History of Modern Design by

History of Modern Design by https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18 en-us 2017-01-10 19:39:27 UTC 2025-09-26 05:49:31 UTC hello@padlet.com The Aesthetic Movement abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146819830 The Aesthetic Movement in Britain was during the late nineteenth century. It combined the art and design of the past with the art and design of different cultures around the world. Raizman portrayed that “The importance of this movement to the history of modern design can hardly be underestimated since it succeeded in shaping the attitudes of artists, manufacturers, and wealthy consumers and in elevating the status of the decorative arts.” Professionals in the design and creative fields established a movement to illustrate the beauty of art in its simplest form. It was motivated by pure beauty that was composed of individual expression and substance.

The movement has dozens of popular names associated to it including Whistler whose Peacock Room is known as one of “The most marvelous example of aesthetic movement interior decoration…” (The Guardian), which was fashioned for the wealthy, much like maybe decorative pieces that came from the movement. The upper class consumers were becoming materialistic while some artists kept their artwork minimalistic like Godwin and Dresser. Decorative arts became a lifestyle for Christopher Dresser, who used Japan as an influence throughout his designs and patterns. He claimed himself to be an “ornamentalist,” and acquired the reference to the “first industrial designer” (Raizman). The craftsmen put themselves into their products with a new perspective on life as well as art. They wanted to unite their patterns, designs or interior works by colors, quality, structure and character. The aesthetic movement shows us today the importance of art. ]]> 2017-01-12 15:47:04 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146819830 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146827215 https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2011/mar/26/aestheticism-exhibition-victoria-albert-museum ]]> 2017-01-12 16:06:33 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146827215 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146828355 This is the Peacock Room by Whistler from 1876-1877. The excessive ornamentation was very popular in the Aesthetic Movement. It is known as one of the greatest and most well preserved aesthetic interiors of its time and represents the favorable Japanese style in the nineteenth century. ]]> 2017-01-12 16:10:10 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146828355 Books, Illustration, and Type abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146870226 When the twentieth century was quickly approached, Britain gained significant interest in printing and typography. Illustrations were starting to get published and showed a different portrayal of “nature and the human figure” (Raizman). A British artist named Kate Greenaway gained an impressive career her first famous illustration called Under the Window, was used in a book that was published by George Routledge in 1879. After the start of Greenaway’s career, Raizman added that her “illustrations touch upon a number of attitudes toward the decorative arts in the later nineteenth century as they apply to printing.” One of her illustrations from Marigold Garden incorporated young children in a circle with a band of flowers which are present in most of her pieces. Most pieces of artists’ used wood engravings and were reproduced from the originals. Photomechanical methods for the reproduction of artists images were starting to clash with chromolithographic approach that was often used to reproduce images. Methods of printing became more sophisticated and it ultimately made one cohesive message amongst the typography and paper. ]]> 2017-01-12 17:57:46 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146870226 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146870978 This is showing the wood graving technique that Kate Greenaway and other artists at the time were using. ]]> 2017-01-12 17:59:50 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146870978 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146872540 This link is showing the illustrations of Kate Greenaway in Marigold Garden. It explains who she was as an artist and what the book is. http://www.pookpress.co.uk/shop/marigold-garden-kate-greenaway/]]> 2017-01-12 18:04:10 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146872540 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146874194 Kate Greenaway's Marigold Garden showing her use of flowers which she using throughout her pieces. Some critics even believed that some of the children she portrayed were models after dolls she kept in her bedroom. First published 1885 by Fredrick Warne & Co. ]]> 2017-01-12 18:08:53 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/146874194 Arts and Crafts Movement abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/148251019 The Arts and Crafts Movement was primarily the rebellion of the industrialization of Britain in the Victorian era. Many craftsmen had sympathy for the working class, such as Ruskin who was “nevertheless sensitive to the levels of poverty, unemployment, and poor working conditions in Britain” (Raizman). These artists and craftsmen thought that people should not just work to work, but that they should take pride and pleasure in their everyday work and thoroughly enjoy it. Human labor was a problem during this time period and they wanted to change it. Even Ruskin was able to find happiness from his works and gained a whole new level of meaning and appreciation for his work. He aimed to focus on “the well-being of working people” (Raizman). William Morris was more interested in incorporating the problems with social reform with actually doing something about it. “The spiritualization of craft, its link to social reform, and skepticism toward the widely held view that industrialization and progress went hand in hand characterize Morris’s attitudes and became the basis for a number of organizations and other initiatives that are known generally as the Arts and Crafts movement” (Raizman). People in this era were starting to become materialistic because artists were able to offer them handcrafted furniture and works of art. Handmade pieces of art are often seen as respected and valued because it went against the mechanical production that was rapidly increasing. ]]> 2017-01-19 22:31:44 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/148251019 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/148251360 2017-01-19 22:35:05 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/148251360 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/148251421 2017-01-19 22:35:38 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/148251421 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/148251474 These