Английский для дизайнеров (English for Designers). Учебное пособие

UNIT 4. MODERN VS. CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

Reading

Modern vs. Contemporary Design

The term “contemporary” refers to the art and design being produced now, the works of the moment. It is not limited to a single style or movement. It is dynamic, and its meaning is constantly changing. Moreover, it can be quite eclectic and take bits and pieces from a variety of styles and movements of the past. Nowadays contemporary belongs to the DigitalAge.

“Modern” art and design go back to the past – specifically the traditional styles and movements the 1920s-1970s, although it’s common to refer it to anything from the 20th century. Modern includes various styles and movements as social realism (started in 30-s), pop-art (started in late 50-s), concept art (started in 60-s), and etc. and belongs to the Machine, theAtomic and the SpaceAges.

Modern Design (1920–1980)

AstheMachineage(from1880-sto1945)hasbroughtaconceptof“massproduction” and “mass market” modern design is characterized by wide use of assembly line produced materials as steel, glass and plastics and mass media products. It uses a minimal, monochromatic color palette – mostly white, simple materials and fine craftsmanship. There are not a lot of curves and frou-frou.

Accessories are not spread and have a purpose – they are not simply ornamental. The most popular design of the period is known as “midcentury modern” (1945–1975) as thetermcameintocommonuseinthelate1990sitinfluencesnowadaysdesigndramatically. Midcentury modern design, as popularized by TV series “Mad Men”, is characterized by greater color in art, furniture and accessories. Geometric patterns and iconic accessories such as the Sputnik chandelier reflect the era’s focus on the space exploration.

Among thegreatest designers of Modern are industrial designer Dieter Rams, graphic designer Saul Bass, corporate identity designer Paul Rand, and others.

Contemporary Design (late 90-s – now)

Contemporary design continually changes with the times and adds a range of styles. Nowadays it is often characterized by more ornamentation and experimentation in combining materials and bright colors. It can be minimal, but it uses curves and has more bling. Against the minimalism of modern design, contemporary design is often created by hand and combines different disciplines. It uses more organic materials and “hidden details”.Innovativetechnologiesinsmartworldsofphones,computers,wirelessandremote controls for controlling electronics, heating/cooling systems, lighting, security and more are all hidden behind the beautiful details.

The product of the Digital Age contemporary has started its way toward digital and contributes web design. Among famous designers of Contemporary are product and furniture designer Karim Rashid, graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister, theatre director and designer Robert Wilson, and others.

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Английский для дизайнеров

4.Which of the statements are true? Correct the false ones.

1.Design always reflects the important inventions and innovations.

2.The rise of design happened in the period of midcentury modern.

3.Modern designers are not in the industry anymore.

4.Mass design products appeared while the MachineryAge.

5.Contemporary is an art and design style which is developing nowadays.

6.Frou-frou and bling are characteristics of Contemporary.

Active Vocabulary

5.Fill in the gaps with the English equivalents.

The Information or Digital Age started in 1990s and it (общепринято)

________________tocallthatdramaticchangestheInformationRevolution.Sincelate1990s newformsofentertainment,commerce,work,andcommunicationhavebecomea(обычное дело) ________________. Personal computers(вошли в обиход) ________________ with the ability to connect over local or even national networks. The World Wide Web which was developed for commercial purposes of big corporations nowadays provides enormous opportunities for(обычные) ________________ people.Today all people across theglobe (имеют много общего) ________________ spending hours surfing the net.

Translation

6.Translate from Russian into English

Внаши дни новые идеи и паттерны появляются в цифровых сообществах, таких, как Behance и Dribbble. Новые тренды основываются на старых идеях, которые дизайнеры постоянно видоизменяют и варьируют. Одним из основных трендов является «современное ретро», которое имеет много общего со стилем середины

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UNIT 4. MODERN VS. CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

XX века. Это была эпоха освоения космоса, виниловых пластинок и портативных кинокамер. Также дизайнеры используют цвета, которые были популярны в то время. Другим трендом является использование яркой цветовой палитры и разнообразных геометрических фигур. Обычные же стоковые изображения больше не в тренде, и каждый дизайнер старается создать уникальные рисунки, которые отличаются от массовых изображений. Графический дизайн и инновационные цифровые технологии связаны, и концепции веб-дизайна, такие, как, например, Material Design, становятся привычными и в графическом дизайне.

