Episode 26

The Design Act stipulates that, as a requirement for design registration, "Anyone who creates a design capable of industrial application... may obtain a design registration for that design." (Article 3, Paragraph 1, Heading). This means that a design must be capable of industrial mass production.
The need for such design protection arose due to the Industrial Revolution, which led to the mass production of industrial products. This article explains this issue in four major European countries (the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy).
The Industrial Revolution began in the United Kingdom from the mid-18th century to the 19th century. Mass production led to an abundance of cheap products, and factory workers were forced to work in poor conditions. The Arts and Crafts movement was born out of this social climate. However, this movement was merely a nostalgia for the pre-Industrial Revolution era of cottage-based craftsmanship, and did not contribute to British industrial production from a design perspective.
Subsequently, from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, British industry declined as newly industrializing nations like Germany and the United States caught up with Britain during the Second Industrial Revolution. As explained in Episode 11, functional beauty was born in Germany at the Bauhaus, a school of design founded in 1919 after World War I.
Perhaps the most representative industrial designers of modern Britain are Jonathan Ive and Marc Newson (born in Australia and living in the UK). Their designs are characterized by a foundation of Bauhaus-style functional beauty, combined with aesthetic forms and color schemes.
In France, the Industrial Revolution was delayed compared to Britain due to the chaos caused by the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century. Art Nouveau, which originated in the British Arts and Crafts movement and used curves and decoration, emerged in France, favoring designs that rejected mass production. After World War I, the country transitioned to Art Deco, which sought to harmonize mass production with design. Art Deco means decorative arts.
Le Corbusier, a leading French architect and designer (born in Switzerland but later acquired French citizenship), pointed out that the works exhibited at the 1925 Paris World's Fair (Art Deco Exposition) were overly decorative and unsuitable for industrial production.
Italy was originally divided into small countries, and it was not until the end of the 19th century that the entire country was unified. As a result, industrialization was delayed, and it was only after World War II that industry developed, mainly in the north. Today, Italy's population is smaller than France's, but its industrial production exceeds that of France.
Italy was also home to world-renowned industrial designer Giorgetto Giugiaro, who designed the first-generation Golf, Volkswagen's signature compact car. Volkswagen, a German automobile manufacturer, was looking for a Bauhaus-style functional design, and Giugiaro responded to that demand by designing the first-generation Golf, which is hailed as a masterpiece in automotive history.
Modern industrial design is based on Bauhaus-style functional beauty, with aesthetic elements added from the cultural perspective of each designer's background. However, this is premised on the design being suitable for industrial production.