·
6 to 8 hours
HD·F4·02 Basic → Advanced

Design History & Theory

Design today is built on arguments made long ago.

Design history and theory traces movements, makers and ideas from the Industrial Revolution to the present. This course helps designers place their work in context and use theory as a tool for thinking.

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This course's full module content is being written. The outline below is final, subscribe for updates when it publishes.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

  1. 01 Describe major movements in design history
  2. 02 Explain how technology and society shaped design
  3. 03 Read a short theoretical text and summarise its argument
  4. 04 Place a contemporary work within a historical lineage
  5. 05 Write a short critical analysis
01

Industry and the Birth of Modern Design

Mass production separated design from making. Early reformers argued over standards, ornament and honesty of material.
01 ▶ present
02

Arts and Crafts to Bauhaus

Movements responded to industrialisation with differing views of craft and machine. The Bauhaus tried to unite art, craft and technology.
02 ▶ present
03

Modernism and Its Critics

Modernism promised universal solutions. Later critics questioned its neutrality and its fit with local cultures.
03 ▶ present
04

Postmodern and Digital Design

Postmodernism embraced plurality and irony. Digital tools then changed how design is made and distributed.
04 ▶ present
05

Design in India and the Global South

Indian and other non-Western design histories offer parallel and distinct paths. Including them corrects a single-origin story.
05 ▶ present
06

Using Theory in Practice

Theory offers vocabulary and frames for judging work. Applying it to a real project shows its value.
06 ▶ present