Y9 DESIGN MOVEMENTS PROJECT

Summer Term- Project 2. This work is for the remaining 7 weeks of the summer term.

All work in this project can be hand written, or using software of your choice where available.

DESIGN MOVEMENTS

Throughout history, there have been many different design movements. A design movement is:

“A ‘movement’ is a style in art or design that upholds a specific philosophy or ideal and is followed and

promoted by a group of artists for a defined period of time. Abstract Expressionism”

In this project, you will investigation design movements, analyse products and explore the modelling and

development of design ideas. You will first learn about the design movements below:

BauhausArt Deco Memphis De Stijl

Art DecoArt Deco was a popular international design movement from 1925 until 1939 (that first appeared in

France just before World War), affecting architecture, interior design, and industrial design, graphic arts,

and film. Art Deco was decorative, this style was seen as elegant, functional, modern, with a strong use of

geometric shapes. Key traits of Art Deco is the use of different geometric shapes that are often repeated.

The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan at the intersection of

42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. At 1,046 feet, the structure was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was

surpassed by the Empire State Building in 1931. It is still the tallest brick building in the world, but has an internal steel skeleton.

The Chrysler Building is a classic example of Art Deco architecture and considered by many contemporary architects to be one of

the finest buildings in New York City. It was designed by architect William Van Alen.

The shape of the Chrysler

Building was dictated by a 1916

law which meant that buildings

had to be stepped back as they

rose to allow sunlight and more

air to reach the streets below.

Because of this, instead building

tall, bland, rectangular box-styled

sky scrapers, they were often

‘stepped’ back and had an overall

shape of a triangle as shown

beside.

Towards the top of the building,

you can see repeated triangles

and semi circles. This is very

different to the stepped squares

and rectangles below.

TASK 1- THE CHRYSLER BUILDING-CASE STUDY

1. What is a ‘design movement’?

2. What style is ‘Art Deco’?

3. Where and when did Art Deco originate?

4. What are the key traits of the Art Deco style?

5. Where is the Chrysler Building located?

6. What overall shape is the Chrysler Building and why is this?

7. What shapes can be seen towards the top of the Chrysler Building?

8. How many different shapes can you see overall used in the Chrysler Building?

9. If you have access to the internet, choose a product / item / building with the Art Deco style. Try to answer the following questions:

1. What is it I.e. Lamp, building, chair?

2. What shapes are used?

3. Do you like it?

4. Do you think it looks modern, or old fashioned? Why is this?

10. You have been asked to redesign a coffee table (shown beside) in the style of Art Deco. Think about what shapes you will use and how you will include them.

BauhausBauhaus was a German design school from 1919 to 1933. Known for “form follows function” and

“ornament is a crime.” Meaning the function was more important than decorative design features.

Bold modern, geometric shapes. Bauhaus translates to “Construction House”. This is very different

to Art Deco because Art Deco was about trying to make things look decorative, whereas, Bauhaus,

was more about making thinks comfortable.

The first model was finished in 1924. The design was only possible because

Mannesmann, a German steel manufacturer, had recently perfected the process of

making seamless steel tubing. Before that, all steel tubing had a welded seam which

collapsed as soon as it was bent. This made Breuer’s chair revolutionary.

The Wassily chair has been mass-produced since the late 1920s, and continuously in

production since the 1950s. The design classic is still available today. Reproductions

are produced around the world by other manufacturers, who market the product

under different names.

The Wassily Chair was designed by Marcel Breuer in 1925-1926 while he was the

head of the cabinet-making workshop at the Bauhaus in Germany.

Marcel Breuer (1902-1981), was interested in industrial materials and manufacturing

techniques. The Wassily chair was inspired by a bicycle because of the lightness of the

steel tubing. Breuer said he felt the bicycle (he rode an Adler) was a timeless piece of

design, referring to its bent handlebars as “steel tubes like macaroni”.

Inspired by the bicycle frame, Breuer set out to create a design using steel tubing. “I

realised the bending had to go further. It should only be bent, with no points of

welding on it, so it could also be chromed in parts and put together.”

TASK 2- THE WASSILY CHAIR-CASE STUDY

1. What was the ‘Bauhaus’?

2. What does ‘Bauhaus’ translate to?

3. What did Bauhaus focus on and why was this different to Art Deco?

4. When was the Wassily Chair designed, and by whom?

5. What was Marcel Breuer interested in?

6. What was Marcel Breuer inspired by and why was this?

7. When was the first model of the Wassily Chair finished?

8. Why was the Wassily Chair revolutionary for it’s time?

9. What was the name of the German steel manufacturer that helped Breuer make his chair?

10. Can you still buy the chair today? If you have access to the internet, try to find the cheapest Wassily Chair and the most expensive. What is the difference in price and why do you think this is?