images all display and demonstrate Morris's craftmanship. The first image is his wallpaper, then his chair becase he was known for his furniture and a stain glass window. ]]> 2017-01-19 22:36:09 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/148251474 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/148251622 This video shows the amazing craftsmanship that Morris possessed. His attention to detail and overall aesthetic really showcased the era. Morris & Co. was such a monumental company that everyone wanted his prints and wallpapers. Some wallpapers that were designed by others shared the same characteristics so some thought that they had wallpapers designed by Morris & Co. when in fact they didn't. ]]> 2017-01-19 22:37:55 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/148251622 "Modernism" Summary abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/149588665 Modernism encompasses the arts and literature movements of the past with the future ones. Modernism was in search of new ways of expression that could simplify and sum up what artists at the time were trying to convey. Experimentation became prominent in that people wanted to push the boundaries that society had set in place. "Modernism...is characterised by a deliberate rejection of the styles of the past; emphasising instead innovation and experimentation in forms, materials and techniques in order to create artworks that better reflected modern society" (Tate). A better understanding of modern day living was the main focus. Modernism intended to interpret the growing advance to the many advantages of industrial materials. When Sir Ebenezer Howard introduced his ideologies about the Garden City Movement, no one jumped on board immediately. The idea of a planned community where you select the agriculture side or the urban side. The initial thought was to better society and better the lives of the classes which also was the ideologies for modernism. Today we still see strives to better society and simplify modern living.

http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/m/modernism]]> 2017-01-26 13:58:43 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/149588665 Giacomo Balla abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/149873094 Balla took a vast involvement in the world of men's fashion at the beginning of the twentieth-century. Asymmetrical geometric patterns were a major aspect of his designs. Like many other artists in the nineteenth and twentieth-century, Japanese influence was prominent throughout the Aesthetic Movement. Balla's designs also showcased urban influences through vests and suits. According to Balla, "modern clothing should avoid 'faded and murky colors' and 'symmetry,' and strive to liberate emotion and action by being 'aggressive,' 'agile,' and 'dynamic'. Futurists as well as other artists like Balla, enjoyed the ever-changing seasons of the fashion industry that allowed free flowing expression and imagination. ]]> 2017-01-27 14:03:41 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/149873094 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/149883971 Balla showcased his love of Japanese influence into his own designs through the geometric and asymmetrical patterns and detail. ]]> 2017-01-27 14:33:34 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/149883971 Fashion Magazines abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/149896786 Fashion and style magazines like Vogue, Harper's Bazaar, Seventeen used specific styles of typography and unique photographs that represent each magazine individually. For certain articles on "fabrics or hair styling also used photography and color to advantage in conveying the vitality an excitement of contemporary life" (Raizman). Depending on the layout of the magazine, it provided evidence into the portrayal of movements at the time. For example, Seventeen used asymmetrical but slightly less similar look in contrast to Vogue or Vanity Fair. With typography however, there was more wiggle room one could say, and more room for experimentation. From the sizes of lettering, titles or the rare drawing for a creative depiction of something, there was room for creativity and imagination. When type and photography were starting to be used together, this helped to characterize just what graphic design meant and stood for at the time. New Typography gave an artistic element to the pages of magazines which could touch upon sophistication to fashion or even social and political issues that added a new life to the spreads. Most of the credit has to be given to the creative freedom designers and publishers were given. The world behind the closed doors of high end fashion magazines seems as prestigious as one could imagine. They are able to give the reader a story, not just looking at images. ]]> 2017-01-27 15:03:58 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/149896786 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/149915940 These old fashioned magazine covers show the fashion during the time, the different typography, graphics and fonts used for the title and cover of the magazine.]]> 2017-01-27 15:59:14 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/149915940 Conspicuous Consumption abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150540451 During this time period, consumption was becoming more of a lifestyle and a way of life. As new and exciting products were being introduced, that ranged from “automobiles to kitchen appliances, portable electronics to furniture” (Raizman). Previously mentioned in various other movements like the Aesthetic Movement, conspicuous consumption is still prominent in the 1950s. The need to buy and consume is still present today. The more one bought, the more prestigious they would look. The upper-class had more things to show at their dinner parties to their guests. They wanted to prove how much they could afford. ]]> 2017-01-31 14:46:06 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150540451 Suburbia and Post War abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150625435 After WWII ended, there was a major shortage of housing from the soldiers coming back from war and wanting to settle down and get married. New suburban communities were starting to rapidly get developed in attempts to solve the housing crisis. Mortgage loans were set in place as well to help families and push them to buy a home instead of just renting. Housing postwar was significantly incomparable between the United States and Europe. Uniform housing became the norm throughout European communities and cities. Individual housing showed the wealth of American homeowners. This is when the American dream ideology came into play based on the size of your house. New methods of construction were introduced to fulfill these preconceived notions of how one must present themselves to the world. These so-called norms were also imposed by the television industry where families owned large suburban homes.

