Last weeks posts done

Thats it I've finally finished last weeks posts, give or take a few, blogger.com has been so slow and not cooperative at all I gave up on including a lot of images and links, I may buy a flickr account to upload all my images that are good but don't make the blog. Maybe. Ill make a note of that for later.

I will start my current posts, I'm still behind by a few days, but I've still collected resources and wrote posts down. I've spent another full day catching up, I'm so drained and burnt out, hopefully I'll do these posts tommorrow. Ill be glad to finally be up to date, so i can take it at a better pace and think more clearly about what I'm saying/ thinking, rather than typing what I'm mumberling now. And the spelling and grammer mistakes, ahhh, too many.



NOTE: LOOK INTO HAVING A FLICKR ACCOUNT.

Email

I emailed Julie my query, the response was it can be a bit of both, but I now have more questions, how could it be both, how would that work? and what is everyone else doing?

Im still have questions with no answers, although I think I know enough to work further on.

The meeting more

After the meeting I still had questions, I understand now the three posters are variations on one idea and the 1950 effect thats wanted for the posters. Also I have an understanding for the next assessments. But still questions on how to approach the idea.

Pick an object/process from 50s and then pick the same, similar object today (that you can find in the shops) and then advertise on poster?

OR

Pick an object from the 50s then design something fresh for today, around the 50s object but with modern technology, something that might not have been done?

I think Ill email Julie, I can't wait till next week.

Meeting

I've had many ideas towards the assessment but I'm still not clear at all of the assessment, have a meeting with Julie on monday 23rd (bear in mind that this is a post I wrote last week).

I think the assessment is to take something from the 1950s, an object/process then redesign and modify with technology avaliable now on in the future.

I think.

An idea I'll give to explain my understanding is.

A feature wall, interactive wallpaper. The feature wall being an invention of the 50s and use of 50s wallpaper, but its modifyed for today, different material and technology.

My inspiration:













Two adverts from the 1950s from one of my books I previously shown, 'THE GOLDEN AGE OF ADVERTISING-THE 5OS'

and a image I came across:















I have the idea in my head though I don't think its the idea I will carry forward to the assessment.

Another book post.

Another set of images from a book of mine, I was going through it for another project and I saw shapes and forms straight from the 50s. The book is called 'the eco-design
handbook', its products that within there development have had eco-design in mind and are made of materials that are organic and environmentally smart.

Some examples
















The design the same form as a 1950s sideboard. But the designers of this piece kept eco design in mind and made it with recyclable materials.





















A shopping trolley designed to encourage energy efficient shopping. Looking at the shape and form from the 50s and movements within the 50s, this is an later applied example.




















A cupboard, but it really reminded me of a fridge an all american big fridge. Made from just two materials and reduces energy in production, the shape is truely something from the 1950s.




















Lamps, the large one being of economical design, a great shape straight from the 1950s the second thin tall lamp, mimicks the spun fibre lamps of the 1950s however this is made from paper and bamboo.





















Hydrogen fuel cell car, which reduces emissions. To me though doesn't it look like a 1950s car toy. An later application of streamling.

Further into 50s design more more

People who played keyroles in the 50s?

How can I not mention charles-ray-eames, everybody proberly has but you cant talk about 50s design without a mention of their names. They covered so much of design, have an
influence on more than just chairs.

Other designers I have come across many a time in my research include
florence-knoll-bassett , arne-jacobsen , Lucienne Day, alison-peter-smithson and Robin Day.

Click on the names for more.

The previous posts images came from 'DESIGN OF THE TIMES' by Rotovision.

Come on blogger.com

I thought blogger.com had fixed its errors, but no, its started again, unable to upload images and I have last weeks posts to do before I can do my current posts. If I have to I will do just text untill blogger sorts itself out, I'm not hoding out hope.

I've already burnt myself out with stress this past week mainly due to running behind no thanks to blogger, but posting at the moment is taking hundred times what it usually does, so I'm getting quite fatigued.

Further into 50s design more

STREAMLINING came at the start of the 50s, but in my mind one of the most influencial movements. Coming from America, it had huge hold in their automotive design and childrens
toys. Streamlining with its aerodynamic appearance and seamless forms remains today, less designs but stunning designs.




(example of streamling applied today)








ORGANIC DESIGN was an influence throughout the 50s in the westerned world. With its sculpturing forms in natural and synthetic materials moulded around our outdoor surroundings.
Many of the memorable pieces of 50s design have elvolved from this movement.



(Organic design pieces)









INTERNATIONAL STYLE originated from the states and its approach was functionalistic on a stylistic level. An example is the iconic 50s side board, practical but also
esthetically pleasing. Another example is the roberts radio (I have one, love it). International style followed the same principles as good design, designing with general rules of design, with function and esthetics in right porportians to the object.




(a modern 2004 application of this movement, however the 1950s versions come under this movement too).



BIOMORPHISM, another movement that had its grip in the early 50s. A combination of natural forms and hightech materials. The most obvious form of this is the charles eames and
ray eams plastic chair (you know the one).






