What is Design?!?!?

“Design is everywhere - and that's why looking for a definition may

not help you grasp what it is.

Design is everywhere. It's what drew you to the last piece of

furniture you bought and it's what made online banking possible.

It's made London taxi cabs easier to get in and out of and it made

Stella McCartney's name. It's driving whole business cultures and

making sure environments from hospitals to airports are easier to

navigate.”

- http://www.mech.hku.hk/bse/interdisciplinary/what_is_design.pdf. [Accessed 4 October 2013].

 The above quote is perhaps the most accurate definition of design I have found. My own personal definition of design has always been that design is art with a function.

 From William Morris to Bauhaus and up to this very day, designers and artists struggle to create something aesthetically appealing and at the same time make it functional enough that people will want to buy it to use it.

 Design is a part of someone’s culture, much like language, religion and history. Each every single person has a different culture than everyone else in the world, therefore the design aesthetic which attracts each person is different; while I might like flowers and bright colours another person might like skulls and dark colours, while some people like contemporary design others like more historically inspired designs which is why it is important for designers to be aware of styles which came before them.

 Below is a list of some of the topics which I will be covering in my future blogs:

 

1.      Gothic Revival
2.      Victorian Classicism
3.      Neo-Classicism
4.      Romanticism
5.      The Industrial Revolution
6.      Crystal Palace
7.      Arts & Crafts Movement (1850-1914)
8.      Art Noveau (1880-1910)
9.      German Association of Workshops (Deutscher Werkbund) (1907-1935)
10.    Constructivism (1917-1935)
11.    De Stijl (1917-1931)
12.    Bauhaus (1919-1933)
13.    International Style (1920-1980)
14.    Art Deco (1920-1939)
15.    Organic Design (1930-1960, 1990-present)
16.    Streamlining (1930-1950)
17.    Post War Design (1945- 1948)
18.    Pop Design (1958-1972)
19.    Radical Design (1968-1978)
20.    Hi-Tech (1972-1985)
21.    Post Modernism (1978-present)