Art & Design Movements: Examples, Wider Impact & Key Features

Cambridge AS/A Level Design & Technology students must be familiar with common art & design movements and their wider impact. This article lists key features of each design movement, alongside examples of iconic products and designers that represent each movement. It concludes with a discussion of how these movements influence the design and manufacture of products.

Arts & Crafts movement

Flourished in Europe and North America between 1880 and 1920
Emphasises craftsmanship (rejection of mass production and industrial scale), influenced by medieval craft traditions (Middle Ages) where craftsmen trained apprentices in trades like metalworking, woodworking, stonework, and textiles
Handmade, traditional construction methods, with prominent joinery – “solid and honest”
Celebrates the beauty of natural materials (wood grain, hammered copper, wrought iron, leather, ceramics, stained glass, stone, natural dyes)
Combines beauty with function (i.e. no separation between “art” and “craft”)
Solid linear forms, with some curves, floral imagery, and patterns inspired by nature
Often dark brown hardwoods / leathers / metals, with blues / greens / crimson
Led on to the Art Nouveau movement, which featured even more decorative, organic, flowing forms (Arts & Crafts is similar to Art Nouveau but less decorative and more functional)

**Arts & Crafts movement example**: Gustav Stickley furniture design – American designer whose furniture features exposed wooden joints, simple solid oak forms, with carefully positioned decorative features.

William Morris wallpaper designs — **Arts & Crafts movement example**: detailed wallpaper and fabric designs by William Morris Examples – based upon natural forms.

See more examples here.

Bauhaus movement

Initially founded as an art/design/architecture school in Germany by architect Walter Gropius in 1919, which became famous for its design approach
After the first world war, was about embracing industrial methods and mass production – aimed to bring beautiful products to the masses

Embodies the idea of “form follows function” (function is most important, and aesthetics should be derived from the function) – simplified products
Rejects excessive decoration
Clean lines, simple, geometric shapes (rectangles, rounded corners, curved chrome-plated pipes, spheres), “machine aesthetic,” with little or no decoration
Strong contrasts, sometimes just one colour alongside materials such as steel, glass, concrete
Created sans serif fonts (fonts without serifs – the small decorative strokes or “feet” that extend from the main strokes of letters)

marcel breuer chair designs — **Bauhaus movement example**: Marcel Breuer chair designs

**Bauhaus movement example**: Marianne Brandt teapot and lightshade

Another example: Walter Gropius (founder of Bahaus movement) designed a chair based on a cube.

More examples here.

Art Deco movement

Originated France 1910 and flourished in United States and Germany in 1920s and 30s
Inspired by different cultures i.e. African carvings and Egyptian tombs / temples / pyramids, as well as by transport and skyscraper shapes
Symbolises the flourishing/optimism in post First World War America
Combines modern styles with fine craftsmanship and premium materials – high gloss woods and metals, satin, furs, tortoise shells, mother of pearl (the inside layer of shells)
Represents luxury, decoration, and glamour – a bit futuristic
Lots of stepped decorations, sunburst forms, zigzags, and stylised geometric shapes, circles, arcs, and straight lines – often symmetrical

**Art Deco examples**: Chrysler Building (above right), Manhattan, New York, United States by William van Alen

Eileen Gray art deco furniture — **Art Deco example**: Eileen Gray furniture

Scandinavian Design Movement

Flourished in 1950s in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland and still continues today
Has traditional Nordic craftsmanship at its core (such as strong traditions in woodworking, textiles, and ceramics that go back centuries), but influenced by Bauhaus and the embracing of mass production – involved adapting industrial production methods while maintaining craftsmanship values and quality
Emphasises elegance, simplicity and minimalism, with clean lines, and uncluttered forms, absent of unnecessary ornamentation
Embraces the idea that beautiful, functional objects should be accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy – to improve the lives of all – with prices affordable, despite high quality materials
Links to ideas about equality, sustainability, and craftsmanship – ideas that remain popular today, particular with increasing awareness about sustainability
Often uses natural materials, particularly light-coloured woods like birch, pine, and ash, as well as some plastic (such as polypropylene chair shells) and fibreglass components, often emphasising natural textures
Has some more vibrant pieces, but mostly uses neutral colour palettes (white, ivory, tan, gray, and lighter wood colours, and muted earth tones, like rust or sage green)
Not just about individual objects but entire interior design with natural lighting (or lamps) and indoor plants to create comfortable, cozy, clean, warm, bright, open-plan interiors that aim to promote wellbeing (so, it’s not just about a single item, but how all the items worked together to create interior spaces)
Companies like IKEA have globalised this style (although IKEA often represents a simplified, commercialized version of the original principles). IKEA is known for selling flat-packed furniture. Although this wasn’t initially part of classic Scandinavian design pieces, IKEA’s flat-pack system allowed the company to bring Scandinavian design to the masses, making products much cheaper, further supporting the notion that “beautiful design is for everyone”.

