Design in Context Flashcards

Question

Global manufacturing in developing countries - ADVANTAGES?

Answer 1

Economic regeneration - increased employment Improves living standards - career development and gives varied skills to workforce Physical regeneration of local area (infrastructure, transportation) Brings in foreign currency

Answer 2

Increased pollution and waste production Destruction of local environment for factories Lower wages than in developed countries (no minimum wage) Managerial roles held by employees from developed countries (no promotion/career development) No unions (against unfair dismissal) Lower safety standards Devaluing of traditional craft skills (replaced by repetitive machine) Community become dependent on company's factory - disaster if production pulled

Answer 3

``` Arts and crafts (1850-1900) Art Nouveau (1890-1905) Modernism (1900-1930) Art Deco (1925-1939) Streamlining (1935-1955) Post-modernism (1975-) ```

Answer 4

Reaction to the negative aspects of the industrial revolution (mechanisation taken over industry and society — resulting in low quality mass produced products, that were no longer pieces of great craftsmanship)

Answer 5

William Morris - poet, artist and socialist Believed industrial production was resulting in less creativity because of the removal of skill from the manufacturing process. He formed Morris & co. which produced a wide range of works such as wallpaper, furniture, stained glass and wallpaper — all with a strong influence from natural materials and shapes. His works did more than just make improvements for the average homeowner — they brought back the importance of the skilled workers.

Answer 6

Mackintosh was at the heart of the Art Nouveau moment — which saw a bridge formed between the arts and crafts and the Bauhaus movement. A strong link was created between decorative elements and modern day approaches such as glass and wrought iron as a replacement for the traditionally used stone, wood and brick. The movement acknowledged the benefits of mass production and other technological improvements - aiming to improve upon the poor craftsmanship found in mass produced goods with high levels of decorative arts. Following the lead of arts ands crafts, art nouveau was influenced by nature. Natural forms and lines, as well as stylised flowers and leaves were featured prominently. The female form was often celebrated in the works — a lamp could have used a female body holding the bulb, in place of the ‘stem’ of the lamp. contrast between strong right angles/parallel lines floral inspired motifs use of symmetry in design heavily influenced by natural stylised flowers/seed pods elongated lines influenced by celtic, ancient Greek, Arabian & ribbon patterns old traditional furniture/shapes sit alongside new ideas form over function – the form is more important than the practicalities embraced the benefits of mass production influence of the female form wavy lines / whiplash / languid lines elegant / intricate influence of other cultures / Japan use of the colour white embraces the aesthetic possibilities of new materials

Answer 7

Charles Rennie Mackintosh was born in Glasgow, and go on to various works such as paintings, graphics, architecture, interior design, furniture, glass and metalwork. These were heavily influenced by the Art Noveau and by his own 'Glasgow style' that he helped create. He worked hard to create similarities between the architectural and interior design elements of his work — giving artistic harmony. One particular theme through his work includes the contrast between strong lines and edges (right angles) with subtle nature inspired curves.

Answer 8

At their core, the modernist and Bauhaus design movements have the same values — a rejection of the traditional decorative ornamentation in favour of a form that was dictated by the function — form follows function. By focusing all the energy of the design on the function of the product, high value objects could be created in high numbers for reasonable costs — democratic design — with the “most of the best to the greatest number of people for the least”. The new thinking came about after the Great War, with the hopes of designing a better society with new materials such as glass, concrete and steel. The Bauhaus movement was one of the most influential design periods and became known as the ‘international style’ in architecture. Translated as ‘school of building’, multiple design disciplines (from graphic design to architecture) were brought together so they could learn from each other. The school promoted designs that were mass produced, yet also embodied the care of craft combined with modern technology. Unnecessary ornamentation was replaced with simple geometric shapes. Primary focus of the design is to function well, which then dictates the styling. Function always first There is no added decoration / not highly stylised. Machine made / designed for machine manufacture / designed or mass production. Mass production reduces the cost and is key to any Bauhaus design. Economic materials used.

Answer 9

One of the most famous examples of Bauhaus design is Marcel Breuer's Wassily Chair, also known as the Model B3 chair, which featured steel tubes (originally inspired by the steel tubes of the bicycle), and became one of the first lightweight and easily mass produced metal chair. Breuer's other work includes the cantilevered chair by Marcel Breuer which allowed its occupant to 'sit on air' and was a dramatic shift from traditional designs.

