We chat to Prof Bonne Zabolotney, the new General Editor of Bloomsbury Design Library, about the importance of design and her new role.

Congratulations on your new role as Bloomsbury Design Library’s General Editor. Can you tell us a little about yourself and your work?

Thank you! I am a full professor at Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver, Canada, where I teach Design Culture, Canadian Design History, design research methods, communication design studio practices, and graduate-level dialogues classes which discuss the relationships between theories and design practices. In my research, I focus on Canadian design histories, particularly anonymous and unacknowledged contributions to design, as well as the political economy of design. I have recently published a book with Bloomsbury, titled Designing Knowledge, which explores the various ways in which design practitioners and researchers contribute knowledge to design studies.

Why do you think design is so important?

Everything we touch in this world has been designed! That’s a fairly huge impact and influence that designers have, and yet design is not often the centre of public discourse.

What attracted you to Bloomsbury Design Library?

I have purchased a lot of books over the years and realized that the majority of them all were published by Bloomsbury. I think that Bloomsbury is one of the very few publishers in the world that focuses on design, from a designer's perspective, and the multitude of issues that designers face.

How do you think Bloomsbury Design Library can help instructors and students?

Bloomsbury Design Library is one of the most unique collections of design books in the world and is leading conversations and discourse about contemporary design issues. The library can help educators and students with very timely and up-to-date publications about important issues for designers, including climate change and addressing design’s role in colonization. The subject guides and lesson plans are practical and helpful tools for educators, and I hope to help expand their offerings in the future.

What are you looking forward to seeing from Bloomsbury Design Library in the future?

It's important to me to bring design theories and practices closer together, to examine the close relationship between thinking, knowing, and practice. I’m looking forward to seeing what indigeneity, decolonizing, cultural pluralities, and writing new histories look like in practice. I hope to see the library expand in inclusive ways, and build out a multitude of lesson plans which match the rigour of Bloomsbury's design publications.

Bonne Zabolotney’s book Designing Knowledge will be included in the November update to Bloomsbury Design Library, it is also available for purchase.

Find out more about Bloomsbury Design Library including trials and purchasing.

If you are interested in submitting an article, designer biography or lesson plan to the Bloomsbury Design Library, we would love to hear from you! Email Bonne Zabolotney at bzabolot@ecuad.ca to discuss your idea.

Image credit: Philadelphia Museum of Art