DESIGN CHANGES in 20th CENTURY 1

Major Impacts of Visual Changes in Design

Kemal Furkan ŞAHİNOĞLU

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Architecture- Faculty of Architecture

Arzu Ceren BAŞSÜSLÜ

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Architecture- Faculty of Architecture

English 201

Hatice Bahar Mendi ÜNVER

01/11/2021
DESIGN CHANGES in 20th CENTURY 2

Thesis: The major visual changes in terms of design in 20th century are usually determined by

three main reasons which are effects of World War 2, effects of post-modernism and

effects of mass production.

I. Effects of World War 2

A. Effects of World War 2 in Architectural Design

1. Reconstruction Style of Collapsed Building and Cities After WW2

(Closmann, 2009, p. 184) (Diefendorf, 2009, p. 378) (Cicevic, 2019, p. 12)

(Gelernter, 2001, p. 265)

2. Different Materials Usage Due to War (World Heritage Encyclopedia, n.d.,

“Wartime Innovation”, para. 1-2) (Robinson & Foell, 2003, p. 25) (Kretzer,

2017, p. 43)

B. Effects of World War 2 in Product Design

1. Impacts of Socio-Economic Status After War in Furniture Design (Gross,

2004, para. 1-3) (Reimer & Pinch, 2013, p. 99, 103)

2. Impacts of Limitations and Shortages After War in Clothes Design (Imperial

War Museums, n.d., para. 1,3-4) (Mason, 2011, p. 8, 12, 19, 21, 62)

II.
DESIGN CHANGES in 20th CENTURY 3

Human being is a creature that develops and changes in the light of ideas and tastes.

Changing likes and tastes appear unstoppable as a result of daily life. Both the affected and

the impressive are the people. So human behavior and thoughts are the pioneers of visual

change. The expression of ideas is called design. When we focus at the historical development

of design, we can see that it is included in many major branches, especially architecture.

Fashion, arts and crafts have joined these areas in time. Revolutions and wars may take part in

the visual change. Although these circumstances may not be gotten across directly by human

as a result of visual changes, the changing trend about space and object is undoubtedly the

product of social events. The major visual changes in terms of design in the 20th century are

usually determined by three main reasons which are effects of World War 2 and effects of

revolutions.

The first and most significant impact of the changes in design in terms of visuality in

20th century is World War 2. To begin with, World War 2, which affected many areas and

caused them to change, also left great mark in the field of architecture. As an example,

buildings and cities that were destroyed or damaged due to World War 2 were redesigned and

reconstructed with different architectural approaches. According to Closmann (2009), World

War 2 was considered to be a very significant chance to reconstruct, renew, reform and

invigorate cities suffering from bombs and attacks, irregular settlements and social epidemics

by city organizers and architects. The designers would apply new modern concepts and

functionalities to new cities and buildings. The landscapes of the buildings are combined with

the natural environment or integrated with the landscapes into the sunshine, air, trees ( p.

184). As Diefendorf (2009) asserts, a tabula rasa situation was created by the destruction that

allowed cities to be beautifully redesigned. In fact, also the other many cities which were not

damaged due to World War 2 were wanted to reconstruct as the conception of the new
DESIGN CHANGES in 20th CENTURY 4

modern cities was very strong (p. 378). Cicevic (2001) states that the process of rebuilding

after the war should be considered very carefully. Due to the lack of information about the

destruction of the old building destroyed during the war, one-on-one restoration method has

rarely been successful. However, it has become essential to implement innovative and modern

ideas, which are accepted by not only designers or architects but also the societies l iving in

these buildings and cities (p. 12). Gelernter (2001) states that, Le Corbusier's idea of urban

design, called the “unit”, substantially containing a long residential buildings, began to be

considered and implemented for cities that collapsed after the war in the 1950s. This new city

idea has been adopted by many European states as it creates fast and cheap housing,

especially due to the rapid increase in birth rates after the war. After World War 2, modernism

which presented a very different appearance from the past was widely accepted because it

represented concepts such as innovation, peace and prosperity (p. 265). As specified above,

creating new appearances with the aesthetic conception of societies after the demolition of

World War 2 should be one of the most important issues in post World War 2.

