2.2: design theory
Exam Questions and Answers
What were Donald Norman's views when designing a product? -
Answer>> - usability is key
- we should recognise emotional attachments to products
(products owned for sentimental or aesthetic reasons)
What are 4 characteristics we should consider when analysing
designs from the past? - Answer>> - cultural & social influences
from the time
- major technological developments of the time
- key aspects associated with the movement/designer
- influences on design today
What was the Arts and Crafts movement? - Answer>> came
about after industrial revolution and it held the concern that
products are designed with unnecessary decoration and the
appreciation of the materials used in manufacture is lost
What inspired the designers within the Arts and Crafts
movement? - Answer>> medieval craftmanship
Name 3 major contributors to the Arts and Crafts movement -
Answer>> - William Morris
- C.F.A Voysey
- Richard Norman Shaw
What were the key features of the Arts and Crafts movement? -
Answer>> - appreciate beauty of materials (e.g the grain of
timber)
, - hand produced products
What is the Art Deco movement? - Answer>> came about in
1920s-30s and it is the use of simple geometric forms and
stepped pyramid structures (ziggurats) in architecture
How did the Art Deco movement come about? - Answer>> - Art
Nouveau movement (inspired by natural forms and structures)
- discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922 lead to an increased
interest in art of the ancient world
Name 3 major contributors to the Art Deco movement -
Answer>> - Clarice Cliff
- Eileen Gray
- Alvar Aalto
What were the key features of the Art Deco movement? -
Answer>> - sunburst motifs: rays radiating from a central point
- ziggurats: buildings are restricted by the zoning resolution to
reduce the impact of light visible on the streets below
- simple geometric forms
What were the key design schools associated with Modernism? -
Answer>> Bauhaus and De Stijl
What did the De Stijl movement focus on? - Answer>> based in
the Netherlands: focused on the use of basic rectilinear forms of
primary colour schemes and the designs were largely
asymmetrical
Name 3 major contributors to the Modernism movement -
Answer>> - J.J.P Oud
- Piet Mondrian