11. vrf reader: modern design overview 11

8/4/2019 11. VRF Reader: Modern Design Overview 11

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09/10 Modern Design: OverviewA (very) short look at the emergence of modern design

this is Modernism in terms of design developments it will be followed up in more detail next year its role today is to support your VRF research for unit 3


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Preview: Modern DesignAs old design faded, its single approach (called Historicism) was

replaced by a variety of modern looks, many of which are listed here:

1850 1900 1950 2000

Industrial Design

The American System

A

R

T

N

OU

V

E

A

U

W

AR

M

O

D

E

R

N

A

R

T

Bauhaus

Functionalism

W

AR

Minimal Design Today

The International Style

Historicism

Arts and Crafts Revival

Art Deco

Sreamlining

New

Look

60sPop

Postmod-ernismDesignerism


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Design RecognitionLabel these examples so that they illustrate the schematic for you


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Beginning: Is Design Different ?

In many respects, also,design seems to follow theevolution of both paintingand architecture, from

complexity/decoration tosimplicity, from fixed rules toexperiment, and from beautyto honesty

Contrast the differencesbetween these two, andcompare them to those in thefollowing examples:


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Answer: the Cinderella Syndrome

Leaving aside its differentfunction and materials, it isour ignorance of design thatsets it apart -

Design is so influential butso invisible it seems

This is what makes designso different - why is this andhow has it come about ?


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Clues and facts first:Consider the implications of these three facts

The first Society of Designerswas formed in 1898:

One of the first people to makea living by simply designing(from home) was CA Voysey atthe start of the 20th century:

Kenneth Graves, a leading

British industrial designer, ismuch more famous in Japanthan in his home country:

Your Conclusions ?


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What you need to know

Design, or craft as it was known,was split off from Art in the 16thcentury as artists tried to maketheir work as important and

intellectual as poetry & philosophy,and as different as possible to craft

They established a hierarchy ofimportance (a canon) that has keptdesign in its (lower) place - while

separate art and design schoolsmaintained this separation


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Division or Unity ?

For many centuries, therefore,design has been unimportant, ithas had no museums, andprestigious design was done by

architects and others but not byfull-time, professional designers

When people like Morris (1860sonwards) and the Bauhaus(1919 - 1932) attempted tobring them back together andsay that they were equallycreative and valuable, theywere very much swimmingagainst the tide of opinion


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Twentieth Century

Crossover theme The eventual success of this

unification, though, has givenus the artist-craftsman and the

crossover theme of our Unit 3 It has allowed people to admire,

collect and display design inmuseums much like art

It has redefined and split the

craft world. ! The modern age is full of these

sort of crossover examples


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This crossover process should be exciting and stimulating for youbut, as ever, you will find problems and puzzles like this one

Warning..


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HOW MODERN DESIGN EVOLVED:

1. HISTORICISM Good design in the past was

closer to our idea of decoration,with an emphasis put on therefinement of past styles (aka

Revivalism) Efficiency, good looks and

coordination were hardly valuedwhile good craft/design washandmade for the rich elite only

Continuity with the past, notoriginality, was most valued -

Thus we had antiquarians andpattern books instead ofdesigners and original ideas


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2. INDUSTRIAL

REVOLUTION Everything was changed by the

inventions, the mass productiontechniques and the newmaterials of the 19th century -

except in design Factories could now produce

Historicism cheaply: anexplosion of cheap copies inevery home - for everyone, butall bad

The Great Exhibition (1851)showed an exciting new worldbut not a new look for it -


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3. DESIGN REFORMERS (L 19thC)

A few people were trying toimprove things and create amodern design for a modernworld

- Henry Ford and the AmericanSystem

- The Arts & Crafts Movementlead by William Morris

- Henry Coles improvements in

design education- The development of the High

Street and consumerism

- The rise of the designer andstyle conscious movementssuch as Art Nouveau in 1900


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4. BAUHAUS AND MODERNISM Using a combination of these

(*the methods of Ford, *the ideasof Morris, *the look of modern artand *the originality of the newbreed of designer) came the

Bauhaus in the 1920s after theGreat War, a revolution in design:Modern Design

Soon spreading across the worldas Minimalism and Functionalism,its undecorated simplicity, its

originality and its cheapness allcombined to make it dominate andshape our world. The ultimate,timeless, faceless modern designstyle had arrived.


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20th CENTURY COMPLEXITYThe success of this minimal style created the view that,

like Abstract Art in 20th century, the Bauhaus style is the

only modern style (a view they were keen to promote).Yet, as well seen, the story is much more complex:

1850 1900 1950 2000

Industrial Design

The American System

A

R

T

N

OU

V

E

A

U

W

AR

M

O

D

E

R

N

A

R

T

Bauhaus

Functionalism

W

AR

Minimal Design Today

The International Style

Historicism

Arts and Crafts Revival

Art Deco

Sreamlining

NewLook

60sPop

Postmod-ernismDesignerism


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But: A Style for Each Age 1In reality, the Bauhaus style has always faced competition from other styles

that each reflected their age and show that there is more than one approach

Art Deco: post-war peace givesa sci-fi, exotic machine style toreflect the new optimism

New Look: post-war rebuildingwith an organic, plastic luxurylook exploits new technologies

Pop Design: consumerisms funteenage throwaway styleexpresses a period of optimism

Postmodernism: a troubled timequestions singular orthodoxiesand uses the new technologiesto create a deluge of styles thatoverwhelm the Bauhaus look


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A Style for Each Age 2label these: can you relate them to any of our art styles?


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A Style for Each Age 3label these: can you relate these to any of our art styles?


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Crossover Examples for the VRFIn modern culture ideas spread quickly, everyone knows what every one

is doing - so examples from art and design can be easily connectedCan you recall which art styles gave us these design examples?


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Crossover Examples for the VRF(continued)


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VRF: Searching for Design Examples

For each of our six styles you need adesign and a Manchester example(have you organized a Manchesterphoto search session yet ?)

Your Brief lists which type of exampleyou need for each course (the grid)

Your Introduction Pack lists useful webaddresses to search for designexamples (dont rely on Google) and

how to access Moodle/Online Lectures You have the Caption guidance too -

with keywords and examples of how toexplain your choices


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Unit 3: Deadline

We finish on a warning - we work to thedeadlines set down by MMU and sofailure to hand in your work on time, orto not keep us up to date with yourproblems (and/or apply for mitigation),

will lead to sanctions. So get organizednow.

Remember: you hand in one document:VRF + Writing on one issue at the back

VRF = 6 intros, 12 images, 12explanations, cover, contents, researchand bibliography read your brief

The writing at the back is on one issuefrom our three: min 750 words, plus title,images, research and bibliography


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MOST COMMON MISTAKES

1. no name or course on the front of your work2. using Art images as examples (ignoring the brief )3. plagiarism: quote and attribute the words of others4. explanations of your image choice (caption) too short

5. missing the deadline to request mitigation for more time6. no good reason given (a lot of work on is not accepted)

We will be covering a number of topics to help you deliver agood assignment. These will include plagiarism, mitigationprocedure, presentation and peer review. But you will find itextremely useful to note these 6 common mistakes now totry to avoid them down the line

11. vrf reader: modern design overview 11

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