MemphisMemphis is a design movement that began in 1981. While the name might make you think that it was born in

Tennesse, it got its start in Milan, Italy. Designer Ettore Sottsass founded the Memphis Group with other

designers and architects. They took their name from a Bob Dylan song titled Stuck Inside of Mobile with the

Memphis Blues Again which was played on repeat during their first meeting. The Memphis group created a

series of highly influential products in the 1980s. The general thinking behind Memphis was that products do

not have to follow conventional shapes, colours, textures and patterns.

Typical features of the Memphis design include:

The Memphis Group made their debut at the 1981 Salone del Mobile of Milan, a renowned

furniture fair. Although their style was attention grabbing, it was commercially rejected and

instead attracted a cult following.

The Carlton bookshelf (shown beside) was a marvel of creative

design with its angled shelves and use of bright colours. Most of the

Memphis collection products were finished in brightly coloured

laminates (thin layers of plastic / wood). Laminates were most

commonly used at that time to protect kitchen furniture, but the

group specifically chose this material because of its obvious ”lack of

culture”.

Laminate and Terrazzo materials, which

were usually found on floors, were

incorporated into tables and lamps.

Squiggles, aka the Bacterio print, was

designed by Sottsass in 1978.

Bright, multi-colored objects with a

rejection of typical shapes. Often,

instead of chair legs being rectangular,

they’d be circles or triangles

TASK 3- MEMPHIS AND THE CARLTONBOOKCASE - CASE STUDY

1. Where an when did the design style of Memphis start?

2. Who founded the Memphis Group and what did they take their name from?

3. What was the generic thinking behind the Memphis design style?

4. What three features are typically a sign of Memphis design?

5. Where did the Memphis Group make their debut? Was their style liked?

6. Why is the Carlton Bookcase typical of Memphis design?

7. What are laminates and what were they commonly used for at the time?

8. Redesign the 3 products below in the style of Memphis- remember to think about what features are usually seen in Memphis design.

Coffee table Dining chair TV unit

De StijlDe Stijl from the Dutch for "The Style" was a Dutch artistic movement, founded in 1917. They

believed in abstraction by a reducing products to the essentials of form and colour — they simplified

products to vertical and horizontal lines, and used only primary colours along with black and white.

Rietveld wanted his furniture to be mass-produced rather than handcrafted, so he

aimed to make simple product that could be easily made. Also, the pieces of wood

that used in the Red Blue Chair are in the standard timber sizes that were readily

available at the time, making it easy to buy materials to build them.

Rietveld believed that there was a bigger goal for the furniture designer than just

physical comfort: the well-being and comfort of the spirit. Rietveld and his de Stijl

colleagues wanted to create a perfect world which they believed could renew Europe

after the devastating turmoil of World War I. They thought that new forms and

completely new products would help morale in the rebuilding of Europe.

The Red and Blue Chair is a chair designed in 1917 by Gerrit Rietveld. It represents

one of the first explorations by the De Stijl art movement in three dimensions.

The original chair was constructed of unstained beech wood and was not painted until the

early 1920s. A fellow member of De Stijl and architect (Bart Van der Leck), saw his original

model and suggested that he add bright colours.He built the new model of thinner wood

and painted it entirely black with areas of primary colours attributed to De Stijl movement.

The effect of this colour scheme made the chair seem to almost disappear against the black

walls and floor of the Schroder House, where it was later placed.The areas of colour

appeared to float, giving it an almost transparent structure. An original example is on display

at the Brooklyn Museum in New York City.

This is a prime

example of

Dutch artist, Piet

Mondrian’s

(1872-1944)

signature style

that influenced

the De Stijl

movement.

TASK 4- DE STIJL AND THE RED AND BLUE CHAIR- CASE STUDY

1. What does ‘De Stijl’ translate to?

2. Where and when was De Stijl founded?

3. What are the key features of the De Stijl style?

4. Who designed the Red and Blue Chair, and when was the first one made?

5. Who suggested that Gerrit Rietveld should paint the chair?

6. What effect did the colours have on the chair?

7. What did Rietveld do to make sure his designs could be mass produced? (there were two different things)

8. What else did Rietveld believe in, other than physical comfort? Why was this very important at the time?

PHILIPPE STARCK

• He is a famous present-day French Designer.

