The industrial revolution and how it effected society and design

The Industrial Revolution

Before I started my research on what was going on during the industrial revolution, I took a look and acknowledged myself on what triggered this massive turning point in the history of mankind. We state that it is a turning point because it changed the manner of how people lived. The industrial revolution was a series of events that occurred in about 200 years, which began in Great Britain and spread to Western Europe and the United Sates. 

Pre Industrial society

Before the industrial revolution the majority of the population lived in the countryside where most families had their own land. They grew crops and held farm animals for home consumption. In the beginning of the eighteenth century the agricultural revolution took place, this revolution created new and better ways of crop rotation and livestock utilization. This also gave the ability to farmers to create a diversity of wheat and vegetables and also gave them the ability to support more livestock. This increased food production and so the British population could now be fed at low cost and with less effort than before. This change had an impact on society as the population became better nourished and healthier. Later during the agricultural revolution the government introduced enclosure acts, these acts allowed the wealthy to purchase public fields and push out small scaled farmers. This meant that the agricultural revolution created a great environment for industrialization as these workers provided labour to new industries during the industrial revolution. 

Industrialization

Design changed in the same way society changed, prior to the industrial revolution manufacturing industries were often handmade and done in homes, it was done using traditional tools and basic machinery. During the industrial revolution a number of inventions took place and due to these inventions these industries were transformed by the industrialization that was taking place. These inventions also affected wester foreign countries, due to migration. Invention were replicated or developed depending on their requirements. An embargo act took place in America which restricted curtain British products. This created a greater need for America to produce their own goods domestically.  

Key technological inventions during the industrial revolution

The cotton industry was one of dose technological changes which without them the industrial revolution wouldn’t have happened. It all started from the spinning jenny, an invention by James Hargreaves in 1768. This machine allowed the person using the machine to spin multiple balls of yard instead of using just one at a time. This made the process much faster, it also started being used for mass consumption.

The Spinning Frame By Richard Arkwright 

Later Richard Arkwright went on to improve the yarn production by inventing the spinning frame. His main objective was to speed this process up. It was a machine that worked by a water power wheel, this machine could be replicated and make factories as big as he wanted as long as there was a good supply of water. Due to this factor factories had to be built near rivers because of the machines demand for water. Historians state that Arkwright didn’t just invent the spinning machine but he also invented the modern factory. These factories created jobs and soon enough Britain became a power house.

The Steam engiine

The steam engine was another great success from the industrial revolution, James watt wasn’t the inventor of the steam engine but is known for making the first reliable and for perfecting the steam engine. These engines were powered by coal or by steam, and this allowed factory owners to have greater control on were they wanted to build their factory. The steam engine also contributed in the development of railroad technologies improving transportation. This meant that civilians and goods could be transported faster and easier.  

Iron making 

Iron was also a key mineral for the industrial revolution, it was growing and changing at a fast pace due to its demand. It was even more at a demand after inventors discovered a more efficient and less expensive method to produce cast iron. Later a process was developed in order to refine iron which created a strong product which could be easily used in all kinds of factories to manufacture their goods.

The Crystal Palace 

The Crystal Palace was a cast iron and plate glass structure built to house the 1851 great exhibition. More than 14,000 exhibitors participated in order to show the achievements that were developed during the industrial revolution.  

Mass production during the industrial revolution 

Impacts on design

Design was shaped and changed during the industrial revolution due to mass production and mass consumption. Before the rise of mass consumption products were manufactured on a made to order basis by skilled craftsmen. On the other hand mass production gave manufacturers the ability to produce consumer needs in large quantities; this resulted in lower prices for consumers. Producing in the mass comes as an advantage for manufacturers as products can be made in same amount of time as producing products individually. Factory owners also realised that products that were made handmade were resulting in more money spent paying wages to people that were manufacturing the parts. Later on when machinery was well developed, objects could then be made using molds and robotical equipment. Another effect that mass production made was that human workers didn’t need to be trained professionally to do the job, this came at an advantage for factory owners as workers required lower wages. 

Characteristics that products had before and after the the industrial revolution

Pre-Industrial design

made for small markets, client selected their designs meaning that each and every product could be custom made, made by hand by artists and crafts workers, used rare materials with luxurious elements, traditional, good quality and valuable.  

   

Post-industrial design

 Made for the middle class in large quantities for biggest markets, appealed to bankers, merchants and industrialists, popular and mass produced products, economical, practical materials, inexpensive and replaceable 

Pioneer industrialists / producers of industrial design included

Thomas Sheraton

He was a British furniture designer back in the 18^th century. His peak was during industrial revolution but in the eighteenth century furniture was still being made by skilled craftsman. He mostly published chairs that show a Neo-classical style. 

The Sheraton chair

The Sheraton chair was one of his designs done in the 18^th century. The neo classical movement began in the mid-18^th century and we can see how influenced he was by this style in his design. It has decorative aspects, delicate details, elegant artefacts and smooth edges. It is all finely carved by hand using heavy dense mahogany. It is quite a rich chair which was certainly designed for the rich or middle class.

Michael Thonet

Michael Thonet was one of the pioneers in the design of bent shaped furniture. After undergoing training in Germany Thonet went on to develop a steam process in order to soften the wood and allowing him to bend it easily. After several years working for other companies he set up his own factory to manufacture his own chairs in large numbers.  

Thonet’s No.14 Chair

The No.14 chair which is made out of benchwood is an early example of mass production, more than 15 million of them were made between 1859 and 1893. One of its main advantages was that it could be easily dissembled making it easier for transportation and exportation. Thonet was way apart from his time as his designs influenced modernism. It has a form follows function design, he only adds the relevant infrastructures of the chair without any fancy decorative carvings. It has quite a minimalistic design due to the few materials it has. Its curved legs help be stable even when heavy loads are applied. Thonet also considered practicality as the chair is light due to the low amount of materials it has. Some factors of how this chair made huge success were because it was cheap due to its ability to be built in mass production making it available for a wide range of markets and classes.

Conclusion 

In the two examples above I also managed to observe the different styles and mentalities of designers during the industrial revolution. Were Sheraton’s designs were decorative and luxurious, Thones designs were minimalist and practical. Both designers had different influences and aimed for different types of classes in society. Sheraton’s designs were done early on during the industrial revolution were craftsmanship was still at its peak, on the other hand, later on during the industrial revolution, Thonet saw the advantages in mass production and took the opportunity to boost his income by emphasising on practicality and reliability.