With the perfect house, in a perfect community, came a beautiful housewife. These well-dressed, elegant wives were often seen cleaning, cooking or stationed by the new technology at the time such as a dishwasher or refrigerator, either showing enjoyment as she filled dishes in or putting groceries away without breaking a sweat. After women lost their jobs due to the war, a woman’s new role was to stay home and tend to the house. They could entertain themselves with magazines or the television solely. Today, there are still stay at home mothers, but most women have a career like their partner.

]]> 2017-01-31 18:01:49 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150625435 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150631088 The 1950s housewife was meant to cook, clean and tend to the children. This picture shows a clean kitchen, a freshly baked cake and a smiling child. These were the norms at the time postwar while the men went to work. ]]> 2017-01-31 18:15:08 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150631088 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150634155 2017-01-31 18:23:01 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150634155 New Materials, New Products abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150706030 Throughout the 1960s, new materials and new products were being introduced all around the world. With new “flexible plastic known as polypropylene” Robin Day was able to create stacking chairs. Other designers at the time like Conran was able to expand his designs to open up “a number of retail outlets in London under the name Habitat,” (Raizman). They designed practical and minimalist mass produced furniture that implemented older eras general styles. They also imported some Japanese cooking utensils. This shows how Japanese influence and design was still present in the 1960s; it was still desired. “Good design” was slowly becoming more clear and distinguishable from mass-marketing. The selling approach of Habitat was to give their customer a modern and simple design as a style of living. Separating needs from wants was a main goal for them. Similar approaches and strategies are still implemented today for other companies such as IKEA. ]]> 2017-01-31 22:21:33 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150706030 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150708031 These stacking chairs by Robin Day that were manufactured by Hille in 1964. They are simple and sleek and seem to have a Arts and Crafts movement look to it. They are to the point and represent what they are meant to do, be sat in and stacked for easy storage. Creating things with love but having substance and meaning behind it, that was the objective.]]> 2017-01-31 22:37:29 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150708031 Textiles/ Tie-Dye abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150710293 New materials were starting to be incorporated into textile design that was in several female designers works. One designer called Liebes began using high-quality production to make fabrics that used different methods of media. Non-Western traditions were "part of a sympathetic response to preindustrial and communal lifestyles, wit tie-dye designs on cotton T-shirts and tops, at first done in one's own washbasin and later available off-the-rack" (Raizman). These tie-dye shirts were really big in the hippy movement that started increasing at the end of the decade and into the 70s that is infamous for the legendary Woodstock music festival. These people had a close relationship with the earth and nature much like the Japanese influential movements apparent in the Aesthetic Movement for the love and constant representation of nature to show signs of naturalism and an appreciation for all things organic]]> 2017-01-31 22:56:00 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/150710293 Punk Movement abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152208185 Throughout the late 70s and early 80s, many challenges attitudes arose when it came to "behavior, dress and accessories associated with the punk movement.." (Raizman). Different forms of expressions were used to revolt and different forms of aggression were used to show frustration with mainstream culture. In the 60s, however, the punk movement consisted of large areas of the popular culture such as music, fashion, and graphic design usually for rock bands like the Sex Pistols. Their iconic cover for their single "God Save the Queen", it previews the common image of Queen Elizabeth II usually seen on postcards and currency, with ripped words and letters from newspapers or magazines like the setup of a ransom note. This was to showcasing the act of taking away their freedom of speech and identity and wanting them to conform to society. "Exploiting sensationalism, punk subverted mass media to gain attention and to assert legitimacy for its aggressive, self-destructive behaviors" (Raizman). The Sex Pistols among various musical artists as well as political, artistic and literary movements were all partaking on the influence of the subculture. ]]> 2017-02-07 16:51:15 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152208185 Article Review abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152301259 My first realization after reading the article was how critical the author was of the exhibit. The first line even suggests that the V&A was either trying too hard to replicate David Bowie's exhibition or they did not do a good representation of the pop culture era when Petridis used "the V&A’s attempt". I, however, thought the exhibition was brilliant and breathtaking. She was almost judgemental when saying that the changing music based on your