• He has worked with a number of design groups, including one called Alessi- An

Italian design company designing chairs and kitchenware and are known for

creating striking and iconic designs for everyday products.

• Starck’s designs are typical of postmodernism and enjoys pushing the

boundaries of design with unusual form and ideas.

Starck’s most famous design was the Juicy Salif Lemon Squeezer, made from cast

aluminium.

The design has been greatly criticised due to its unusual form and its

controversial style.

It is thought that the form of the product has meant the sacrifice of function:

the product looks striking but isn’t particularly efficient at getting juice from

lemons. However, the product is widely sold today.

COMPARING A £1 LEMON JUICER VS £50 JUICY SALIF

Beside is a comparison between a £1 juicer

and Starck’s Juicy Salif.

As you can see, the £1 juicer has an extra

tray to catch pips and skin from the lemon

when squeezed. The white part where the

lemon is squeezed is quite sharp, this means

it can squeeze a lot of juice out.

In comparison, the Juicy Salif doesn’t have

any way to catch pips or skin, and the part

when the lemon is placed is quite smooth,

meaning it doesn’t cut into the lemon much,

so not much juice is actually squeezed out.

Conclusion:

• The £1 lemon juicerroduced more juice and the pips / skin was caught in the tray that can be removed, and

cleaned separately.

• The Salif produced some lemon juice, but there were pips / skin in it. Was tricky to hold whilst using due to the

high centre of gravity.

TASK 5- STARCK AND JUICY SALIF – CASE STUDY

1. Who is Philippe Starck and what design groups has he worked with?

2. What design style is Philippe Starck known for?

3. What is Starck’s most famous design and why was it criticised?

4. When comparing the Juicy Salif to a £1 lemon juicer, it turned out that the £1 lemon juicer worked the best. Explain two reasons why the £1 lemon juicer worked better than the £50 Juicey Salif.

5. Why do you think someone would buy the £50 Juicy Salif if it doesn’t work that well?

Design task

1. Using notes and sketches, make two changes to the Juicy Salif that will make it work better. Think about the £1 Lemon juicer- why did this work better and how could you include these features in the Juicy Salif.

NATURE IN DESIGN- BIOMIMICRY

The inventor of Velcro (George de

Mestral) was inspired after noticing how

easy it was for burrs to stick to his dog’s

hair. When he looked at them under a

microscope, he noticed the simple

design of tiny hooks at the end of the

burr’s spines. These were able to catch

anything with a loop, such as fur and

fabric, and he went on to design his own

version of this. His two-part velcro

fastening system is made up of two

parts:

1. A strip of loose nylon loops

2. A strip of tiny hooks.

.

‘Biomimicry’ means designs that have been inspired by nature. The Pyramids,

skyscrapers and supersonic flight (despite the huge amount of engineering

involved), humans have demonstrated over past millennia, we are continually

looking for new inspiration and ways to improve our designs. We will now look

at some examples of how nature has inspired different products.

Tiny hooks

found at the end

of the burr’s

spines.

The Bullet Train in Japan is the fastest train in

the world reaching speeds of up to 200 miles

per hour. This revolutionised travel in Japan, but

there was one major problem- noise. Each time

the train emerged from the tunnel, it caused a

change in air pressure that caused thunder-like

sounds that were a nuisance from a quarter of a

mile away. The train’s chief engineer, a bird-

watcher, had an idea: taking inspiration from the

shape of a bird’s beak to make it more

aerodynamic.

The resulting design was based on the narrow

profile of a kingfisher’s beak, resulting in a

quieter train that also consumes 15% less

electricity and goes 10% faster than before.

Before it was

redesigned

After it was

redesigned

The honey comb structure produced by bees has been used

countless times in design. A bee has to eat eight pounds of honey

to make a single pound of wax to safely store her honey and larvae

in. This means that wax has to be used, with minimal waste.

The ancient Greeks understood that a hexagonal honeycomb

design makes the most storage possible with the least amount of

material (see diagram beside showing different between the waste

between circles and the waste between hexagons). This is why bees

make hexagons, rather than any other shape. Architects and

designers have been using this idea for a very long time. For

example, the Sinosteel skyscraper in Tianjin, China uses honeycomb

windows that has hexagonal insulating glass so it can regulate heat,

but still lets lots of light in (shown below).

A lot of

space

(waste)

between

circles

Minimal

space

(waste)

between

hexagons

This honey comb structure has also been used to

inspire packaging. Paper honeycomb is a durable,

lightweight, cheap and 100% recyclable packaging

solution. Inspired by nature, the unique panels

usually feature a honeycomb core plus two

surface covering materials that sandwich it.