Alvar Aalto chair designs — **Scandinavian design example**: Alvar Aalto chairs

Hans Wegner's Wishbone Chair — **Scandinavian design example**: Hans Wegner’s Wishbone Chair.

Modernism

Roughly from the 1880s to the 1940s
Modernism is about breaking away from traditions – moving away from classical techniques – and embracing experimentation and new and innovative ways of thinking and making – finding new ways of seeing and representing the world.
It is an umbrella movement (a big over-arching category) that contains many interconnected movements (such as Bauhaus, impressionism, cubism, and surrealism) – a whole era or broad approach that a lot of smaller movements fit into.

Fibreglass Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio — **Modern design example**: Ball Chair by Eero Aarnio (part of the early Pop Art movement)

The general commonality is a desire to move away from traditional hand-crafted methods of construction, and embrace new ways of doing things – such as producing products at a larger scale via mass production, and looking at how art and industry can be combined. In the fine art world, it involved moving away from traditional realistic portraiture and scenes, to movements such as Cubism, which depict fragmented, semi-abstracted imagery, showing multiple viewpoints in the same work, or Surrealism, which combines realistic scenes at unexpected scales, with shocking or unusual juxtapositions.
Because modernism represents so many movements, it does not have a unique aesthetic or recognisable style. Rather, modernism is about the common ideas that unite these movements – breaking away from tradition and stripping things down to the essentials, eliminating unnecessary detail, and moving toward ‘truth,’ simplicity, essence, function, and the idea that “less is more.”

“…a period when the artistic avant-garde dreamed of a new world free from history and tradition.”
Modernism, Victoria and Albert Museum

Avant-garde refers to people or works that are experimental, radical, and innovative, particularly in the arts and culture, pushing boundaries, challenging conventions and introducing new ideas and forms.

examples of cubism — **Example of Cubism** (part of the modernism movement): Left two paintings by Pablo Picasso; right painting by Albert Gleizes

Minimalism

Minimalism can be seen as the end point of modernism
A movement in the 1950s – 70s which was about paring things down to their absolute essentials – very simple forms, lots of open space, minimal decoration – very sparse, sometimes stark, unadorned, and reduced to the purely functional (these ideas started with Bauhaus, but Bauhaus still has colourful elements and a bit of geometric experimentation – minimalism takes the “less is more” idea to the extreme)
Whereas modernism often involved removing ornamentation, minimalism removed everything and focused on only the functional essence – with the notion that the bare essence reveals something essential
Explores ideas such as enlightenment through simplicity, and the power of negative space
Connects to ideas of sustainability – less consumption, less clutter, less waste
Note: In recent years, minimalism has come to refer to anything or anyone that is spare or stripped to its essentials (it may not necessarily refer to work created within the given time period)

Universal shelving by Dieter Rams — **Minimalism design example**: Universal shelving system by Dieter Rams (image source) – see also Dieter Rams’ 10 principles for good design.

Minimalist architecture by Tadao Ando — **Minimalist architecture example**: Japanese architect Tadao Ando. His Church of Light is just concrete walls with a cross-shaped opening, yet creates profound spiritual atmosphere.

