Desma 10 Design Culture - an Introduction Meeting 3 (Oct.10, 2008) Design, Work, Technology ***** Design – the Etymology of the Word From disegno (Italian) = drawing During the Italian Renaissance in the 16th century disegno was used about the sketches for large-scale paintings. Therefore it served as a set of instructions for the master painter’s helpers. It could also be used about the designs for inventions, like those skecthed by Leonardo da Vinci in his notebook (most of Leonardo’s inventions could not be realized in his own time). ***** Pattern books disseminated designs in the form of technical drawings. Pattern books were models for production of objects like dishes, textiles, etc. The designs were taken from patern books eiither directly or modifiedto suit the purpose. Pattern books served design education, storing the knowledge of existing designs and passing it from master to student, from generation to generation. Pattern books were the visual ”memory” of the emerging design culture. **** “The Intelligence, thought or idea” “Design is what all forms of production for use have in common. It provides the intelligence, the thought or idea that organizes all levels of production, whether in graphic design, engineering and industrial design, architecture, or the largest integrated systems found in urban planning.” Richard Buchanan ***** The beginnings of the design culture in the West The birth of industrial design in the late 18th century plays an important role, marking a transition from artisanal to industrial production. In artisanal production, no clear separation between design and manufacture exists.Designs are traditional, passed from master to disciple, or copied from pattern books. The birth of the designer’s profession is related with this transition. The designer’s role gets separated from the manufacturing and marketing of designed items. Designer becomes a specialist with a professional identity. ***** The background for the emergence of the design culture For centuries, beside everyday objects, prestigious curiosities were created for the Rich and the Powerful by master craftsmen. These were unique objects, that often had little real use value. Rather, they were signs of power and prestige. Their uniqueness was an essential aspect of these “princely treasures”. Although they required many forms of “design”, they are usually not considered part of the design culture proper, where mass production and clear separation between designing and producing things takes place. ***** Automata - between crafts and design “Automata” were a typical form of such curiosities - unique showpieces made by clockmakers and mechanical engineers. An automaton was a mechanical device, often in the form of a human or an animal, that performed certain tasks “automatically”, normally “powered” by a clockwork mechanism. Their purpose was to astonish, get fame for the maker and demonstrate his skills. Automata were complex and specialized artisanal products = they were unique (only one was made), and the designer and the maker were the same. Among the most famous automata are the “androids” (automata that look and behave like humans) Charles, Marianne and Henry created by the Jaquet-Droz family firm (1770s). Unlike most other historical automata, they have survived and are kept today at Musée d’art et d’histoire, Neuchâtel, Switzerland. The Jaquet-Droz company still exists and produces exclusive wristwatches (it is now part of the Swatch group). ***** From Automata to Mass Production Thomas Edison’s talking and singing doll was a continuation of the tradition of the automata, but it was mass-produced for a while in the 1890s. It had a miniature phonograph mechanism inside, and could sign a song like “Mary had a Little Lamb”. Edison had invented the phonograph, the first “talking machine”, in 1877. He was constantly looking for new applications for his invention, the novelty doll was one ofthem. Production stopped soon, because the phonograph mechanism was too fragile and the doll relatively expensive as well. ***** The “mechanized” Department Store window In the second half of the 19th centuty, department store began evolving. They were a great boost for the design culture. An essential element of the Department Store was the window display, where passers-by could practice “window shopping”. Window displays also became a special attractions, for example in the Christmas spectacle at Macy’s, New York, offering “dioramas” realized with moving (automata) figures on a kind of stage. Thus the old tradition of the automata found a new home from mechanized shop windows in the late 19th century. It was enclosed behind glass, beyond the reach of the spectators. Its aim was to create desire for shopping (go inside the department store and buy things you can touch!) Tamagotchi and Furby are also descendants of the automata tradition, but the are also different. They are interactive, portable and tactile (to be touched). The old automata were for your eyes only, not for your fingers! ***** How did industrial design begin? In the 17th and 18th century state-financed manufacturies were established in Europe (for products like gobelins, and porcelain figurines). They usually offered prestige products for the upper classes. Designs came from appointed court artists or from pattern books. This happened under the economic policy of mercantilism (resources, skills and products were controlled by the interests of the state, embodied in the ruler). ***** Jacques de Vaucanson (1709-1782) -became famous as a master automata maker. In 1738 presented “The Flute Player” and in 1739 “The Tambourine Player” and “The Duck”, his most famous creation (could flap its wings,eat and digest grain). - In 1741 became inspector of silk manufacture. Far-reaching re-organization of production and delivery. - Improved existing looms and invented the idea of punch-cards to automate production. Hostile reaction from weavers. Technique later perfected by Jacquard, ‘the father of the modern loom’. Use of punch cards anticipated the computer.***** The Jacquard loom (Joseph Marie Jacquard, 1801) was an important step toward mass production. Like the Jaquet-Droz androids, the Jacquard loom was a programmable device, but for a practical purpose. Punched cards controlled hooks and needles. This