PHASES IN THE HISTORY OF DESIGN IN THE MODERN ERA
1850: ARTS AND CRAFTS MOVEMENT
The Arts and Crafts Movement originated in Britain during the late 19th century and was characterized
by a style of decoration reminiscent of medieval times. The primary artist associated with the movement
is William Morris, whose work was reinforced with writings from John Ruskin. The movement placed
a high importance on the quality of craftsmanship while emphasizing the importance for the arts to
contribute to economic reform. The style is associated with many different types of design including
architecture, typography, book printing, textile and interior design.
William Morris (1834 – 1896) was an English textile designer, artist, writer, and socialist associated with
the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris wrote and
published poetry, fiction, and translations of ancient and medieval texts throughout his life.
In 1861, Morris founded a design firm in partnership with the artist Edward Burne-Jones, and the
poet and artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti which profoundly influenced the decoration of churches and
houses into the early 20th century. His chief contribution to the arts was as a designer of repeating
patterns for wallpapers and textiles, many based on a close observation of nature. He was also a major
contributor to the resurgence of traditional textile arts and methods of production.
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (later known as the Pre-Raphaelites) was a group of English
painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and
Dante Gabriel Rossetti.
The group's intention was to reform art by rejecting what it considered the mechanistic approach first
adopted by Mannerist artists who succeeded Raphael and Michelangelo.
Read about the Arts and Crafts Movement and decide if the following sentences are True (T) or False
(F)
1. The Arts and Crafts Movement wanted to imitate Renaissance Art
2. William Morris and John Ruskin were the main exponents of the movement
3. The movement attributed great importance to craftsmanship and design
4. William Morris was also associated with Impressionism
5. He was a versatile artist interested in Baroque poetry
6. He founded a design firm which had an influence even on early 20th century art
7. He loved the art of tapestry and derived his patterns from natural forms
Write questions for the following answers
1. ______________________________________? In Britain in the second part of the 19th century
2. ______________________________________? Medieval times
3. ______________________________________? On craftsmanship
4. ______________________________________? Architecture, typography, book printing, textile and
interior design
5. ______________________________________? Mainly a textile designer
6. ______________________________________? A design firm in partnership with the artist Edward
Burne-Jones
7. ______________________________________? On a close observation of nature
8. ______________________________________? In 1848
9. ______________________________________? To reform art, returning to the Quattrocento Italian
style
1900: ART NOUVEAU
Art Nouveau was an artistic movement which peaked in popularity between 1890 and 1905 which was
practiced in the fields of art, architecture and applied art. It is a French term meaning "new art". This
movement was also known as Jugendstil, the German word for 'youth style', after the magazine Jugend,
which promoted it, and in Italy Stile Liberty afte the Deaprtment Store in London London & Co. This
style was characterized by organic and plant motifs as well as other highly stylized forms. The organic
forms often took the form of sudden violent curves which were often referenced by the term whiplash.
Its short success was a reaction against the late 19th century academic art and was replaced by the
development of 20th century modernist styles.
Relative to graphic design it was popular in book production and poster printing, although it was used
by artists for a variety of other types of work including advertisements, magazines, labels and
typography. The typography was so heavily ornate that it was not desirable for text faces but great for
display work.
Answer the following questions
1. What does “Art Nouveau” mean?
2. What was the first movement called in Italy and Germany?
3. When did it become most popular?
4. What was it characterized by?
5. Why were its forms often referred to as 'whiplash'?
6. What forms of art did this style mostly employ?
7. What other style was it replaced by?
1920: BAUHAUS
The Bauhaus was founded in 1919 in the city of Weimar by German architect Walter Gropius (1883–
1969). Its core objective was a radical concept: to reimagine the material world to reflect the unity of all
the arts. Gropius explained this vision for a union of art and design in the Proclamation of the Bauhaus
(1919), which described a utopian craft guild combining architecture, sculpture, and painting into a
single creative expression. Gropius developed a craft-based curriculum that would turn out artisans and
designers capable of creating useful and beautiful objects appropriate to this new system of living.
The Bauhaus combined elements of both fine arts and design education. The curriculum commenced
with a preliminary course that immersed the students, who came from a diverse range of social and
educational backgrounds, in the study of materials, color theory, and formal relationships in preparation
for more specialized studies. This preliminary course was often taught by visual artists, including Paul
Klee, Vasily Kandinsky (1866–1944), and Josef Albers, among others.
The cabinetmaking workshop was one of the most popular at the Bauhaus. Under the direction of
Marcel Breuer from 1924 to 1928, this studio reconceived the very essence of furniture, often seeking to
dematerialize conventional forms such as chairs to their minimal existence. Breuer theorized that
eventually chairs would become obsolete, replaced by supportive columns or air. Inspired by the
extruded steel tubes of his bicycle, he experimented with metal furniture, ultimately creating
lightweight, mass-producible metal chairs.
