The Independent Design Guide: Innovative Products from the New Generation
By Laura Houseley
Thames & Hudson, £24.95
FT Bookshop price: £19.95.

Anyone who doubts the vibrancy of the current design scene should turn to this 352-page hardback, in which design critic Laura Houseley offers a personal selection of the most promising young designers and design trends to emerge within the past three years.

A two-page introduction stating her selection criteria leads into a clear-sighted, six-page analysis of the “new design landscape” and the various influences – social, cultural, educational, environmental – that are shaping it.

There’s also an over-view of recurring design trends such as nostalgia, humour, new techniques and materials, craft processes, recycling and hi-tech innovations. The following sections focus on the designs – more than 450 from more than 360 designers – grouped into five categories (furniture, lighting, accessories, utility, environment) and illustrated with 555 colour images. A glossary and contact websites conclude this comprehensive survey.

Topicality is the book’s key strength. All the designs were created between 2005 and 2008 by designers just starting their careers, many of whom are working in a fundamentally new way. Assessing the current zeitgeist must have been a labour of love for Houseley. For the rest of us this is a thrillingly relevant review.