2.3-socio-economic influences

Question 1

Why is awareness of how society and the conomy interact important

Answer 1

It enables designers to develop and market products more successfully

• technology companies market expensive devices for consumers who prioritise their need for the latest models
• furniture companies mass produce budget furniture for changing needs of population
• demographic trends affect demand for particular products

Question 2

What are socio economics

Answer 2

How society and the economy interact to create particular circumstances

Question 3

What is rationing

Answer 3

The limitation of the availability of certain goods, usually in response to a shortage created by a war or other cricis

Question 4

Post WW1 influences-Breuer

Answer 4

• a major influence on the work of experimental Bauhaus design school designers such as Marcel Breuer was the large scale wartime adoption of metal tubing as a replacement for wood
• example of this is the tubular steel frame construction of the Fokker D.VII Triplane
• Breuer’s Wassily chair paved the way for industrual furniture making techniques

Question 5

Post WW1 influences-tubular steel

Answer 5

• tubular steel didn’t suffer from the problem of inconsistent streng of traditional wood construction resulting from irregular grain structure
• machines easily set up to mass produce tubular steel furniture
• entire chair or table frames could be made without requiring traditional handcrafting skills

Question 6

WW2 influences

Answer 6

• ww2 bombing raids and the need to concentrate on armament manufacture resulted in severe shortage of many goods
• rationing introduced to ensure the fair distribution of essentials
• utility schemes targeted footwear, clothing and other shortages

Question 7

Describe the utility furntiure scheme

Answer 7

• led by Gordan Russell
• fulfilled basic furniture requirements
• prioritised helping newly married couples and people made homeless due to boming raids
• designs were strong, simple and ‘fit for purpose’
• employed traditional, vernacular manufacturing methods and materials
• approved items displayed an official CC41 logo

Question 8

What are utility products

Answer 8

post ww2 basic products that were often rationed

Question 9

What is the Council of Industrial Design (COID)

Answer 9

a post ww2 British organisation set up to improve design standards and competitiveness

Question 10

Contempory times: Why was there a demand for decorative designs

Answer 10

• utility products were robust and practical-people started to tire of their drabness
• wanted more exciting, fashionable and decorative designs

Question 11

Contemporary times: Aim of COID (1944)

Answer 11

• improve standards of design through training, assessment and information
• improve the country’s competitiveness in a post utility environment

Question 12

Contemporary times: Exhibitions held by COID

Answer 12

• the British Can Make It exhibition in 1946

- the Festivel of Britian in 1951

Question 13

Contemporary times: In 1972, COID gave way to the Design Coucil. What is their function

Answer 13

• act as the government’s advisory body relating to design

- focus on the products, service, user experience and design in the built environment

Question 14

Contemporary times: how did the development of polymer manufacture help product design

Answer 14

this gave product design a massive impetus as it facilitated the incorporation of a rang eof decorative colours and shapes in moulded products

Question 15

Contemporary times: invention of the transistor

Answer 15

• invented in late 1940s

- led to a growing demand for the resulting minitaurised ratios, record players and other electronic products

Question 16

Contemporary times: Robin Day 1964 PP chair

Answer 16

• used colourful polymer mouldings
• products such as this spearheaded the massive increase in the variety of furniture and other products that became available

Question 17

Contemporary times: Ikea Lövet table and Lundgren

Answer 17

• the attractive, formed plywood furniture of Scandinavian designers such as Alvar Aalto led the way for Gillis Lundgren’s knock down Lövet table designed for ikea
• 1956
• Lundgren designed the 40 million selling ‘Billy’ bookcase

Question 18

Explain how developments have helped contemporary times

Answer 18

-developments e.g. increasing influence on companies such as Ikea, meant that home furnishings could be enjoyable, fashionable and decorative, rather than a once in a lifetime purchase (like the relatively drab utility items available in the immediate post ww2 period)