 | The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (December 2010) |
Design history is the study of objects of design in their historical and stylistic contexts.[1] With a broad definition, the contexts of design history include the social, the cultural, the economic, the political, the technical and the aesthetic. Design history has as its objects of study all designed objects including those of architecture, fashion, crafts, interiors, textiles, graphic design, industrial design and product design. Design theorists revamp historical techniques and they use these aspects to create more sophisticated techniques of design. It acts as a tool to better future aspects of design.[1]
Design history has had to incorporate criticism of the 'heroic' structure of its discipline in response to the establishment of material culture, much as art history has had to respond to visual culture (although visual culture has been able to broaden the subject area of art history through the incorporation of the televisual, film and new media). Design history has done this by shifting its focus towards the acts of production and consumption.[2] The acts of production and consumption in design history were a result of the modernist approach designers started to take which advanced in the 19th century. Pre-capitalism and feudalism were the main drivers of modernism. They facilitated stylistic features and aesthetics which were exclusive because of the influence of small wealthy elites.[1]
- ^ a b c Michl, Jan (1 September 2014). "Taking Down the Bauhaus Wall: Towards Living Design History as a Tool for Better Design". The Design Journal. 17 (3): 445–453. doi:10.2752/175630614X13982745783082. ISSN 1460-6925. S2CID 109645381.
- ^ Lees-Maffei, Grace (2009). "The Production—Consumption—Mediation Paradigm". Journal of Design History. 22 (4): 351–376. doi:10.1093/jdh/epp031. hdl:2299/9787. ISSN 0952-4649. JSTOR 25653137.