The Second world war

The end of the war in 1945 did not bring an end to this period of utility and it was the mid 1950’s before rationing came to an end. 

Britain, along with the rest of the countries affected by war, began to look forward to a period of peace and prosperity...

After the Second World War, the world had changed radically. 

In Britain it took another decade of rationing and rebuilding before the country was back on its feet. 

American involvement in the war brought more than just military support; they gave us modern materials, fast food, rock and roll and the start of a teenage culture. 

In effect they gave us much of what we take for granted today.

New materials, and those which came to prominence during the war such as Plywood and Acrylic, were used extensively in the designs of the contemporary era.

As a feel good message - the Festival of Britain of 1951 was put on exactly 100 years after the Great Exhibition. 

It was intended to show Britain that we had a great future after the World War. Even though the economy was on the mend, the utility design of the war was still strong and many domestic machines had that gadget appeal, while furniture was often multifunctional and inventive.

The 1950’s look remains very distinctive and the style of the time (retro) is very popular again at the moment.

The contemporary era consolidated the practicality of the utility period and furniture of the time was often multi-functional and ingenious in its approach. Homeowners often had limited space so this type of furniture was often welcome.

One other major influence from the war was science and technology. 

The war had effectively ended with the atom bomb that represented a huge scientific breakthrough, even if its discovery was never intended to be a weapon of mass destruction.

We were fascinated by the possibilities of science and symbolism began to creep into designs. 

Space travel was also in its infancy and the Sputnik Satellite, with its distinctive ‘spheres on rods’ inspired many consumer objects.

Fascination with the genetic effects of radiation following the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima eventually gave birth to the comic book heroes we still know and love to this day. These comic books would eventually inspire the pop art generation.

Post Modernism is a term given to the period from the late 1950’s onwards. 

Post Modernism was about taking what was already established, often keeping the ideals of being functional, but it questioned whether objects should simply look like they functioned. 

The designs often had a comical aspect - making fun 😂 of modernist conventions such as ‘form follows function’ and ‘less is more’.

Objects no longer had to look like we might expect and other conventions were often challenged. We had seen functionalism in the whole of the modernist era as well as practicality and utility through the war and into the contemporary period.

Artists and designers now sought to challenge our ideas about what design should look like. 

It wasn’t always well received and buildings like the Pompidou Centre, which is effectively ‘inside out’ were considered to be ugly and even ridiculous at the time of their construction.

As the 1950’s came to an end, the future looked much more promising and the economy was growing. 

A teen culture was established and there was generally a greater feeling of hope and prosperity. This was particularly evident in Britain which was soon to become one of the major capitals for design innovation in the world.

The advances in plastic technology through the 1950’s resulted in a society which saw plastic as a disposable material.

Furniture became fun, inflatable and colourful and the growing use of recreational drugs led to more intense use of colour and pattern.

As the decade went on, furniture became more intimate like the shell chair, as well as lower to the ground so consumers could be more relaxed when they were intoxicated and socialising with friends.

Pop Art reflects what was ‘popular’ at the time including music, movies and lifestyle. This era really does reflect the ideals of Post Modernism with its bright colours, wild patterns and crazy designs.

Towards the end of the decade, space travel became a reality and the world looked to a time when we would all be living on the moon. 

After the Moon landing of 1969 the britain embraced symbols of space and homes soon became lined with silver foil and clean white products.

It was also a time of revivalism with the Victorian style making a comeback albeit with more garish colours. Arts and Crafts and Art Nouveau both fitted well with the psychedelic ‘hippy-look’ of the late 1960’s.

As the 1970’s approached the future looked very bright indeed but growing civil unrest and pending recession would soon put an end to the ‘feel good’ factor of the 1960’s.

Key names include Joe Colombo, Verner Panton

By the end of the 1970’s, recession in Britain and war between America and Vietnam had brought an end to the positive feeling of optimism and growth that was so prominent in the 1960’s for these two nations. 