In addition, due to war, different material usage emerged during the WW2 and its

afterwards. World Heritage Encyclopedia stated that World War 2 and the developments

experienced after it had an important role in shaping architectural possibilities and creating

new building technologies and techniques. Due to the consumption of many industrial

materials such as steel and other metals for World War 2, new materials were adopted and the

old ones have gained new usage styles. Likewise, with the increase of post-war industry,

materials such as aluminum used in warplanes also entered the field of architecture and

helped to create new materials and techniques. Also, the need for construction arose during

and after the war. All these factors encouraged alternative ideas and materials such as

prefabricated buildings (n.d., “Wartime Innovation”, para. 1-2). As Robinson and Foell

pointed out, during the time of World War 2, classical decorations were considered obsolete
DESIGN CHANGES in 20th CENTURY 5

by many leading designers and architects, and the use of these decorative materials in

buildings declined. In this period, exterior building facades which looked different from the

buildings built in earlier periods emerged, while the production of materials such as glass,

concrete and metal increased and the use of stone decreased (2003, p. 25). Kretzer (2017)

explain that the shortage of traditional building materials and lack of housing because of

World War 2 helped to speed up the petrochemical field and different plastic materials were

put on the trading market. As Yarsley and Couzens (quoted in Kretzer) declared:

This ‘Plastic Man’ will come into a world of colour and bright shining surfaces, where

childish hands find nothing to break, no sharp edges or corners to cut or graze, no

crevices to harbour dirt or germs, because, being child, his parents will see to it that he

is surrounded on every side by this tough, safe, clean material which human thought

has created. The walls of his nursery, all the articles of his bath and certain other

necessitates of his small life, all his toys, his cot […] all will be plastic. […] As he

grows he cleans his teeth and brushes his hair with plastic brushes, clothes himself

with in plastic clothes […] The windows of his school […], like those of his house are

of moulded plastic, light and easy to open never requiring any paint (1941, p. 149)

In the first applied architectural works, prefabricated buildings were concentrated on in order

to quickly eliminate the lack of housing. But before new types of plastic materials came out in

the 1950s, architects developed ideas that reveal the different potentials of their materials (p.

43). Objectively speaking, it cannot be denied that these new materials such as plastic which

were found during World War 2 offered a quick solution however more of these materials

caused some environmental problems. All things considered, it can be easily said that new

and alternative materials found with World War 2 are still used in the architectural field

today.
DESIGN CHANGES in 20th CENTURY 6

Apart from the effects of World War 2 in architectural field, production design area

also has impressions of World War 2. As an example, the socio-economic situation after the

war changed the field of furniture design. As Gross (2004) explained, the years following the

Second World War were marked at all levels by tremendous change. The war ended, leaving a

new global generation of veterans trying to reconstruct their lives with young families. A

boom in design and manufacturing was sparked by the pressing need for affordable housing

and furnishings. A fresh hope prevailed, packed with the promise of the future. In 1957,

commercial air travel was introduced and an increasing convergence of cultural influences

was promoted by the ease of travel in the jet age. In fact, the shifting of Eastern and Western

design and technology was a radically new conceptual fusion (para. 1). The complex

domiciliary of the prewar era, substituted by informality and adaptability, have gone. The

traditional attitude to furniture as costly and enduring prestige pieces has also been gone. In

addition to the developing abstract and sculptural aesthetic perception, the cheapness of the

objects that quickly produced after war, new materials and technology helped the product

design to get rid of the tradition. (para. 2). In America, Italy, Scandinavia and Japan, the most

pronounced changes happened. In the post-war years, a rising number of American companies

such as the Herman Miller Furniture Company and Knoll International started to develop a

reputation for making and selling good-designed, fine quality, cheap furniture manufactured

from modern materials such as fiberglass and plastics for the luxury market (para. 3).

According to Reimer and Pinch (2013), in the evolving regions of the British furniture

industry of the twentieth century, the Second World War Utility furniture plan marked a

unique moment. The program, which was designed in the latter part of 1942 and introduced in

1943, allowed the state to direct the entire furniture market chain from timber supply control

to final demand management. A limited collection of designs for manufacturing, designated

individual firms for the manufacture of utility furniture, and regulated distribution through the
DESIGN CHANGES in 20th CENTURY 7

issue of household purchase permits were stated by the wartime office of the Board of Trade.

