What is Design History?

The idea of design as a unique category for study and history did not exist before the 20th century. The idea of a design history was formalized untilBritain’s Design History Society started in 1977.

For Denise Whitehouse in The State of Design History as a Discipline, a big challenge to design history is what to study? Art, architecture and fashion are already separate disciplines. Anthropology, sociology and more recently cultural theory also overlap with design issues. There is also the issue of inheriting a Western history. Theavant-garde high end design is Euro-American and already established as history. But now we seek a new global history. Historians must also consider how trade and the market are now influencing what objects are historicized.

For Hazel Conway, in “Design History Basics,”For Hazel Conway, objects themselves have their own histories. These short stories are combined with larger aesthetics or a chronological order of objects. There is also the same problem of where we locate design?in the advance planning? The object? The post-production packaging? Conway suggests a categorical approach to design by graphics, fashion, objects and environments. Each of these areas are however not closed categories. Environments for example may include architecture and interiors.

Conway also considers larger stylistic influences and aesthetic trends. In the late 19th century we know for example what the “Victorian era” implies, even if we do not know its objects. This is the way to understand design in context, and to avoid repeating the research that has already been done by art historians. So design can learn from something like art history but the goal is to generate unique conclusions about what design is.The issue of object survival is important for design history. The preservation of the commonplace was less common! Most museums are full of things that were of high value or precious from distant lands, and thus were saved. Finally design history can also be a bit of hero worship. Museum’s want objects that are quality and of high value which is usually marked by name. This creates a challenge in understanding the anonymous design of any period.

A development cycle is the set of stages of design creation. The first step is understanding the requirements by materials, then the deadlines or costs. Design, creation and testing follow.

The development cycle is the insular, incubation process of creating the design.

A life cycle is the short history of something after the development cycle is over and you have a finished work. The design is introduced to the world. Growth, maturity and eventual decline follow. There may also be a next generation of the design, or a re-design that allows the original idea to continue.

The life cycle begins when you 'set your chic free' and your design object enters the world.