The paper honeycomb panels have a wide variety

of uses in the packaging industry.

In June 2012, Bay South in Singapore, was opened for the visitors and they were

amazed by the view of “super trees”. The biggest of the three gardens (with the

total area of 54 hectares) is planted with giant hi-tech trees with the height of

25-50 meters.

The super trees have obviously been inspired by living trees, but they feature

several features that are very good for the environment.

1. Each of them has exotic plants growing up them and also contains solar

panels. The energy of 11 trees is enough to illuminate all the buildings in this

part of the embankment and give multicoloured lights at for the “Garden

Rhapsody” night show.

2. On the trunks and in small greenhouses inside grown are about 163,000 of

plants of 200 species, most of which are multicoloured moss species, orchids

and tropical flowers that are watered using the energy of the “super trees”.

3. The super trees can collect rainwater that is used to water the gardens and

can also be used in the fountains within the garden.

Recently it has become the top trend in modern architecture to design new hi-

tech projects, which would provide themselves with energy for 100%.

TASK 6- BIOMIMICRY

1. What is Biomimicry?

2. What was the inventor of Velcro inspired by?

3. How does Velcro work?

4. What was the initial problem with the bullet train in Japan?

5. How was it redesigned to fix this problem? What ‘natural’ feature was used for inspiration?

6. Why do bees make hexagons rather than any other shape?

7. How has the honey comb structure been used in architecture (building)

8. What are the advantages of using paper honey comb in packaging?

9. Explain 3 features of the super tree in Japan that make them unique.

MODELLING

When designing and developing products, ‘modelling’ is a key method used to help identify good

points and thing that could be improved. It also allows the designer to see what the product

would look like in the ‘real world’.

Every designer will spend a long time modelling. Dyson, now a household name is famous for

cutting edge technology, innovation and designing high-end products. This Journey of product

design started in 1971 when he discovered a number of problems with the conventional

wheelbarrow he was using while renovating his property. He found that the wheel sank into the

mud, was unstable and was prone to punctures; the steel body caused damage to paint work and

became covered with dried cement. These problems got Dyson thinking about improvements,

and by 1974 Dyson had a fibreglass prototype of a barrow with a ball instead of a wheel. The

Ballbarrow was born.

Even today, with all of his design experience and millions of pounds available, Dyson still creates

countless models when developing products. They will usually start modelling using cardboard as

it is cheap, easy to work with and models can be created very quickly.

MODELLING MATERIALS

As with cardboard, most modelling materials are cheap, easy to work with which means models can be created quickly. This

then allows the design to identify good points and things that need to be changed / improved. You need to know about 4

different types of modelling materials:

Corrugated card Balsa

Corrugated card is quite thick and relatively

strong. It is used for the manufacture of initial /

rough models, as it can be cut and shaped easily

and is relatively cheap. It can be salvaged from

cardboard boxes and sellotaped together to form

models

Balsa wood is a traditional model making material.

Although classified as a hardwood, it is very soft and

easy to cut and shape. However, it is easily broken or

snapped and therefore great care is needed when

cutting and shaping.

It can be painted with water based paints and even

varnished.

Styrofoam Foam core board

Styrofoam is an excellent model making material. It is

very light and easy to cut and shape, using a hot wire

cutter. It can also be shaped with hand tools and files. It

can be painted using water based paints (emulsion

paints) giving a really good finish.

Using styrofoam requires patience, as it can ‘crumble’ at

the edges if care is not taken

Foam boards are lightweight and easy to cut and shape. It is

ideal for model making, although foam board can be

relatively expensive.

Foam board is structured with a foam core centre and

thick card applied to either surface.

It can be cut and shaped easily, using hand tools and light

equipment such as fretsaws.

TASK 7- MODELLING

1. Why is modelling important when designing and developing products?

2. What product did James Dyson originally redesign and why did he do this?

3. Why do Dyson still model ideas out of cardboard?

4. Why is cardboard used for modelling ideas and what type of models is it used for?

5. What is balsa wood and what are it’s properties? I.e. Soft, strong, hard, weak

6. What is a disadvantage of balsa wood?

7. What type of finish can be applied to balsa wood?

8. What is Styrofoam and what are it’s properties I.e. Soft, strong, hard, weak

9. How is Styrofoam shaped?

10. What types of paint can be applied to Styrofoam?

11. What is a disadvantage of using Styrofoam?

12. What is foam board and what are it’s properties? I.e. Soft, strong, weak, hard

13. What is the structure of foam board?

14. How cam foam board be cut and shaped?