As the system started, assignments of 'packages' were allocated to recently married partners

setting up their first home and to current families who lost furniture due to the airstrikes,

while the families of pregnant mothers and/or growing kids were also prioritized later in the

war (p. 99). In order for furniture designs to become more functional, economical and better,

with the help of the imperatives of war, the public, designers and manufacturers should be

directed to simple designs by getting rid of unnecessary and expensive ornaments in furniture

(p. 103). This implies that the change in people's aesthetic tastes takes place as a result of the

great or sometimes tragic events that society has gone through.

Furthermore, the design of the outfit was also affected by the constraints and shortages

experienced during and after World War 2. According to Imperial War Museum report (n.d.),

in Britain, from 1 June 1941, clothes were strictly controlled. Four years after the end of the

war, this small limit of new clothes that individuals could obtain till 1949 (para.1). The war

and civilian austerity did not bring an end to creative design, market opportunism or trendy

styles, despite the restrictions (para.3). It apparently spelled an end to fashion when Britain

went to war in 1939. The inhabitants of Britain now had more urgent problems, such as often

planned air attacks and potential invasion by Germany. Battle has disrupted and dislocated

fashion in Britain in several respects. There were limitations on land and raw materials for

civilian clothes. Prices grew and there were no longer available luxury classics such as silk.

The buying tax and the rationing of clothes is instituted. But in war, fashion persisted and

often thrived, even in unusual directions (para.4). As Mason (2011) mentioned, A prohibition

on silk for civilian garments became effective in January 1941. Since they were mostly

shipped from Japan, rubber and silk vanished. For the making of parachutes, silk was

required. Hitler's policy of using submarines, or U-Boats, to bomb supply ships going into

Britain often caused shortages (p. 8). The new styles offered sleek versatility, were wearable
DESIGN CHANGES in 20th CENTURY 8

and convenient, and had a beauty about them that the public highly appreciated. Individual

artists were not noticed during the introduction of the designs in Britain's effort to build and

retain a national grip on fashion (and therefore a stable income to help finance the war) and

create a cohesive appearance (p. 12). Civilians were entitled to just 3 pairs a year of leather

boots. Shoes were rationed because, due to leather and labor constraints as well as military

demand, unchecked demand would have been even higher than the supply that had

dramatically reduced (p. 19). Silk and rubber materials obtained from Japan could not be

imported because of the war, especially in allied countries such as England and the USA.

Also, the wool and cotton produced were primarily used in military fields such as parachute

making, not in civilian clothing (p. 21). Although the restrictions imposed upon it, the impact

on fashion was tremendous and is even noticed today. By placing modern human-made

fabrics and fibers in clothes, rationing has transformed the shape of fashion. These materials

are still found in consumer clothing today, such as nylon, plastics, hemp, cotton and synthetic

blends. The war's demand for further development into new materials led to the creation of

fibers such as Lycra and Teflon. Rationing has also encouraged innovation inside limits and

has dramatically popularized the sector for ready-to-wear garments (p. 62). As indicated

above, it can be argued that although different designs emerge due to restrictions, today, the

quality and the health effect of these clothes produced with new materials such as nylon and

synthetic fabric is highly questioned, especially by the old generation people. All these

examples prove that World War 2 is an undeniable factor in the modernization and

simplification of the product design that has survived until today.

….
DESIGN CHANGES in 20th CENTURY 9

In conclusion, two key factors for the significant design improvements in terms of

appearance in the 20th century are typically determined by the impact of World War 2 and the

effects of revolutions. First of all, World War II affected the field of design partially

positively and partially negatively as it affected every aspect of society and life. Secondly,

with the revolutions, there were changes in materials and new types of buildings emerged.

When all these factors are taken into consideration, the changes in the people's understanding

of design have been caused by the developments and events in different fields. Most of these

reasons are developments that directly affect the society itself. It can be partially seen that

these changes in the 20th century is still continuing today. Although the simplicity and

modernism in today's design have gone through different processes and changed, they

continue to be valid in the 21st century. However, this century has different requirements,

such as environmental problems. Therefore, today's designs should develop more

environmentally than in the 20th century and the responses to these requirements will

undoubtedly change the appearance of the design as it always has.

I.
DESIGN CHANGES in 20th CENTURY 10

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