Design and Applied Technology: Historical and Cultural Influences

Hello! Welcome to your study notes for Historical and Cultural Influences. Ever wonder why a traditional Chinese chair looks so different from a modern office chair? Or how your smartphone became so small and powerful? This chapter answers those questions!

We'll explore how history, culture, and new inventions shape the design of everything around us. Understanding this helps you become a better designer and a smarter consumer. It's like learning the secret stories behind the products we use every day. Let's get started!


The Journey of Design: From Handcraft to High-Tech

Design doesn't just appear out of nowhere. It changes and evolves over time, just like music or fashion. The tools, materials, and ideas people have in a certain period of history completely change what they can create. This evolution is often driven by major shifts in technology.

A Quick Trip Through Time: The Technology Timeline

Think of this as looking at a family photo album, but for technology and design. Each era had a different "look" based on what was possible.

  • Before the Industrial Revolution (Pre-18th Century) - The Age of Craft:
    Everything was made by hand by skilled artisans. Each object was unique, took a long time to make, and was often expensive. The design was focused on the materials available (like wood, stone, metal) and the skill of the maker.
    Example: A hand-carved wooden cabinet with intricate details.

  • The Industrial Revolution (18th-19th Century) - The Age of the Machine:
    The invention of steam engines and factories changed everything! Suddenly, things could be mass-produced. This meant products became cheaper and more available to everyone. Design had to be simplified so that machines could make it. Functionality and standardisation became super important.
    Example: The simple, strong, and easy-to-make cast-iron bridges and factory machines.

  • The Modern Era (20th Century) - The Age of New Ideas:
    This period saw huge changes, including new materials like plastic and new ways of thinking. Designers started to form groups with shared ideas, leading to Design Movements.

  • The Information Age (Late 20th Century - Today) - The Digital Age:
    The invention of the computer and the internet has had a massive impact. Design now includes digital products like websites and apps. Miniaturisation (making things smaller) became a major goal.
    Example: The first Apple Macintosh computer, which made computing accessible and friendly for the first time.

What are Design Movements?

A design movement is a style or philosophy of design shared by a group of artists and designers for a specific period. Think of it like a music genre—like how K-Pop has a distinct sound and style, a design movement like Bauhaus has a distinct look and set of rules.

Here are a couple of examples that show how ideas can shape design:

  • Arts and Crafts (late 19th Century): This was a reaction against the poor quality of mass-produced factory goods. It celebrated high-quality, hand-made items and natural materials. It was all about skill and beauty.

  • Bauhaus (early 20th Century): A very influential German design school. Their motto was basically "form follows function". This means an object's design should be based on its purpose, with no unnecessary decoration. They loved simple geometric shapes and clean lines. You can see the influence of Bauhaus in much of the modern furniture and architecture we see today!

Key Takeaway

Design evolves with technology. From hand tools to factories to computers, the way we make things defines what we design. Design movements are important "chapters" in this story, where designers shared a common vision that influenced the world.


Design Speaks a Language: Culture's Influence

Why do buildings in Japan look different from buildings in Europe? Why are some colours considered lucky in one country but not another? The answer is culture. Culture is the collection of beliefs, traditions, and values of a group of people, and it has a massive impact on design.

Design is a form of communication. It reflects what a society cares about. An object can tell us about the daily life, rituals, and identity of the people who created it.

Comparing Designs Across Cultures

Let's look at how design varies in different parts of the world, as mentioned in the syllabus.

  • Chinese and Eastern Design:
    Traditionally, Eastern design often values harmony with nature, balance, and symbolism. There's a deep respect for tradition and natural materials.
    Example: A traditional Chinese garden isn't just a collection of plants; it's a carefully designed space meant to create a feeling of peace and reflect the beauty of nature in miniature. The choice of every rock and plant has a symbolic meaning.

  • Western Design:
    Western design, especially after the Industrial Revolution, has often focused on individualism, function, progress, and scientific principles. Movements like Bauhaus prioritised efficiency and a clean, minimalist aesthetic.
    Example: A modern Scandinavian-designed chair (like from IKEA) is typically simple, functional, affordable, and easy to mass-produce. It's designed to solve a problem (sitting) efficiently and fit into a modern lifestyle.

  • Local (Hong Kong) Design:
    Hong Kong design is a fantastic example of "East meets West". It's a unique blend of Chinese traditions and Western modernity. Because Hong Kong is a dense, fast-paced city, its design often values efficiency, flexibility, and clever use of small spaces.
    Example: The iconic folding tables used in a "Dai Pai Dong" (大排檔). They are incredibly practical, durable, space-saving, and instantly recognisable as part of Hong Kong's unique culture.

Quick Review

Design is a mirror that reflects culture. To understand a product's design, you need to understand the culture it came from. Key factors include a culture's values (e.g., harmony vs. individualism) and its environment (e.g., a dense city vs. open countryside).


The Future is Now: How New Technology Changes Everything

Technology is moving faster than ever before. These new developments don't just improve old products; they create entirely new possibilities and have a huge impact on our quality of life.

As a designer, you need to know about these emerging technologies. Let's break down the key examples from the syllabus.

Green Design & Environment-Friendly Processes

What it is: This is designing products with the planet in mind. It considers the entire lifecycle of a product: from the raw materials used (are they sustainable?), to the manufacturing process (does it pollute?), to its use (is it energy-efficient?), and finally to its disposal (can it be recycled or reused?).
Impact on Quality of Life: It leads to a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone. It reduces waste and helps conserve our planet's precious resources.
Example: A pair of sneakers made from recycled ocean plastic, or a building with a "green roof" that helps to cool the building and reduce air pollution.

Miniaturisation

What it is: The process of making things smaller and smaller without losing their functionality. Think about how much computers have shrunk in your lifetime!
Impact on Quality of Life: This leads to incredible convenience and portability. We can carry powerful computers in our pockets (smartphones), and tiny medical sensors can monitor our health from inside our bodies.
Example: Just compare a hearing aid from 50 years ago (a large box) to a modern one that is almost invisible inside the ear.

Advanced Production Techniques

What it is: Brand new ways of making things that were impossible before. A key example is 3D printing (also called additive manufacturing), where products are built layer by layer from a digital file.
Impact on Quality of Life: Allows for amazing customisation. A doctor can 3D print a medical implant that is a perfect fit for a specific patient. It also allows for rapid prototyping, so designers can test ideas much faster.
Example: A company printing a perfectly customised phone case for a customer, or an architect printing a detailed model of a new building.

Did you know?

The concept of 3D printing has been around since the 1980s, but it's only in recent years that the technology has become cheap and accessible enough to change industries from medicine to fashion!

Smart Materials

What it is: These are materials that are designed to have one or more properties that can be significantly changed in a controlled way by external stimuli, such as stress, temperature, moisture, or light.
What does that mean in simple English? They are materials that can react and change on their own!
Impact on Quality of Life: Creates products that are adaptive, responsive, and safer.
Example: Photochromic lenses in eyeglasses that automatically turn dark in sunlight. Another example is memory foam, which changes shape in response to heat and pressure to provide perfect support.

Key Takeaway

New technologies are powerful tools for designers. They allow us to create products that are more sustainable (Green Design), more convenient (Miniaturisation), more personalised (Advanced Production), and more responsive (Smart Materials). These technologies are not just changing products; they are changing our lives.