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Tools and Industrialisation



Before the industrial revolution, tools were made by hand,
often by the same craftsman who would later use them.
Hand made tools are often beautiful, showing an intuitive
awareness of materials and proportion.

With mechanisation of production, tools were created by a
new breed: manufacturers, who often lacked the skills and
aesthetic awareness of the artisan, and were neither the user
nor the maker of the tool.

This forced a belated recognition of the importance of aesthetics,
the emergence of the new profession of Industrial Design in a
conscious attempt to restore the "art in industry."

Similar recognition of design may result from the use of desktop
publishing programmes, which also separate production skill
from aesthetic decisions. Advertising for these programmes
claims that now 'anyone' can 'design,' but the results will only
serve to define the difference between technical know-how
and creativity finding its expression through design.

 

© 1993- 1995 Alexander Manu ©1995 Danish Design Centre "ToolToys - Tools with an Element of Play "
The author grants permission to make a digital or hard copy of part or all of this work for personal use provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit. The copyright notice and the title of the publication must appear on all printed copies.