In the engineering and design professions, the study of materials is a huge prerequisite to competence and success of projects. It is therefore imperative on practitioners and students to acquaint themselves with the myriad of materials available for application to projects. The book on "Design Materials And Processes Volume 1" covers selected topics on individual materials to meet such needs. It endeavoured to look into the history and processes of the identified materials. Applications and classification of the materials was approached from their sources, i.e. metals, polymerics, ceramics and composites. Where possible, diagrams were complemented by photographs to impart clarity to the topics. While looking at materials from an engineering and design perspective, it was not lost to the author the need to entertain the leisure reader as well. Meant for college and university students, the layout and language is intentionally simple enough to be understood by even the lower grade reader. The reader will find this book invaluable for all the reasons and needs enumerated above. Samuel Mwituria Maina PhD