Design is one of the most powerful forces in our lives. None of us can avoid its influence. It's a ubiquitous element of our world that determines how we feel, what we do and whether we succeed or fail. In this four-part series, the architectural writer Shumi Bose explores its power to affect us, for better and worse.

In each episode of 'The Design Dimension' Shumi charts a different aspect of our relationship to design - desire, damage, choice and, finally, truth.

In the last programme of this series, Shumi investigates the concept of 'truth' in design. We hear from a mapmaker who believes that "maps are arguments about places" and that they never accurately represent the world, a pair of artworld pranksters who challenge our expectations of architecture, and we explore how powerful - and potentially misleading - the ways in which we visualise data can be.

Produced by Alan Hall and Hana Walker-Brown
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4. Show less