Read the text about Bauhaus and find information about the following elements:
a. Walter Gropius
c. Dessau
e. the Bauhaus preliminary course
b. 1919
d. 1933
f. Bauhaus famous artists
g. the cabinetmaking workshop
h. Marcel Breuer
Answer the following questions
1. What was the Bauhaus?
2. Why was it founded? What was the concept behind it?
3. What did Gropius say in its 'Proclamation'?
4. What was the curriculum of the school based on?
5. How long did the Bauhaus last?
6. What were the characteristics of the Bauhaus works?
7. What did the students study in the preliminary course?
8. Who were the teachers of these courses?
9. Why was the cabinetmaking workshop so popular?
Here you are two outstanding items of modern design
WASSILY Chair
Barcelona Chair
Architect and designer Marcel Breuer graduated
from the Bauhaus carpentry workshop in 1924.
Following a brief stay in Paris, Breuer returned to
the Bauhaus Dessau as master of that workshop in
1925 at the request of Walter Gropius. Breuer
remained at the Bauhaus until 1928. During this
time, he experimented with extruded steel to
create a series of lightweight metal furnishings,
continuing the Bauhaus interest in industrial
materials and manufacturing techniques. Inspired
by the flexibility and strength of his beloved metal
bicycle frame, Breuer applied the same material
and construction principles to chair design. After
numerous prototypes, Breuer settled on a fluid,
minimal design in which the chair is supported on
tubular metal runners. The taut, un-upholstered
seat, back, and armrests of simple black canvas
contribute to the stark, dematerialized appearance
of the chair. It became known as the "Wassily"
chair, in homage to Breuer's friend and fellow
Bauhaus instructor, the Russian painter Vasily
Kandinsky. While this iconic chair design remains
closely associated with the Bauhaus, and was used
in several areas of the Bauhaus Dessau, Breuer
developed and manufactured it in his free time,
independent from the school.
Among the most elegant and imposing of the
chairs designed by Mies van der Rohe in
collaboration with the interior designer Lilly Reich
is the opulent Barcelona Chair. Designed in 1929,
it is one of the most recognizable early 20th
century chairs and is still a familiar sight in
corporate foyers. The chair was developed for the
German Pavilion at the 1929 International
Exhibition in Barcelona as part of Mies’
commission to design the pavilion and its
contents. As the German Pavilion was to be the
setting for the official opening ceremony, Mies
decided upon a throne-like form for the chairs and
modelled them on the sella curulis, an ancient
stool used by Roman magistrates.
1960: THE RISE OF CORPORATE IDENTITY
While corporate identity was developed in the early 20th century, it was during the 1960s and 70s that it
began to become a necessity for all corporations. The industrial revolution made way for a new
generation of corporations across the world and they adopted varying approaches to presenting their
brand identities. Not only were logos developed but brand standards became a part of the daily life of
employees and described, down to the most minute detail, how the company was to present itself to
the public.
Brands were constantly inventing and reinventing their visual image to adapt to a society that was
focused on new technological innovations and modern means of communication, travel and
entertainment. Brand identities can be done well, or not, and the success of the company often depends
on the effectiveness of the visual materials that represent it. Although during the 60s brand identity was
something that only major corporations placed much importance on, through the development and
spread of graphic design it has found a place in the development of almost every business in every field
of modern society
Match the words / expressions in column A with their definition in column B
A
B
1. corporate identity
a. a name, sign, symbol, slogan or anything that is used to identify and
distinguish a specific product, service, or business
2. corporations
b. all characteristics of a brand which permanently distinguish it from
other brands
3. brand
c. creative process that combines art and technology
4. brand identity
d. business organizations or companies
5. graphic design
e. sometimes seen written as CI, refers to the external “personality”
projected by a corporation
Write questions for the following answers
1. ______________________________________? At the beginning of the 20th century
2. ______________________________________? In the '60s and '70s
3. ______________________________________? They developed logos and brand identity
4. ______________________________________? It depends on the effectiveness of their visual image and
materials
5. ______________________________________? It has contributed to the development of almost every
business nowadays
2000: SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE DESIGN
After the success of the advertising profession in the mid-20th century many designers have reevaluated their role within society. Becoming less concerned with simply pushing the product of large
corporate clients and more concerned with the environmental, ecological and social impact of their
profession a new generation of designers has emerged in recent years. Socially conscious design
studios have started working with organizations and non-profit institutions (that often don't have the
budget to hire specialized design professionals) devoted to public welfare, environmental conservation
and the arts, among other things, rather than corporate, consumer product manufacturing companies.
Along with the increasing concern for what that their design is promoting, many designers also make an
effort to use environmentally conscious methods in the production of their design. In an industry that is
used to consuming large amounts of material such as paper there are a variety of options available to
designers who are concerned with sustainable production processes. From recycled materials to carbon
offsetting it is becoming increasingly more feasible for designers to offer their clients services and
solutions that leave little or no footprint of their environmental impact.
Complete the following sentences
1. Today designers are less concerned with __________ and more concerned with __________
2. Socially conscious studios are more devoted to __________ rather than being devoted to
__________
3. Many designers tend to use __________ methods and __________ processes.