Environmental and Green design.

Environmental design is based on the concept of providing the most with the least. The whole aim of environmental design is reducing the consumption of energy and materials and minimizing waste. Environmental design was kick started in the 1920’s by Richard Buckminster fuller. Buckminster fuller also designed the dymaxion car which featured highly innovative features compared to the common car of that time. The car could hold up to 11 passengers, had a highly aerodynamic design, could reach speed of up to 90mile per hour and was also a front wheel drive. These features made the car a huge hit in the 1930’s. By the 80’s the environmentalists warned the people of the effects of industrialism on global warming.



Dymaxion Car.

Green design takes into consideration the products whole life cycle. This means that it looks at the extraction of raw materials, the ecological impact of their processing, the energy that the product consumes in the manufacturing process, the length of the products service life and other factors that are important in the process of producing designs from recycled objects. Recycling objects can reduce waste however it does not necessarily minimize it. Increased product durability on the other hand minimizes waste and energy consumption and doubling the product life can minimize the environmental impact by half.  Tejo Remy designed a chair made out of recycled clothes/ rags which are then held together and kept into place with the use of a rope that goes around the chair.  Some examples of green design include baby clothes, steel water bottles, organic mattresses and pillows, organic bed sheets and bath towels and also journals, notebooks and wooden toys. All the products that are mentioned above are then recycled and re used as another object or product.

Rag Chair.

Planned obsolescence created conflicting views and can arise from change in technology and change in appearance or style. Planned obsolescence is based on the concept of intentionally limiting the life of products so that people and customers and manipulated consuming more and newer products. However on the other hand it keeps workers and designers in employment and helps economic growth.

                 Design for safety and awareness in design kick started in the 60’s with the publication of the book unsafe at any speed. Design for safety brought about the development of products making them safer to use and also the design of safety equipment such as fire extinguishers, seat belts, air bags and smoke alarms.



 

 

 

 

References:

 

 

droog . 2014. Rag chair. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.droog.com/webshop/furniture/rag-chair/. [Accessed 23 December 14].

buckminster fuller institute . 2013. about fuller. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bfi.org/about-fuller/big-ideas/dymaxion-world/dymaxion-car. [Accessed 24 December 14].

autolife. 1996. From Ralph Nader’s Preface to Unsafe at Any Speed. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.autolife.umd.umich.edu/Design/Gartman/Books/BK_Unsafe_Any_Speed.htm. [Accessed 24 December 14].



Globalisation.

Nowadays the market is packed and this means that there is need for more innovations and revolutionary concepts.  Some designs are intentionally produced to improve the image of something; other designs are intended to revive old traditions. The modernist ideal of good design returned in the 21^st century. The present design contains a mixture of functional and emotional quality, environmental design and ergonomic design.

                Functional design helps people understand something in an easier way. For example Boris Bally used traffic sign showing the original function of the product. He produced a set of chairs and home furniture which were covered in traffic signs. To produce these chairs Boris Bally recycled traffic signs as his medium and transformed them into bold statement pieces of furniture which are fun to look at and to use.

                                                         Boris Bally’s Traffic sign chairs.

The Company Freitag recycles the Tarpaulins from trucks to produce shoulder bags. Tarpaulin is a very strong and flexible waterproof material and is mainly used as a cover to prevent water getting in. There is a whole process as to how the company Freitag produces these bags. They first get the raw material (Tarp) from a truck that is not in use anymore. After getting the Tarp they cut it and remove any material that is on it. The Tarps are then washed to remove the fumes, acidity, dust and grime that the tarp would accumulate when on the truck. After that the Tarp sheets are taken to the designers to they can produce their one of a kind bags. All bags are different making all the bags unique. After that they are taking to the sewing centre and are then ready to be sold.

Ergonomic design applies findings from the study of anthropometrics to the design of objects. Anthropometrics is the study of human body measurements and properties. This study is needed to help designers and manufacturers produce designs for the best efficiency possible. Emilio Ambasz’ “Vertebra armchair” which was designed in 1974-1976 is the first automatically adjustable chair, which is designed to respond and adapt to the movements of the user. This function makes the chair more comfortable for the user’s body and provides support. The chair is made out of polyurethane and leather and this materials give the chair extra elegance and comfort. Emilio Ambasz designed this chair to make it feel like it is an extension of the human body and the Argentinean designer succeeded in doing that.

