3. The Materials of Abundance After World War II
- Consumer demand and technological change made possible the
new understanding of material culture
Mass production adapted to consumer needs and tastes
Large number of goods at low prices Many options
E.g: There was accessibility
-An era in need of novelty
- Technology + Design = New
Materials in order to satisfy
consumers
4. The Materials of Abundance After World War II
- Industrial expansion in Western world
-This period distinguished due to the growth of American
companies which began to take over Europe.
-General Motors
- DuPont
- General Electric
5. The Materials of Abundance Tradition to Modernity
- DuPont manufactured synthetic fabrics: Dacron, Orlon and
Nylon
- As a repercussion of this, many
industries as Chrysler, Ford,
Tupperware Co. followed the
corporation’s strategy.
- What all of these multinationals did
was:
- Standardize mass production
- Be consumer orientated
6. The Materials of Abundance Tradition to Modernity
- Became extremely design-oriented, providing the public with a
large level of choice.
- This was possible because many of them provided their services to
the military, giving them a stable financial status
- From 1945-1950 there was a time of economic firmness.
7. The Materials of Abundance Europe and America
-America helped Europe resurrect during post-war by providing
them with funds thanks to the Marshall Plan.
- America was pioneer in mass-production, as many companies
followed Henry Ford’s and Alfred J. Sloans steps.
- This method got to Europe later on and countries began to
include mass manufacturing in companies
E.g: Italy Fiat and Olivetti
Holland Phillips
Germany AEG
-General Electric and Westinghouse Moved to Europe in order
to have the option to manufacture locally.
8. The Materials of Abundance 50s and 60s
-This new form of design was blending art skills with technology and
focusing on design as the major factor. Giving the word art an
additional name or term, design.
- This supplementary description of the word art was seen commonly
in Spain and Japan.
9. The Materials of Abundance 50s and 60s
-Aimed to the American market, the main aim of
this mean was add to design an “added value”.
As in the case of Haute Couture in France or
Italy’s ceramics
-They achieved to fill the missing gap in America, which was
providing consumers with a “luxury” products, as in the case of Italy’s
cars. America became their number one customers, providing many
European countries with the possibility to design high-quality and
cultural movements and design.
- Europe provided America with the sophistication of technology
10. The Materials of Abundance New Decade
-Europe established in their own market, looking less towards
American cities
-Emergence of new materials (plastics, metal, wood)
E.g: Charles Eames
- Moulding furniture was easily mass produced it became very
common among schools and other public areas
-PVC, latex… common especially in Italy - interested to work with
regarding design
- Famous architects (Vico Magistretti, Marco Zanuso, Joe Colombo)
used “non-natural” materials.
- Used for all types of products
11. The Materials of Abundance New Decade
-Designers which were against design movement began working with
soft plastics in order to create new ideas of flexibility
- As soon as plastics hit the mass market, everyone could afford new
modern luxuries as the prices of the products were so low.
E.g: Scandinavia “stainless steel became the new Silver”
-Glass turned into a new technology as soon as oven-to-
tableware glass came out.
- Attractive products to persuade housewives
12. The Materials of Abundance Today
-Zara (Fashion)
- McDonalds (Food)
- Frenadol (Medicine)
- Louis Vuitton (Luxury Fashion)
- L’Oreal (Beauty Products)
14. Technology and Lifestyles
“The emphasis through the 1970s, 80s and 90s on consumption
and consumerism tended to eclipse the important relationship
that design continued to have with the worlds of production and
technological innovation.”
15. Technology and Lifestyles 1970
-Impact of high technology Japanese consumers on Western
markets.
- Concentration on the concept of lifestyle (hi-fi equipment)
- Stereotypical gendering (silver/black phone)
- Looks + multiple functionalities
-Stopwatch + alarm clock
16. Technology and Lifestyles 1970
- Aesthetic language born = High-Tech aesthetics
- Technology became part of their lifestyle
-Electronic goods and architectural constructions
17. Technology and Lifestyles 1980
-Machine aesthetic “Late
Modernism”stylistic option in aesthetic
free of all that was Postmodernism
- New technological gadgets (Laptop,
walkman, minidisk, digital camera, mobile
phone)
-Technological extensions of the body
WALKMAN
New behaviour patterns
18. Technology and Lifestyles 1980
- Shift in conventional boundaries between work leisure, private and
public sphere.
- Technology leads designers
- Transformed nature of images, consumer goods and services that it
brought with the reach of consumerism
E.g: Apple in the 80s started to be user friendly mixing
technology and design
-Showed that feel and look of object is just as important as the
performance.
- Search for novelty
19. Technology and Lifestyles End of 20th Century
- “Shift away from Fordist mass production
to ‘flexible mass production’, reinforced the
importance of design in insuring products
diversity and the niche marketing that flows
from it.”
-Importance of diversity in relation to mass
production
- New manufacturing
more diversity of goods
available
E.g: SWATCH
20. Technology and Lifestyles End of 20th Century
- “While technological advances affected the way in which the
design profession redefined itself and the method of manufacture
that suited changing global consumption patterns, also had cultural
ramifications which influence the way in which design was perceived
by society at large.”
-Start to adapt:
- Female designers: different approach to automobiles
E.g: Exterior more comfort / functionality (drink holder in
Renault Scenic)
21. Technology and Lifestyles Mid 20th Century
-Designers started to play around and mix materials which were
discovered in early 20th Century, and therefore created new
advances
- Big gap in knowledge between makers and users providing
opportunity for designers
- Consumers had no idea what technological advanced products are
actually made of
- Smart materials discussing whether or not to use for monitoring
health and helping disabled (1990)
22. Technology and Lifestyles Mid 20th Century
- New materials made designers find new visual expressions for the
materials = level of aesthetics freedom which was unavailable within
modernism (concrete, steel, glass)
- Golden rule of modernism = “Forms follows function” lost its
relevance
- Time for new opportunity
- Designers had to start creating products depending more on
culture than technology.
23. Technology and Lifestyles Mid 20th Century
- New simplicity started using old materials again
E.g: Aluminium - Audi TT (1999)
“While one aspect of materials research focused on the
functionalities of new innovations - designers also set out to exploit
their aesthetic and symbolic potential.”
Importance of consumers to understand and to be interested in
world of materials
- Technology becoming culture
24. Technology and Lifestyles 21st Century
Technology moving faster and designers are in constant process of
innovations trying to find products that can be meaningful to their
consumers.
25. CONCLUSION
Today, could you imagine living without your Blackberry? Laptop?
Ipod? TV? Water boiler? Toaster? Microwave and all other things
used daily without even realising how technologically advanced
our lives are.
Mass production has become to a necessity in life today, due to
the fast turn over businesses are willing to make.
Fast-moving consumer goods have become more than necessary
in today’s life.
