Human Body: A Wearable Product Designer's Guide

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About Human Body: A Wearable Product Designer's Guide

Product Description Association of American Publishers (AAP) Finalist for the 2020 PROSE Award Association of American Publishers (AAP) Subject Category Winner for the 2020 PROSE Award 2019 Taylor & Francis Award Winner for Outstanding Professional Book! Human Body: A Wearable Product Designer's Guide, unlike other anatomy books, is divided into sections pertinent to wearable product designers. Two introductory chapters include many definitions, an introduction to anatomical terminology, and brief discussions of the body's systems, setting the stage for the remaining chapters. The book is extensively referenced and has a large glossary with both anatomical and design terms making it maximally useful for interdisciplinary collaborative work. The book includes 200 original illustrations and many product examples to demonstrate relationships between wearable product components and anatomy. Exercises introduce useful anatomical, physiological, and biomechanical concepts and include design challenges. Features Includes body region chapters on head and neck, upper torso and arms, lower torso and legs, the mid-torso, hands, feet, and a chapter on the body as a whole Contains short sections on growth and development, pregnancy, and aging as well as sections on posture, gait, and designing total body garments Describes important regional muscles and their actions as well as joint range of motion (ROM) definitions and data with applications to designing motion into wearable products Presents appendices correlating to each body region’s anatomy with instructions for landmarking and measuring the body, a valuable resource for a lifetime of designing Review "This book is a treasure trove for the functional designer, combining all the most pertinent information about body structure, body movement, and body function in one reference. But the book is also a valuable resource for the fashion designer. Every educated designer should read the first two chapters, but the sections on arm and shoulder anatomy and movement, on spinal variations and asymmetry of the body, on the mid-torso (the waist area), and many other sections are as relevant to fashion design as to functional design.One of the best features of this book is that it does not simplify or reduce issues to the ‘norm’, but introduces variation and the full range of body issues. Differences related to sex, age, and body shape and condition are discussed throughout the book. Who would know that not only the dimensions, but also the configuration of the rib cage varies between men and women? It does, and as the authors point out, this fact can impact the design of unisex garments.Last but not least, the explanation of the body from the point of view of the apparel designer has revealed many areas where research is needed, or where unwarranted assumptions have been made. For example, it seems that the neat ordered anatomical models of body structures placing the various organs in relationship to one another were developed from the study of prone cadavers. But the apparel designer is dealing with live bodies in a standing position, and in motion, in which case this neat ordering is not at all accurate. Repeatedly the authors point out that in the absence of studies that focus on the kinds of data needed by apparel designers, precise information is not available. There is potential for many dissertation projects outlined in this text. In illuminating the full complexity of the human body in reference to the job of the wearable product designer, the authors have performed an incalculable benefit to designers. As they state in the book when ‘designers go beyond surface observations of the human body to fully understand anatomy and body function – safe, fully functional and innovative products will result.’ Beyond this, using this book to mentor all our students, whether fashion or functional designers, to develop their designs through informed knowledge of the bod