Vertebra Armchair.



References:

Tumblr. 2014. Boris Bally. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.tumblr.com/search/Boris+Bally. [Accessed 24 December 14].

Freitag. 2014. FROM TRUCK TILL BAG. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.freitag.ch/about/production;jsessionid=0594D3D59D6B3E92E02DB48699EF830D. [Accessed 24 December 14].

Metmuseum. 2000. "Vertebra" armchair. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/1989.48. [Accessed 24 December 14].

Post Modernism

The designers and architects in this movement argued that modern architecture was meaningless and that it lacked irony and difficulties which prevailed in historical buildings.  Post modern designers thought that modernism resulted in unwanted buildings and incomprehensible books. However Robert Venturi wrote a book in 1966 saying that “ambiguity and contradiction was valid in design”. He also argued that the absence of ornament was dehumanising design.

                In 1989 famous designer Giorgio Armani’s Casual look design broke down the dividing line between day wear and evening wear, formal and casual by fusing both styles in a single look. American Critic Charles Jencks recommended that products should be made of elements which are hybrid meaning that styles and elements should be mixed. His sun table and chairs series which was produced in 1984 is a perfect example of this. The set had elements and looks from the Egyptian era and the art deco as he mixed these two styles to create his chair. Post modernism designs looked at other historical styles for inspiration and reference such as the art deco style, De Stijl and constructivism. Other designers introduced eccentric and abnormal elements in their designs.

 

Armani's1989 release.

Sun Table and Chairs Series.

 Nowadays we do not take any notice of the dividing line that there once was. We wear tracksuit jackets on jeans or gym clothes to go out to school. However before Giorgio Armani and other designers changed the people’s mentality and broke the division one did not used to go out and wear a tracksuit jacket on jeans, or wear training shoes to go out.

                During the post modern movement there was also the merging of fine arts and mass culture. Architects such as Michael Groves introduced a new look by the mid 1970’s. Michael Graves’ Portland buildings which were designed in 1982 contain elements which are hybrid. He gives his building an art deco and a pyramid like look and we can see this due to the lines that are found at the side of the building. We can see a resemblance between the building and the pyramids thanks to the triangular corners that are found on the building and also thanks to the glorious entrance and the golden sculpture in front of it which looks like the entrance to a pharaoh’s tomb. The Building is credited with helping the rejection of modernist styles involving a return to classicism in architecture.

Portland Building.

 

The Memphis group which was founded in Milan in 1981 and consisted of the designers: Ettore Sottsass, Michele De Lucchi, Marco Zanini, Mateo Thun, Nathalie Du Pasquier and George Sowden, aimed to strengthen Radical design and device a new creative approach to design. The name of the group was chosen after Bob Dylan’s song.

The Group members.

 

References:

De Zeen. 2011. The Portland Public Service Building . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.dezeen.com/2011/12/08/the-portland-building-by-michael-graves-associates-added-to-national-register-of-historic-places/. [Accessed 30 November 14].

Artvalue.com. 2009. JENCKS Charles A., *1939 (USA) . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.artvalue.com/auctionresult--jencks-charles-a-1939-usa-chaises-sun-chair-4-2547661.htm. [Accessed 30 November 14].

Italy Chronicles. 2010. Information on the Memphis Design Movement. [ONLINE] Available at: http://italychronicles.com/italian-design-focus-on-the-memphis-design-movement/. [Accessed 30 November 14].

Style Regisrty. 1999. Giorgio Armani | Spring 1989 . [ONLINE] Available at: http://styleregistry.livejournal.com/252192.html. [Accessed 30 November 14].

 

 

Pop Design.

The term pop design was formulated in the 50’s. This term referred to the popular culture. The independent group whose members were Richard Hemiton, Eduardo Padozzi, Reyner banham and peter and Alison Smith was founded in 1952 in the city of London.

                Good design was very popular in Germany and beautiful design was produced in Italy, however this was before the emergence of Pop design. Designers were given the possibility to experiment with design and colours due to the development of artificial materials like polypropylene.