Post-modernism

Like modernism, this is also an umbrella term, roughly representing from 1945 – present day, and comes after modernism (“post” means after)
A broad way of thinking that reacts against modernism ideals
Whereas modernism can be considered the quest for universal truth, or purity of form, postmodernism is about skepticism of truth – the doubt that universal truths can be found. It explores the notion that there is more than one way of seeing the world – embracing complexity and different perspectives. May explore multiple contradictory meanings simultaneously.
Some designers perceived modernism as too boring and bland, claiming “less is bore” and “too much is not enough” – wanted more excitement
Links to a whole range of influences: pop culture, children’s toys, earlier design eras, natural forms, ancient architecture (a mish-mash of everything)
Uses a wide range of materials (“anything goes” attitude – a mixed bag of styles and approaches), sometimes in very unconventional or unexpected ways, without any clear boundaries about what is acceptable, resulting in a very diverse aesthetic
Can prioritise style over function – surface over substance
Note: There are some who feel that this movement has gone utterly overboard – critics argue that it can lead to a kind of cynicism where nothing is believed or taken seriously. Postmodernism’s embrace of commercial culture and attempts at clever references are believed by some to undermine artistic quality and seriousness – with layering, fragmentation, and rule-breaking argued to create communication problems and reduce clarity / obscure truth.
Some traditionalists argue postmodernism’s conceptual focus has led to decreased emphasis on technical skill and craftsmanship and a loss of artistic standards
However, it has also opened up a lot of freedom and creativity without boundaries

Andy Warhol pop art — **Postmodernism example**: Pop Art is often considered the first major postmodernism movement because it challenged modernist ideals by blurring lines between “high” and “low” culture, embracing mass media and consumerism, and using irony and appropriation – copying, sampling, and recombining existing elements (examples by Andy Warhol)

**Postmodernism example**: Architecture by Frank Gehry

Philippe Starck's Juicy Salif — **Example of postmodernism design**: Philippe Starck’s impractical yet beautiful juicer – a product that looks great in the kitchen, yet, in terms of function, it doesn’t operate as easily or efficiently as other juicers.

**Postmodern furniture design examples**: Bel Air chair on left by Peter Shire (image source)

How design movements can influence product design

Impact sales / increase demand: as a particular aesthetic surges in popularity, this drives further sales (similar to the discussion about fashions and trends). When designers see certain things selling well, they are more inclined to make more of that thing, further cementing the movement and driving more sales
Aesthetic influence: In the same way that fads and fashion influences products art movements can influence the appearance of products. Even historical movements can also provide inspiration and influence products that are designed today. Many designers (such as you) learn about this art and design movements, precisely so that this information provides a rich source of inspiration for future products.
Can also influence design in a deeper way beyond surface level aesthetics. For example, by focusing on function, and stripping away ornamentation, designers are forced to really consider which aspects of a design deliver value, which can deliver improvements in usability and function, forcing designers to create products that are more user-friendly and intuitive – so they can shape the way people actually user and experience a product.
Ideas associated with the product can influence materials chosen (and thus cost / sustainability). For example, Scandinavian design emphasises sustainability, so when these ideas are “in” can help bring about wider change.
Art and design movements can transform the way people think and feel about things. Art and design movements embody a broader collection of ideas or principles that can really influence and shape society at that time in quite an all-encompassing way – steering society towards different values or priorities. For example, the glamour of Art Deco was partly the result of a sense of optimism after the war, and helped to shape a sense of positivity. As another example, a movement that emphasises craftsmanship and sustainability might influence designers and manufacturers to think more about using eco-friendly materials or avoiding mass production, which can change the whole direction of how things are made. As society changes viewpoints, designers are more likely to adapt to using methods that support these approaches.
The image of mass production from tacky/cheap to something desirable can also result in products that are more affordable.
Art movements such as Scandinavian design are also not just about the single item, but about how separate designed items fit together to create a harmonious, peaceful interior for example. This means that art movements can encourage designers not just to think about their product in isolation, but how all the individual products might fit in with the prevailing art movement of that time and interact with each other.
The postmodernism art movement can result in increased freedom and greater creativity in concepts, as expectations, boundaries, and traditional ‘rules’ are lifted – but also a frustration for consumers if style is prioritised over function. Reactions and frustration to one overarching movement can initiate the bringing in of the next movement, with a new generation of designers and fresh ideas.

Amiria Gale

Amiria has a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, Bachelor of Architecture (First Class Honours) and a Graduate Diploma of Teaching. She is a CIE Accredited Art & Design and Design & Technology Coursework Assessor. Amiria now teaches Art, Design & Technology at ACG Parnell College.