- The Arts and Crafts movement was the first major movement
in graphic design history.
It was the genesis of our contemporary design practice.
For the first time, design was lifted
above being simply a trade, and recognized as an art form.
What began as a reaction
to the machine-driven mass production
of the Industrial Revolution evolved
into a fluid and all-encompassing profession.
The course of this Industrial Revolution was
toward faster, cheaper, and larger quantities.
Quality was missing, and the pride of labor disappeared.
William Morris, Edward Burne-Jones,
and John Ruskin saw this trend and challenged it.
They promoted an ideal closer to Medieval England
and an agrarian past.
Rather than a social structure of very rich factors owners
and poverty-ridden workers,
these early leaders of the movement suggested a system
of apprentices and masters,
working with pride and handmade items.
The result was a body of work across all media,
graphic design, architecture, furniture,
product, and lighting, that was beautiful and unique.
The Kelmscott Press revitalized bookmaking
and a respect for typography.
The limited editions focused on Medieval stories,
such as Chaucer,
and liberally borrowed from ancient illuminated manuscripts.
At the same time, organic forms replaced religious themes,
and pattern found meaning.
Architects like Frank Lloyd Wright
and Julia Morgan adapted the Arts and Crafts ideal
into their design.
A house should feel one with the landscape,
use local materials, and incorporate the inside
and outside together.
Gustav Stickley and Louis Comfort Tiffany moved away
from over-decorated Victorian design,
pushing to a simpler, more honest, and natural solution.
Today, we live in a similar time, when technology threatens
to dehumanize our creativity, and faster is always better.
If we learned anything from the Arts and Crafts movement,
it is that design matters.
Quality must be maintained.
And we all take pride in the things we create.
When I began work on this course,
I imagined I'd be able to cover all
of the Arts and Crafts movement easily,
but, of course, once I began down one path,
I'd discover an entirely new aspect.
It is an incredible story of individuals
who changed the world.
My hope is that this course will lead you
to research and learn even more about this period.
There are multiple books
and documentaries covering the movement.
There are ideas that will change your work and methods.
And what could be more satisfying
than realizing you are an important link
in a long chain of design history?