Verner Panton’s Panton chair was the first chair to be made from a single piece of plastic. It was designed in 1967 and it marked a turning point in 20^th century design. He came up with the idea of making a chair by using one piece of plastic after he visited a factory that made plastic buckets and helmets. The chair followed the curves of the human body and its shape created a strong structure. However the chair was difficult to make due to the fact that finding the right material was not easy. However Vitra took up the challenge. Nowadays the chair is back into production and the Panton Chair is considered to be a turning point in modern design.

Panton Chair.

Pop design also brought about protests against established designs. The main inspirations of the pop design culture were space travel and science-fiction. There was also a rebellion against traditional norms.

                In America we can find designers like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein who were inspired by low art.  They based their designs on the youths and stuck by the saying “use it today sling it tomorrow”. The material plastic was very popular and as said earlier the design was aimed at the youth market, making it cheap, fun but inevitably of very bad and poor quality. There was a boom in contemporary art and there was also the creation of PVC.  Designers De Pas and D’Urbino and Lomazzi created the blow chair which was made out of PVC in 1967. This design reflected a culture of ephemerality which means that the design will only last for a short time. Later on in America and Britain, the Hippie movement and flower power emerged and new artificial materials were invented. These seemed like playful materials to work with for designers.

Andy Warhol's Perrier covers.

 

                 The packaging, advertising and comics were all aimed at the youth market and this encouraged the younger generation to buy objects which were cheap. The carnival like colours struck the eyes of the youths and this still happens today. When a child sees an object with vibrant and carnival like colours and a childish and appealing font he/she would want to buy it. 

Lichtenstein's Packaging.

 

References:

Nest.co.uk. 2014. Vitra Panton Chair Classic. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nest.co.uk/product/vitra-panton-chair-classic. [Accessed 29 November 14].

Behance. 2011. Arrid Pop Art Package. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.behance.net/gallery/3780568/Arrid-Pop-Art-Packaging. [Accessed 29 November 14].

The Die Line. 2013. Perrier Limited Edition: Andy Warhol . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/7/10/perrier-limited-edition-andy-warhol.html. [Accessed 29 November 14].

Be an Eagle. 2012. Campbell’s & Andy WARHOL : a case of opportunistic marketing? - See more at: http://www.beaneagle.be/packaging/campbells-andy-warhol-a-case-of-opportunistic-marketing#sthash.ZlfXMM2Z.dpuf. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.beaneagle.be/packaging/campbells-andy-warhol-a-case-of-opportunistic-marketing. [Accessed 29 November 14].

 

               

Scandinavian Design.

Scandinavian design emerged in the 1950’s in countries like Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway and Iceland. Scandinavian design is known for its use of wood, light colours, soft curves which in some products resemble the famous fjords and it’s also known for minimalism and functionality. Scandinavian design consists of designers like Arne Jacobsen, Eero Saarinen and Paul Hennigsen. 

The Fjords.

Arne Jacobsen was a Danish designer and was among the first designers to launch modern design in his home country. He was originally influenced and inspired by Le Corbusier, Mies Van Der Rohe and the modern Movement Designers.  Jacobsen produced furniture designs for fritz Hansen a decade before he produced his famous Egg and Swan chairs which he produced in the years 1957-1958. To produce the egg chair, Jacobsen used a new technique which consisted of polyurethane foam upholstery supported by a fibreglass body. This was done to create the chairs rounded shell.  Jacobsen wanted to produce a chair that looked and felt comfortable. The bright red colour attracts attention and the sides of the chair give the person who is sitting on the chair a sense of privacy due to the fact that they sides and “wings” of the chair are curved inwards. Even though the structural appearance of the chair was much admired, it was only made in limited numbers at first. Jacobsen is also known for his Ant chair which he produced in 1951.

Egg chair.

Paul Hennigsen was a Danish designer and approached his designs with a utilitarian approach. Hennigsen brought good design to the masses and appreciated the traditional forms of design. Unfortunately many of his designs were produced after his death. Hennigsen is known for his Ph Artichoke lamp which he produced in 1958. Paul Hennigsen studied the reduction of glare and the use of soft and warm lighting systems to help improve his design. The artichoke lamp is made out of copper and steel. The metal leaves that are found on the lamp are angled downwards. This is done so that they reflect the light and spread illumination across the room without producing glare. Another interesting factor about this lamp is that it is impossible to see the central bulb due to the arrangements of the metal leaves and the steel cylinder. Hennigsen’s Artichoke lamps popularity grew due as people discovered that it would suit both traditional and modern interiors.  

