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MHS Library | Designers Assignment (Year 10)

Analysis Task 1 - Designer comparison

Task overview

You are to research two prominent industrial designers, one modern (1950s onwards) and one ‘premodern’ (before 1950s) from the list below. You should select a range of objects each designer has produced so that you can provide a deeper analysis and comparison. Be sure to select objects which have historical/cultural value AND that you can locate relevant detail on (otherwise it will make this analysis much more difficult), such as:

* interviews with the architect about their practice,

* information about the brief and/or interviews with the client,

* professional reviews,

* information about companies/design firms which the designer has worked with

You must include images of the objects you are analysing.

The analysis is broken down into two parts. You will analyse each designer and their practices separately per the criteria of part one (make a separate heading for each designer), then compare both structures together in a single response for part two.

Part one

Analyse the use of line, form, texture, and proportion that the designer employs in their work in relation to its cultural and aesthetic importance. Make sure that you refer to the information on canvas which provides details on how to identify the DE&P and describe their use. You can find more information by reading through the DE&P Overview here.

Part two

Compare your analysis of the two designers by describing how each designer’s approach/mentality differs and the outcomes of their work. Is one designer more successful than the other? Why/why not? What was the public reaction and the reaction of the client (if known), and is the reaction specific to the object itself, or does the designer has a history of controversial designs?

Designer Selection

Below are the industrial designers to choose from, you must choose one from each column. There is a page on the library dedicated to this task which contains a wealth of information, and is a great starting point.

Premodern Modern
Eileen Gray James Dyson
Arne Jacobsen Philippe Starck
Charles and Ray Eames Jonathan Ive
Marcel Breuer Dieter Rams
Raymond Loewy Bethan Gray
Wilhelm Wagenfeld Ron Arad
Battista Farina Pinky Lai
Richard Sapper Jacob Jensen

Submission

You are to use a word processor to write your analysis, and submit a copy via canvas (no physical copy is required). You must also reference your sources, and information on how to do this can be found here (Links to an external site.). For this assignment, you must use and reference at least one physical source during your research. If information in the library cannot be found, you will have to go to your local library for more information.

 

Design examples

Bethan Gray

Dieter Rams

Jacob Jensen: Rosti Margrethe Bowl, 1950

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