(a modern application of biomorphism-the Gherkin).






SCANDANAVIAN MODERN, my idea would be to 'think IKEA', bleach blond wood and bursts of color. Especially swedens version, came even before the 50s but has not left design to
this day.






(An egg and swan chair by Arne Jacobsen, an 1956 example of scandinavian modern).







CONTEMPORARY STYLE. Emerged from the UK with organic shapes and bright colours and heavily influenced not just our designs in the 50s.


All of these movements had an effect on what we know as 50s design, some more than others. However 50s design evolved on into something more eleaborate and bright in primarys
for the 60swhich, brough pop art, space age and op art. These expressive movements of the 60s would not have been so if design skiped the 50s nor if the 50s weren't the more
imnpacting decade for design change. We owe a lot to 50s design.

Further into 50s design.

What were the 50s about?, (more than just hot topics) What inspired 50s design? How did 50s design evolve? Who played key roles in 50s design?

There were many key design movements that influenced the start of the 1950s, some even decade before were still playing a part in 50s design.

CONSTRUCTIVISM started in the 1920s coming over from the soviet union. The main resemblances were very geometric, linerar forms, kenetic elements and very unnatural
compositions.

Then there was around the same time, SURREALISM, over from France, but very soon was our way (UK, especially from 1930) with itsdeliberate assemblement of strange elements, dreamlike scenes and objects.

RATIONALISM, opposed to futurism came over from Italy and brought severe geometric forms and a logical, fuctionalist approach to design (function over esthetics), seen mainly in architecture.

These movements found their way into early 50s design, arounds decades before but were around to influence the young designers before the 50s, influencing not only their tastebut also their approach to design.

A must have link

A MUST HAVE, VISIT THE LINK BELOW.
This is a resource I am happy to recommend. The source is YOUTUBE , its a american 1950s video clip illustrating the design process. An automobive example, you can also see the working environment of the 50s designers. The interior of the buildings are wow and the clip is 10 minutes long, a recommened watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h4rm-QlnSc

And the commentator is almost comical. Watch.

Neo retro

A gaming example of neo retro, can be found at

http://www.lostgarden.com/2005/06/neo-retro-art-style-savior-of-game.html

Something old redone and modifyed.











Two images from this blog. Both using old shapes and forms but with new technology and in new ways. Another example woule be LocoRoco for the psp.

Resources

Heres a bunch of resources I have stacked up while blogger has been down.

To the right a link for Design sponge is blog full of design, bursting with it, it is my number one resource, I love it, its in my favorites under a folder named blog and daily. Its been
great for 50s design, I've come across so much, the only difficulty it doesn't say this is neo retro or this is 50s design, no jargon here, good for reading not good when
searching for specifics. Check out just a few images posted from the blog.

EXAMPLES IMAGES














































http://www.flickr.com/groups/mid-century/pool/
A flickr account full of images of adverising and objects from the 1950s. Not just nice pictures. Although some are real good.



The 1950s are known for more than just chairs, however what great chairs they had. And we still melt over. Heres a link with some of the beautiful chairs the designers and facts.
http://www.designmuseum.org/digital/a-century-of-chairs/1950s

BBC.CO.UK is a great source of information or a great link to other sources. If you interested in 1950s home design check out.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/homes/design/period_1950s.shtml#the_names
Even if its just keywords in home design you are looking for or aspects to search on.

Come view this site for 1950s fabrics/ patterns and what this direct link is to 1950 sewing patterns.
http://vads.ahds.ac.uk/learning/designingbritain/html/ffs_sewing1.html
Scroll to the bottom, Great.

1950 design updated for the 21 century.
http://www.gamplusfratesi.com/
http://mi-workshop.com/furniture/?c=KM-Stepstool
http://www.t16.no/

Again another company doing the same.
http://www.i-sdesign.com/signature2.htm
Some yum pieces.

Another set of 50s furneture for kids, these just look so appealling.
http://www.jenniferdelonge.com/
For pursestrings of the higher class for the wild rock boys and girls.

If you are a fan of comics or want to do a comic style heres a link to 1950s comics.
http://libweb.lib.buffalo.edu/comics/resultscomics2.asp?Title=a&Year=%25&Genre=%25&theme=%25&Submit=Submit

Blogger.com my fiend

I do mean fiend not friend!

ERROR ERROR ERROR

Is all I've seen for the last week, blogger.com updated there systems as part of their 'maintenance' on sunday with any update of technology and software comes waves of errors, unfortunatley for me these errors came when I needed to post. The problem no posting on blogger.com for a week. The worse thing was there was no contact or message posted from blogger.com, so I started to think it was me, (uploading too many images, gone past my limit or some error with my connection). I've had a very stressful week due to this, which made my condition dramatically turn for the worst, so I've been too fatigued to make much of a catch up with work or attend many of my classes.

Luckily I wrote down my posts during this week, I wont back date, I will post them all today if I can. But bear in mind these are posts from a week ago.

