Industrial Design and The Bauhaus Movement

Prototype by Industrial Designer

Previously, I'm analyzing the write up by Prof. Dr.Baharuddin Ujang which talk about design issues,language of design,design today etc.However, I'm interested on some topic which discuss on Industrial Designers and The Bauhaus Movement. Since, i knew some of my fellas are scratching their head in finding some information on Bauhaus movement, therefore I hope the information i give might be help them.

Industrial design is specifically the broad term that encompasses a multitude of the products of industry.  These products range from consumer goods (toys,furniture, sports equipment, commercial goods  (gasoline pumps, cash registers) to durable goods (machinery tools, transportation equipment).  Industrial design involves a process of "analyzing, creating, planning and developing articles for mass manufacture" (Lindbeck , 1963,p.89).

Sketches by Industrial Designer

One of the early major influences of modern design has been the School of Bauhaus which was founded in Weimar, Germany in 1919. It introduced a simplified style for the twentieth century . Bauhaus design, according to Papanek (1984) and Evans (1973) was characterized by functionalism, simplicity, elimination of superfluous and ostentatious ornament, and clarity of uninterrupted planes. The Bauhaus were concerned with the "creation of products which were primarily functional, yet visually correct" (Lindbeck, 1963,p.86).

Some of the product produce by Industrial Designer

Clearly, the Bauhaus school of thought has had a strong influence in art and design education. According to Papanek (1984), almost every design school in the United States has used and still uses the basic foundation design course developed by the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus philosophy strongly suggested that there was and is an international style and that this style was derived from an understanding of the function of the object together with an understanding of the aesthetic of the material and the production process. This philosophy has been the primary force in design education and design practice. In many ways, the Bauhaus has become the mark or signature of what has become accepted as good design in the global arena.

The Bauhaus Dessau

According to Lucassen (1995), the emergence of industrial design is a result of the increase in the production of goods. This relates directly to the mass production of goods and the economy Lucassen (1995) also adds that design answers the industrial demand for distinction and provides an added value on products. Lucassen (1995) states that the discipline of industrial design “was born from the idea of brightening up everyday life conferring a sensory richness on the everyday environment in order to enrich human experience: aestheticization as an instrument of humanization, (p.35)." Thus, on one hand there is mass production and an economic motive; and on the other hand, there is a utopian side.

p/s : to be continued soon!!