TAD2211*

Critical issues in design 2B

3 points - 2 hours lecture/tutorial per week - First Semester - Caulfield, internal - Prerequisites: TAD1101, TAD1102 - Corequisites: none - Prohibitions: TAD2511 - Core subject for BDes(IndDes) and BID, elective in other courses

Objectives On successful completion of this subject, students should relish investigating the history of certain goods from pre-industrial times and appreciate the extent to which they remain embedded in contemporary objects of household use; be keen to cultivate practical skills and the ambition to interpret the function and meaning of consumer products; and enjoy talking and writing imaginatively about the relationship which people have with items of product design, the experiences they are likely to have and the emotional 'life' of ordinary objects

Synopsis The subject explores the contents of our department stores. Product design from local and international manufacturers is analysed through advertising and imaginary narratives of their use. The looks and the ecological and the ethical dimensions of such objects are discussed in a critical manner. The subject is essentially concerned with the imagination which a practical philosopher might bring to the critical study of product design. Rather than cultivate strict objectivity and disinterested inquiry, the subject encourages the design critic to take up an 'interested' position which is necessary for the creation of visionary designs of consumer goods.

Assessment: Two essays or class presentations supplemented, where appropriate, with written notes: 40% and 60% each

Recommended texts

Dormer P The Meanings of modern design Thames and Hudson, 1991
Forty A Objects of desire Thames and Hudson, 1986
Nelson R Expressions of purpose in Australian design Monash University, 1992
Nelson R Cultural hypochondria in the age of industrial design Monash University, 1992
Shields R Lifestyle shopping: the subject of consumption Routledge 1992

Back to the 1999 Art and Design Handbook