Answer 10

Art Deco was an architectural and decorative movement which emerged in France in the 1920s. It was a wide ranging style that had foundations in tradition but fully embraced the mechanical world — using man-made materials such as aluminium and glass, with symmetry and repetition. In contrast with the purely functionalist ideas of modernism, art deco recognised our need for pleasure. It could perhaps also be seen as a reaction to the difficult times that resulted from the first world war. The ‘bland’ was replaced with patterns, bright colours and expensive materials such as ivory, bronze and polished stone, while also referencing back to the modernist ideals with geometric forms and sharp edges. The discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb resulted in a worldwide interest in the ancient Egyptians, and was represented using primitive arts such as simplified forms and interpretations.

Answer 11

Eileen Gray gained fame while working as an interior designer - when she received praise from Bauhaus founder, Walter Gropius. She later became an architect after being persuaded by famous modernist, Le Corbusier, and worked on her famous E-1027 vacation house in France, which was designed to accommodate the specific needs of its users. The interior received the same design approach with classics such as her circular glass table and Bibendum armchair — who drew inspiration from the tubular steel work of Breuer.

Answer 12

Also known as the American Industrial design movement, streamlining came about as a solution to the Great Depression, which created a lack of consumer demand. New materials such as chrome and bendable plywood were a start and a new aesthetic influenced by aerodynamic design in the aerospace industry.

Answer 13

Raymond Loewy incorporated teardrop shapes (originally used to help planes go faster) with futuristic design (such as fins) to objects that were moving nowhere such as fridges. He created excitement and optimism for a better future, embracing that the consumers’ want didn’t entirely need to make sense. By making the products look appealing, streamlined and exciting, consumers would buy them — from cars to fridges to trains. He called it ‘beauty through function and simplification’. Style became equally as important as the function — creating products that promoted desirable lifestyles.

Answer 14

Post-modernism came as a revolt against the functionalism of the modernist movement — ‘less is a bore!’. The new design style began with architecture as a reaction to the perceived boringness of modernist architecture. However, modernists argued that the new style encouraged unnecessary ornamentation and decoration, while Daniel Weil referred to it as the post rational movement (when I spoke to him at the Design Museum in London)! The Italian Memphis group were an unfortunate, although convention challenging, result of the new style. Vibrant, eccentric and ornamental — the furniture was nothing more than a fad which soon moved out of fashion (if it ever was ‘in’ to begin with). ``` design is often stylised/streamlined use of organic shapes and flowing lines to contrast with angular shapes use of pure/clean design clean and uncluttered design based around "less is more"/minimalist unusual combinations of materials strong relationship with user and function of the products futuristic designs style includes fun / humour bright and colourful / abstract use of colour retro re-invented taste for innovation emphasis on form Use of geometric shapes Distinct personality/individualism Use of modern material Often uses a small range of materials ```

Answer 15

Philippe Stark - both loved and hated by designers — is a famous post-modernist. His designs include stylised and organic shapes that feature humour and personality. They were bright and colourful, and were popular to consumers who wanted to express their individuality. Perhaps his most well-known work is the lemon squeezer (‘Juicy Salif’) — which, although aesthetically a beautiful sculptural object, doesn’t actually work and has become nothing more than an object to look at. However, what the post-modernist movement did best was force us to question why things are the way they are — and if need be, change them (even though the result was often short-lived products that failed to stand the test of time).

Answer 16

Modernist movement supported functionalism - form of product should suit its function (without excessive/unnecessary decoration) Victorians had produced heavily decorated objects that were difficult to produce Mass produced items needed to be simple and easy to produce Design has become method of self expression Products have guarantees they will work so main decider is aesthetics Designer's role is to produce objects with the right style for a specific market Modern designers balance form and function

Answer 17

Applying characteristics of humans to the design | Improves people's lives (increasing comfort and satisfaction)

Answer 18

Data about human measurements (shapes and sizes) Takes into account greatest number of users (90% - 5th to 95th percentile) Ignore smallest and largest 5% (niche markets focused on in other products)

Answer 19

Quantitative data - measurable (physical fit of product) | Qualitative data - opinion based

Answer 20

1 design for everyone (doorway) Range of products (clothes sizes) Adaptable (chair) Accessory that adapts to an original design (child car seat)

Design in Context Flashcards

(47 cards)