Artichoke Lamp.

 Eero Saarinen was a Finnish designer and used organic forms in architecture. He is famously known for his designs like the: TWA terminal in the Kennedy airport in New York and also for his tulip chair and Table. Saarinen’s Tulip Table is made out of a cast aluminium base and a wood top. The tulip Table was produced in 1956. Saarinen wanted to clear up the “slum of legs” that most tables consisted of.  So he designed a single trumpet shaped base that gradually gets wider until it forms an almost flat disc at the base.

Tulip Table.

References:

Pash. 2015. Tulip Table inspired by Eero Saarinen. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.pash-living.co.uk/tulip-table-inspired-by-eero-saarinen.html. [Accessed 25 January 15]

moderndallas. 2010. 

Vintage Artichoke Ceiling Lamp designed in 1958 by Poul Henningsen. [ONLINE] Available at: https://moderndallas.wordpress.com/2010/02/08/vintage-artichoke-ceiling-lamp-designed-in-1958-by-poul-henningsen/. [Accessed 25 January 15].

eameschair. 2015. Arne Jacobsen Inspired Egg Chair in Red cashmere. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.eameschair.org.uk/buy/arne-jacobsen-inspired-egg-chair-in-red-cashmere/. [Accessed 25 January 15].

Worldguide. 2014. Scandinavian Design. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.worldguide.eu/wg/index.php?StoryID=148&ArticleID=23189&ChapterID=2. [Accessed 25 January 15].

International Style - Organic Design.

Organic designs consisted of design which related to their surrounding environment, consisted of soft flowing forms and natural materials as well as plastics moulded into organic forms. The international style brought with it new materials which helped designers like Ray and Charles Eames, Alvar Aalto and Frank Lloyd Wright produce their organic designs using new materials and new techniques.

                Frank Lloyd Wright brought a Humanizing approach to design, believed that the total effect matters more than the sum of all the parts and tried to capture the spirit of nature in his design and tried to connect his designs with their surroundings.  Frank Lloyd Wright is mainly known for his “falling water” house 1934-1937. As we can see in the picture below, Frank Lloyd Wright manages to connect his design (Falling Water) with nature by building the house on top of a waterfall. The water passes under the house making it feel like it is part of the waterfall. He also used the rocks found as the base of the house and used the same colours for the walls that are found in the environment surrounding the house. This was done to help the house connect and blend in with its surroundings. The organic shapes that Frank Lloyd Wright used helped this magnificent house blend in with the organic shapes of the waterfall and its surroundings.

Falling Water by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Alvar Aalto studied in Helsinki and experimented with bending wood. This led to his revolutionary chair designs in the 1930’s. His designs pioneered a humanizing vocabulary of form and he believed that natural materials fulfilled the functional and psychological needs of the users. However Alto’s main concern was the functional and emotional impact that his products had on the consumer rather than the possibility of universal supremacy. The way the glass folds gives Alvar Aaltos Savoy vase a unique sculptural quality and creates a pattern of light and dark. The three large loops found on the vase form swelling curves and the fluid shapes reflect Aalto’s passion for organic and natural forms.

 

 

Ray and Charles Eames were a couple who were both in the design industry. Ray cam e form a painting and weaving background and was an abstract artist. Charles trained as an architect and was exposed to the work of great designers like Gropius Le Corbusier and Van Der Rohe. Charles and Ray Eames were famous for their organic designs and their experiment in bending plywood. After winning a competition in 1940 Ray and Charles got married and started to experiment with moulding techniques for plywood and developed the Kazam machine.  Charles used to bend wood to create splints for the wounded soldiers in the world war. Ray and Charles Eames’ Lounge Chair 670 and ottoman is a great example of the technique that they specialised in. the chair consists of three separate plywood shells which are joined together with a rear support. The plywood shells are curved and angled back creates comfort and the shape of the cushion follows the outline of the wooden chair. The chair also has five metal supports to make it stable.

References:

Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. 2013. Falling Water. [ONLINE] Available at: http://waterlandlife.org/43/fallingwater. [Accessed 24 November 14].