New links

I've shown a brief listing of items and hot topics from the 1950s. But here in more detail in a set of links is a roundup of media inventions of the 50s. Some causing not even a second look others starting a bump forward to the evolution of media change and innovation.

One thing I got from this was the amount of important stages that took place in the 50s, especially in media. Thats why I've chosen a media timeline, instead of consumer products or inventions in general, too much and not something as relatable.

Did you know they started creating the modem in the 50s? I didn't.

mediahistory link

and an even more detailed one on the right under 1950S TIME LINE

Book reflection

Well I've had a full day of posting book scans from 'GETTYS IMAGES-THE 50S' and 'THE GOLDEN AGE OF ADVERTISING-THE 50S' today. Going through these books looking at images of 50s products, events, lifestyle etc, it was great to picture what the 1950s were.

Great for ideas towards the assessment, but I still have so much more to look into for the assessment and for research into the 50s. Such as the trends and other fashions from the 1950s.
But for today I've made huge progress in my understanding of the 50s, vital in order to then design something that would be designed as if in the 50s for 50s people.

What were the 50s more more more

Again more from 'GETTYS IMAGES-THE 50S', what were the 50s about, I've mentioned events, the icons of the 50s and the fashion but for the working class or the children what were the 50s about?

Pennyless Games for children.


















Hopskotch popular for girls, included chants for if you stepped on the lines, such as your marry a swine or your break your spine. You could imagine how popular that would have been as a group game. And of course pennyless.



















Bottle top tossing. Marbles became a popular game too soon after.

















Conkers, glorious conkers a pennyless game of the 50s, such a shame its not in fashion now, still as popular but outlawed. In this picture a rev. even acts as a referee. A pennyless game of the 50s but a hit with the 1950s boys.





















Soap box racing or carts to other people, very popular, not so much as pennyless game, though kids would group together with their pocket money, use their dads tools and collect scraps of wood and their mums pram wheels to build their carts to race. Building something with tools was very popular, mecanno was very popular with kids whos parents were more well off. But for those of working class or lower class backgrounds soap box racing was a hit of the 50s.

For the adults.



















The days of the jukebox, something for the working class to dance to or standby (as in this picture), they really were actually listened to not as background music, this image is from 1955, where jukeboxes were located across pubs throughout europe and america. A 1950s pasttime for the 1950s working class, men, women, teenagers.





















Not so much a positive for some, the parking meter was introduced for the first time. Not good for the working class, well if they had a car. I wonder how slow the milk van goes for it to have to pay at a parking meter? An impact to the 1950s working class, anyone in the above class wouldnt worry about the cost but those of working class who scrapped to pay for the running of their car, not a positive effect.

What were the 50s more more

More from 'GETTYS IMAGES-THE 50S'

THE FASHION













































































Still fashionable today, well if your skinny enough. The 50s fashion was all about the cut of the fabric, sewing patterns were the rage and highly collectable today. 5os high fashion can be see in advertisment, but often the image of the housewife were mainly used, especially in consumer products.

THE SEX ICONS







































From fashion to the people who wore it. Sex icons. The people idolised in the 50s, James Dean (top image left) and Marilyn Monroe (bottom image left- if not obvious). American again but in the 50s people really started to look at america and who they were. The stars of the time were famous everywhere.

What were the 50s more

More from 'GETTYS IMAGES-THE 50S'

OBSESSION WITH SPACE.




















A TECHNOLOGY BOOM.
















(the first jet invented).
















(3d cinema invented).

What were the 50s

I really wanted to know what the 50s were about to even pick an object / process for the assessment, then I bought a new book 'GETTY IMAGES -THE 50S', so here in answer to my own query.




















EVENTS



















Ban the bomb march.





















The death of a king but the coronation of a new queen.


































The big divide between the rich and the poor.

Book post 2

Again more from 'GOLDEN AGE OF ADVERTISING-THE 50S, such a great resource, pure advertisments, american though similar items and advertisments reached us in the UK.

Why the images below, well housewifes were a big target market in the 1950s, nagging their husband for the latest items to make their life easier or improved and these adverts are for the adverts that would be targeted for them. A must have mention if discussing 1950s advertisment.





















Stockings, a special occasion treat, on the wishlist of any housewife of the 50s.





















Mellamine tableware. I have some of this, todays its now trendy picnnic wear, have a look at habitat for a range of colourful versions. In the 50s it was part of a new trend using new materials for everyday products.





















Several consumer product adverts from the 50s, aimed totally for the house wife, multitasking products all with new features, and streamline shapes, adverts that proberly made housewifes mouths water.

Book post

From my new purchase of 'THE GOLDEN AGE OF ADVERTISING-THE 50S', heres some excerts that have took my interest as they show the different topics that were hot at the time. Space, jet travel, home appliances and car manafacture.





















































































































































Looking at these advertisements from the 50s, too things, their american, so they have a style of there selves like american advertising throughout the decades, the second thing though is despite this something they have in common with 50s advertisments in general is the illustative style they are posess. All with that hand drawn look. Very 5os.