Currently, may favourite book of the last couple of years. I read this book after it was mentioned regularly by Mike Monteiro in Ruined by Design (also very good).
Monteiro mentioned how it was an art school staple, sadly not mine, but the next day it was ordered. At the time of my purchase, it had just been re-issued and comes with a natty Michael Bierut / Pentagram cover.
I read it cover to cover (not like me, sorry). I loved the way a book is first written in the 1970s was still so very relevant. It covers the social, environmental and ethical considerations of design often overlooked in favour of aesthetics.
In fact the only bit I struggled to relate to was Papaneks dislike of disposable pens, as he has loyally used the Montblanc his father bought him as a boy(!) a lovely option to have.
I will leave you with this awesome quote…
There are professions more harmful than industrial design, but only a few.
Victor Papanek