Really Well Made. 2014. 95 mm Alvar Aalto Vase. [ONLINE] Available at: https://reallywellmade.co.uk/shop/alvar-aalto-95-mm-vase/. [Accessed 24 November 14].

Wilkinson, PW, 2013. Great Designs. 1st ed. Great Britain: DK (Book)

Designography. 2001. Charles Eames. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designophy.com/designpedia/design-designer-1000000009-charles-eames.htm. [Accessed 24 November 14].

 

 

 

 



The International Style.

International Style.

The phrase “International Style” was coined by Alfred J Barr JR who was the director of the museum of modern arts in New York.

                The international style brought new materials with it and these included: Glass, natural materials used in an innovative way example bentwood, there was a reduction of decorations being used, plain surfaces were being produced due to the fact that they were easier for industrial production, simple streamlined objects, tubular steel was a huge hit and many designers used it to produce their designs, there was also the use of curvaceous lines and cantilevering. 

                Le Corbusier, also known as Charles Edouard Jeanneret was a giant in design who worked with Josef Hoffman and with the Wiener Werkstatte. Le Corbusier promoted geometric formalism and developed a style called Purism; this was a form of cubism however it was not very popular. He was in contact with Mies Van Der Rohe and with the Bauhaus director Walter Gropius. In 1925 Corbusier managed to convince the organizers of the Art Decoratifs to give him an exhibition site. However in this site there weren’t designs that one was expecting. It consisted of bare walls, glass tables, metal furniture and cold lighting and Michael Thonets no9 and no 14 chairs. Le Corbusier is famous for his Lc2 and Lc3 chairs, these chairs provided great comfort, it was designed with minimum use of materials and it was influenced by his cousin Charlotte Perriand. Le Corbusier tried to solve the mass housing problems. He also designed tubular furniture like his B306 Chaise longue and his B301 Basculant Chair which provided a new aesthetic purity in design.



Lc2 and Lc3 chairs by Le Corbusier.

Mies Van Der Rohe was a trained builder and worked as a draughtsman. He then joined Peter Behrens and worked alongside Walter Gropius and Le Corbusier. He was the last director of the Bauhaus and was mainly inspired by neoclassical architecture. Van Der Rohe also designed his versions of tubular steel chairs which consisted of the MR10 and MR20 models which were inspired by Mart Stams design. His designs were shown at the Barcelona Pavillon in 1929. Van Der Rohe is famous for his Barcelona chair. This chair consisted of a frame made out of strong; chrome plated steel bars which were welded together in a curved X shape and a seat with a deep rectangular leather-covered cushion for the seat and the backrest.

Van Der Rohe's Barcelona Chair.

 

 

Walter Gropius was the first director of the Bauhaus and believed that complete building is when construction is an important social symbolic and intellectual endeavour. He exploited new technologies and believed in simplification and functionality.  Walter Gropius highlighted the importance for the development of the modern movement in architecture and combined unity in the arts. Before Gropius founded the Bauhaus he joined the Werkbund in 1911. 

The Bauhaus school in Dessau

Dieter Rams studied architecture and interior design and joined the staff of the company Braun as an architect and designer and designed products for the company. While designing products, Dieter came up with the so called 10 commandments of design. For Dieter Rams good design is: Innovative, Makes a product useful, Aesthetic, Makes a product, Is understandable, Is unobtrusive, Is honest, long lasting, environmentally friendly and is as little design as possible.

Dieter Rams at the less and more exhibition.

 

 

References:

Le Corbusier Chair. 2012. Le Corbusier LC2 and LC3 Grand Confort. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.corbusierchair.org/Corbusier-LC2.html. [Accessed 19 November 14].

Spring Leap. 2013. Barcelona’ Chair. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.springleap.com/blog/barcelona-chair/. [Accessed 19 November 14].

Alexander Forbes' . 2012. Berlin Art Brief. [ONLINE] Available at: http://blogs.artinfo.com/berlinartbrief/2012/03/06/bauhaus-dessau-goes-green/. [Accessed 20 November 14].

Wordpress.com. 2009. I love Dieter Rams’ designs . [ONLINE] Available at: https://braundesigns.wordpress.com/. [Accessed 20 November 14].