Writing Design provides a unique look at the process and consequences of converting the material properties of designed goods into verbal or textual description. It examines how we learn about the objects that surround us: we gather sensory information by viewing and using objects, but we also learn about objects through the written and spoken word, from product labels, store signage, and recommendations from friends, social media and traditional media.

Even as design commentators have become increasingly preoccupied with issues of mediation, the intersection of design and...