Design and Market Influences

FamousDesigners

Students should develop an understanding of the broad perspectives of the design world. They should understand the role designers

play in Graphic Products.

Harry Beck

Who is he?

The London Underground Map

Schematic Diagram’s

• The tube map is the schematic diagram representing the lines, stations, and zones of London's rapid transit rail system, the London Underground (commonly known as the tube, hence the name).

• As a schematic diagram it shows not the geographic but the relative positions of stations along the lines, stations' connective relations with each other and their fare zone locations. The basic design concepts have been widely adopted for other network maps around the world.

• The first diagrammatic map of the Underground was designed by Harry Beck in 1931 Beck was an Underground employee who realised that because the railway ran mostly underground, the physical locations of the stations were irrelevant to the traveller wanting to know how to get to one station from another his approach is similar to that of electrical circuit diagrams;

• To this end, he devised a simplified map, consisting of stations, straight line segments connecting them, and the River Thames; lines ran only vertically, horizontally, or on 45 degree diagonals. To make the map clearer and to emphasise connections, Beck differentiated between ordinary stations (marked with tick marks) and interchanges (marked with diamonds).

• Beck changed the interchange symbol from a diamond to a circle, as well as altering the line colours - the Central Line from orange to red, and the Bakerloo Line from red to brown. Beck's final design, in 1960, bears a strong resemblance to modern-day maps

Symbols

Look at the example

This image shows the route of an express bus service which runs between Barnsley Interchange and Robin Hood Airport. It stops at the places indicated.

Draw a map of this bus route in the style of the designer of the London Underground Map.

Alberto Alessi

Who is he?

Alessi Company

• Alessi was founded in 1921 to produce crafted products in metal for eating and drinking

• By the 1980s, Alberto Alessi took over the management of Alessi (which he still does today) and launched the Alessi company.

• There mission is to make their products more fun, appealing, simple, functional and to represent an art piece within the kitchen.

• Among the best known of the company's product range are :-

A less is more

Richard Sapper's kettle

Michael Graves' kettle

Philippe Starck's playful three-legged Juicy Salif

Watch.... this is a short introduction to some key Alessi products.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eusHWufjVI

Task

Using a sheet of A4 paper produce designs in the style of Alessi for a new kitchen item. It could be for one of the following items:-

• Tea bag strainer• Garlic crusher• Grater• Zester for limes and lemons• Whisk• Orange juicer• Peeler• Potato Masher

Who was John Kinnear and Margaret Calvert?

I’ll give you a clue….

This clip from the TV series ‘Top Gear’, Presenter James May talks about the Vauxhall VXR and then interviews Margaret Calvert about her work on road signs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QypmXbwD1k

Summary

• Kinnear and Calvert’s transport and road signs are clear, uncluttered and easy to read when travelling at speed towards them.

• Kinnear and Calvert created a new typeface and pictograms to give drivers information.

Design a set of signs for the 1st floor stairs in the main building in the

style of Kinnear and Calvert

Use the correct colours – keep it simple!

Wallis Olins

What is the name of the designer who made these?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZ9O9EB6UC4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nljx6rkR_sI&NR=1

Robert Sabuda

‘Meet me at the corner is a virtual field trip for kids. This clip gives a brief history of the importance of books before TV and Radio. Together with an interview with Robert Sabuda. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-c6dJKRIPg

Who is he?

Robert Sabuda• Author, illustrator and Pop up book designer.• As a child he would make books from old folders

his mother would bring home.• He has worked for several publishers and enjoys

producing mechanical books.• See his website:

http://www.robertsabuda.com/popmake/index.asp

• Try making a simple v fold or a box cut.• Homework, write down the web address above

or google search ‘Robert Sabuda’, choose a pop up of your choice and make it for next lesson.