Ralph Caplan (January 4, 1925 – June 4, 2020) was an American design consultant, writer, and public speaker. Caplan was born in Ambridge, Pennsylvania in January 1925. In 1941, he entered

Earlham College Earlham College is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. The college was established in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and has a strong focus on Quaker values such as integrity, a commitment to peace and social ...

for a semester, then enlisted in the

Marine Corps Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...

. He was 17 years of age at the time. After his discharge from the Marines, Caplan re-entered Earlham College, graduated, and went for his master's degree at

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a system of public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. Campuses Indiana University has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration of IUPUI. *Indiana Universi ...

. He later taught at

Wabash College Wabash College is a private liberal arts men's college in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Founded in 1832 by several Dartmouth College graduates and Midwestern leaders, it enrolls nearly 900 students. The college offers an undergraduate liberal arts cu ...

, then moved to New York City, where he became editor of '' Industrial Design''. He left ID to write his first book, a novel, ''Say Yes'', which was loosely inspired by his experience at Earlham and Wabash. Author of ''By Design: Why There Are No Locks on the Bathroom Doors in the Hotel Louis XIV and Other Object Lessons'', Caplan also wrote about design for major design magazines and was a director emeritus of the International Design Conference in

Aspen Aspen is a common name for certain tree species; some, but not all, are classified by botanists in the section ''Populus'', of the '' Populus'' genus. Species These species are called aspens: *'' Populus adenopoda'' – Chinese aspen (Chin ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

. He is the author of ''The Design of Herman Miller'', and was a consultant to that Michigan furniture manufacturer for more than 20 years. His book, ''Cracking the Whip'', published in 2006, is a selection of his essays on design and its side effects. Caplan taught design criticism at the

School of Visual Arts The School of Visual Arts New York City (SVA NYC) is a private for-profit art school in New York City. It was founded in 1947 and is a member of the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design. History This school was started by ...

in New York, and wrote for various print and online journals. He died in Manhattan, New York from heart failure at the age of 95 in June 2020.

References

1925 births 2020 deaths American designers 20th-century American novelists Earlham College alumni United States Marines Indiana University alumni Wabash College faculty American male novelists 20th-century American male writers Novelists from Indiana People from Ambridge, Pennsylvania 20th-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers {{US-novelist-1920s-stub AIGA medalists