Design and Market Influences
Famous
Designers
Students should develop an understanding of
the broad perspectives of the design world.
They should understand the role designers
play in Graphic Products.
Harry Beck
Who is he?
The London Underground Map
Schematic Diagram’s
• The tube map is the schematic diagram
representing the lines, stations, and zones of
London's rapid transit rail system, the London
Underground (commonly known as the tube,
hence the name).
• As a schematic diagram it shows not the
geographic but the relative positions of stations
along the lines, stations' connective relations
with each other and their fare zone locations.
The basic design concepts have been widely
adopted for other network maps around the
world.
•
•
•
The first diagrammatic map of the
Underground was designed by Harry
Beck in 1931 Beck was an Underground
employee who realised that because the
railway ran mostly underground, the
physical locations of the stations were
irrelevant to the traveller wanting to know
how to get to one station from another
his approach is similar to that of
electrical circuit diagrams;
To this end, he devised a simplified map,
consisting of stations, straight line
segments connecting them, and the
River Thames; lines ran only vertically,
horizontally, or on 45 degree diagonals.
To make the map clearer and to
emphasise connections, Beck
differentiated between ordinary stations
(marked with tick marks) and
interchanges (marked with diamonds).
Beck changed the interchange symbol
from a diamond to a circle, as well as
altering the line colours - the Central
Line from orange to red, and the
Bakerloo Line from red to brown. Beck's
final design, in 1960, bears a strong
resemblance to modern-day maps
Symbols
Look at the example
This image shows the route of an express bus service which runs between
Barnsley Interchange and Robin Hood Airport. It stops at the places indicated.
Draw a map of this bus route in the style of the designer of the London
Underground Map.
Alberto Alessi
Who is he?
Alessi Company
A less is more
• Alessi was founded in 1921 to produce crafted
products in metal for eating and drinking
• By the 1980s, Alberto Alessi took over the
management of Alessi (which he still does
today) and launched the Alessi company.
• There mission is to make their products more
fun, appealing, simple, functional and to
represent an art piece within the kitchen.
• Among the best known of the company's product
range are :-
Richard Sapper's kettle
Michael Graves' kettle
Philippe Starck's playful threelegged Juicy Salif
Watch....
this is a short introduction to some key Alessi products.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eusHWufjVI
Task
Using a sheet of A4 paper produce designs in the style of Alessi for a
new kitchen item. It could be for one of the following items:• Tea bag strainer
• Garlic crusher
• Grater
• Zester for limes and lemons
• Whisk
• Orange juicer
• Peeler
• Potato Masher
Who was John Kinnear and
Margaret Calvert?
I’ll give you a clue….
This clip from the TV series ‘Top Gear’, Presenter James May talks
about the Vauxhall VXR and then interviews Margaret Calvert about
her work on road signs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QypmXbwD1k
Summary
• Kinnear and Calvert’s transport and road
signs are clear, uncluttered and easy to
read when travelling at speed towards
them.
• Kinnear and Calvert created a new
typeface and pictograms to give drivers
information.
Design a set of signs for the 1st
floor stairs in the main building in
the style of Kinnear and Calvert
Use the correct colours – keep it simple!
Wallis Olins
What is the name of the designer who made these?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ9O9EB6UC4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nljx6rkR_sI&NR=1
Who is he?
Robert
Sabuda
‘Meet me at the corner is a virtual field trip for kids. This
clip gives a brief history of the importance of books before
TV and Radio. Together with an interview with Robert
Sabuda. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-c6dJKRIPg
Robert Sabuda
• Author, illustrator and Pop up book designer.
• As a child he would make books from old folders
his mother would bring home.
• He has worked for several publishers and enjoys
producing mechanical books.
• See his website:
http://www.robertsabuda.com/popmake/index.asp
• Try making a simple v fold or a box cut.
• Homework, write down the web address above
or google search ‘Robert Sabuda’, choose a pop
up of your choice and make it for next lesson.