

Allen McCullough
11.19.10
12:18

I met Mr. Caplan once. WOW!

pat Taylor
10.22.11
10:29

Debbie Millman is a designer, author, educator, strategist, and host of the podcast Design Matters.

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