U N I T 1 DESIGN IS HISTORY In this Unit we will focus on the first stages of Design which, as a learning objective, will include all designed objects. Design has to respond to the establishment of material culture as much as Art has to respond to visual culture . A. WHEN WAS DESIGN BORN? Up until the Industrial Revolution objects were made by craftsmen, either working on their own, or collectively in rural cottage industries or Guilds or Societies within the towns. The majority worked at a low level of skill and design, producing simple objects, furniture, plates, etc. There were a few craftsmen who worked for the nobility and the rich merchants and they produced objects based on designs and technology sometimes taken from other countries. They had their own design styles, but they still could only make a limited number of objects at a high price. The dates given for design style movements can only be approximate. Nothing suddenly happened. In many cases two styles overlapped, one faded away while another one arrived. The reasons why these new movements occurred were a complex mix of historical, political and social factors. The history of Industrial Design really began with the start of the Industrial Revolution that took place during the early part of the 1700 s in England with the invention of mechanical processes of production. Everything changed, for the first time it was possible to produce large quantities of a product cheap enough for most people to buy, but design was of a very low standard. Manufacturers had no interest in beautifying their products because there was little competition and they wanted to make as much money as possible. In 1837, in Somerset House in London, a government School of Design1 was established with the aim, to train designers for working within industry. The London Great Exhibition in 1851 became the showcase of industrial design. GLOSSARY Industrial Revolution, workers in a textile factory. beautifying: improving craftsman: a man who makes things skilfully with his hands to establish: to create, to found fading: slowly becoming less strong furniture: large movable items such as tables, chairs, or beds that are used in a house Guild: association of people who do the same job to overlap: when one part of a thing covers a part of the other showcase: a glass case for exhibiting articles on sale skill: ability to train: to teach someone the skills that he/she needs in order to do a job. 1. At the end of the 19th century the school received the name of Royal College of Art and in 1967 it received a Royal Charter which gave it the status of independent university with the power to grant its own degree. 164