In Britain, the teenagers, once so fun loving and carefree, were now facing a bleak future and unemployment and they became more hostile and rebellious. The Punk movement was born from a love of rock music and hatred towards the government. It was, in effect, an angrier take on the Hippies with their more passive approach.

Meanwhile... In Italy, a group of designers took a similar approach with their designs. They were not angry but took a similar approach to ‘punk rockers’ in the way they combined bright colours and busy patterns in a non-conformist way. As we approached an age that would become increasingly obsessed with technology, Memphis is still considered to be the last distinctive design movement of the 21st Century.

 Technological progress in the East meant that Europe, and the USA would slowly lose their place as industrial leaders.

Key names include: Ettore Sottsass

These are terms for a movement in architecture in which buildings have an organic, amoeba-shaped, building form. 

The word first appeared in print in 2002 and, despite being intended to be derogatory, the word has stuck and has become popular to describe organic shaped products.

Key names include Karim Rashid, Jonny Ive, Zaha Hadid and Marc Newson.

Scandinavian design (Scandi) is the name of a movement made up of designers, companies and products, characterised by simplicity, minimalism and functionality, which emerged at the beginning of the 20th century, developed in the 1950's in the five Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

This has become a popular design movement as it combines a number of 'past' styles and current styles together. Scandi design combines elements of Minimalism / Bauhaus with Arts & Crafts and modern design with an emphasis on using natural materials, such as woods, and often the products are expensive or classed as luxury. There is a real sense of craftmanship in the products even though modern machines are used to replicate elements. In the need to keep in mind the mass-production costs at the base of the new stylistic research, the Scandinavian design creates new lines that enhance the structure of the product and the natural characteristics of the materials used. In this symbiosis of creativity and industrialisation, Scandinavian design focuses on the creation of shapes with delicate profiles, slight inclinations, and sinuous curves, in creations with light, soft and flowing features.

The Scandinavian design movement has significantly influenced modern furniture, lighting, and home accessories. Iconic designs, such as IKEA’s minimalist furniture, showcase these principles of functionality and simplicity, blending form and function. 

Cultural Impact

The movement promotes the idea of "hygge", the Danish concept of creating cozy, comfortable environments. This focus on quality, simplicity, and practicality continues to shape interior design choices today. 

Economic Impact

Scandinavian design is associated with affordable, mass-produced products (e.g., IKEA). By using cost-effective materials and production techniques, the movement made modern, high-quality design more accessible to the general public. 

Further applications of the Scandinavian methodology expand to the plastic processing technologies and find their greatest exponent in the world-renowned Danish designer Verner Panton who creates countless creations in various shapes and colours.

Starting from the creation of the Stacking chair, the first to be entirely produced by the use of a single mold, the Panton chair, a further evolution of the technique, and the surreal installations are all an excellent example of the interaction between creative expressiveness and technological evolution .

Another example of similar and subsequent research to Verner Panton is that carried out by Finnish designer Eero Aarnio.

A modern 'luxury' company that embodies Scandi design is Bang & Olufsen. They use modern production methods combined with more expensive woods and crafted design, resulting in high end luxury products. 

Famous designers from this movement are Eero Aarnio, Verner Panton, Alvar Aalto to name just a few. 

Summary

Break your revision of these time periods into three categories:

Pre-modernist, Modernist and Post- modern. It may help to remember these as being separated by each World War. Let's hope there is not a World War III!

Modernism is basically an acceptance of industrialization, which developed from the industrial revolution. Many design movements, such as Bauhaus, embraced and explored the use of technology.

It helps to know Arts and Crafts, Bauhaus, Contemporary and Memphis as these cover a range of design periods from each category.

Memphis was probably the last recognised design movement which you will study. Much has been revivalist or focused on developments in technology. 

Perhaps this era will be known as the ‘Apple age’ or the 'Intuitive age'?

Ensure you know a prolific designer and a well-known product from each design movement or at least those four above.