location in the exhibit sounded scattered but then I completely agreed with her statement that it was in an effort to really represent the psychedelic or disorder that came with this movement and era. Petridis explains that "your headphones blare out a soundtrack that automatically changes as you move between exhibits, but this time around, the collage of music and voices feels more deliberately chaotic and fragmented, as if to underline the dizzying pace at which events appeared to be moving during the years the exhibition covers." She started talking about the decade as a whole and then moved to the actual exhibit and what it entails. She suggests that there are some questionable elements to the exhibit but that it is "quite a trip." All in all, she was definitely a bit negative in her article but still had some positive things to say about it. Perhaps she was not quite sure what to think of it? ]]> 2017-02-07 20:55:11 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152301259 Pluralism and Postmoderism abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152316437 As the 70s were fast approaching, Pluralism became a major factor in the world of design. Pluralism tried to make sure "no single approach to modernity dominated," (Raizman). Postmodernism, however, encompasses projects and forms that were moving away from modernism and not only was a movement but an era that took part in the same aspects such as philosophy, architecture, criticism like the punk movement and the arts in general. Postmodernism commercially motivated design which gave way to "an opposition that emerges as a strain of modernism in the early nineteenth century with the design reform movement and that continued to dominate design theory for much of the two decades following World Wat II” (Raizman). Postmodernism is able to share an approach to design that emphasizes various options of interpretation and expression. ]]> 2017-02-07 22:04:57 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152316437 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152579702 This was one of my favorite displays in the exhibit. Seeing how the styles of hair have evolved over time and how unique and out there some of the hair styles were, amazes me. It seemed like the women gave full control and freedom to the stylist whereas today everyone is very particular where and who can cut their hair. The metallic, pixle like dresses also stood out to me. This was the look during the time, but it is so interesting how metallics are actually starting to become popular again and seen not only in clothing but as nail accessories too. Fashion recycles itself and repeats from the past, but hairstyles haven't really. ]]> 2017-02-08 18:56:57 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152579702 The Waste Markers abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152952337 In the 1950s, new innovative ways of introducing a new model of car were becoming more prominent. Stylists began looking at the fashion appeal and potential a car can possess rather than just the old style continuing throughout the model launches. Car company's even began hiring previous women's fashion stylists as their head stylists because women do hold a lot of say when it comes to selecting a car. If you market to the women and not solely guys then more cars will likely be bought. Car company's had to follow in the footsteps of car company's that originally thought to change the look and style of a car into something different. Some thought that it would never work but as sales continued to increase, more followed in that path. Car company's now had to flip their approach from price or speed to style and the image the car exerts. General Motors was able to pull the consumers with them and "mold their taste because of they dominated a huge portion of the market. ]]> 2017-02-10 00:51:25 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152952337 American Plastic abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152952422 In America, plastic was looked down upon and no one thought they would use it. 20 years later over 90% of American households have plastic in their homes. Some states were even thinking about passing laws, banning the use of plastic. The main concern was that when or if it was recycled, the result was unfortunately putting toxic chemicals into the air. The whole point of having plastic wear in your house was to be used again and again to create less waste and not fill up landfills. But, when the people in the 70s started thinking about the idea of disposable plastic it was basically throwing away the initial purpose of it.
Consumers are forced to use plastic if that is what manufacturers are deciding to use. We don't realize just how much plastic is in our everyday lives. Like the article said "'Take out plastic from a modern city and what do you get - complete breakdown.'" We have been spoiled and privileged with the technology around us and we take it for granted. But as the need for plastic continues, the worse state we are putting out environment and planet in. ]]> 2017-02-10 00:52:05 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/152952422 abbie_beals https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/154329415 This video is linked on the V&A website under the You Say You Want a Revolution exhibition. This sums up the major events and movements of the era. The main concepts are highlighted while giving the viewer insight into what to expect in the exhibit. They don't give too much away still wanting viewers to come and see for themselves how much the exhibit exemplifies the crazy 60s decade we all know and love. ]]> 2017-02-16 15:00:18 UTC https://padlet.com/abbie_beals/5q6r41h35j18/wish/154329415