Grammar

Past Simple – Present Perfect

7.Fill in: already, just or yet.

1.I have _______ finished my homework. The textbook is still on the table.

2.They haven’t bought the tickets for the concert _______.

3.I have _______ watched that series.

4.She hasn’t finished her project _______.

5.They have _______ finished their work and they plan to have a rest.

6.He’s _______ come back from his trip and he’s ready to start a project.

7.I haven’t visited the exhibition _______.

8.She has _______ called me and invited to the theatre.

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Английский для дизайнеров

8.Put the verbs in brackets into Present Perfect or Past Simple.

1.The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (be) ________________ important in developing and collecting modern and contemporary art.

2.AbbyAldrich Rockefeller(develop) ________________ theidea for theMuseum

in 1929.

3.Since that time MoMA(gain) ________________ an international recognition of the largest and most influential museums of modern art in the world.

4.Its first successful exhibition (open) ________________ in November 1929, displaying paintings by Van Gogh, Gauguin, and Cézanne.

5.Considered by many to have the best collection of modern Western masterpieces in the world MoMA(already get) ________________ 150,000 pieces of art.

9.Translate from Russian into English.

1.Московский музей современного искусства (MMоMA) является первым российским государственным музеем современного искусства XX и XXI веков.

2.Российский художник Зураб Церетели (Zurab Tsereteli) основал его в

1999 году.

3.С 1999 года музей приобрёл уже 12 тысяч произведений искусства.

4.В 1995 году Церетели купил здание в центре Москвы для создания музея современного искусства.

5.Соднясвоегооснованиямузейвовлекаетмолодыххудожниковидизайнеров в художественный процесс.

10.Put the verbs in brackets into Present Perfect or Past Simple.

Helvetica

It’s air, you know. It’s just there. There’s no choice.

You have to breathe, so you have to use Helvetica.

Erik Spiekermann, german typographer

Even if you (never hear) _________________________ of it, Helvetica (be)

__________________ a part of your life.This typeface is everywhere: computer screens, billboards, buildings, street signs and posters. Since its launch in 1957, it (become)

__________________ the go-to type for company logos and transport hubs, making it one of the most widespread designs of all time. So why _________ it (rule) ________

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UNIT 4. MODERN VS. CONTEMPORARY DESIGN

________ the world for 60 years? It (start) ________________ its life as “Neue Haas Grotesk”, a name which (include) ___________________ the name of its maker Haas, its design type (neo-grotesque or realist) and the fact that (be) ____________________

new (or “neue” in German). It (get) ________________ the name Helvetica, which means “Swiss” in Latin as its country of origin in 1960 to make it easier to sell it abroad. Helvetica (show up) ____________________ at the right place, the right time and (provide) ____________________ something that designer really (want)

______________________: a typeface without personality. In contrast, other popular sans serif typefaces that (exist) ___________________ at the time, have stronger voices and more distinctive geometries. It (not take) ________________________ long before it (become) ____________________ the standard for advertising and corporate branding in the US. In 1984 Steve Jobs (put) ___________________ it in the Macintosh. Since then it (be) ________________ popular among common people not just avant-garde designers.

The Design Icon of the Unit

11. Translate from English into Russian.

Matthew Carter. The most read man in the world

The Royal Designer for Industry, contemporary British type designer Matthew Carter (born 1937) has designed over 60 typeface families and over 250 individual fonts. Both specialized from art museums to newspapers, works of classical books to websites – his typefaces are read wherever the Latin alphabet is in use and are also developed in languages based in Greek and Cyrillic alphabets. His recent work has focused on developing fonts for computer screens, including the small screens of low-resolution and hand held devices. Many of Carter’s fonts have been created to address specific technical challenges and his most used fonts are the classic web fonts Verdana and Georgia and the Windows interface font Tahoma. Carter has won many awards for his contributions to typography including “Genius Grant” a prize awarded annually by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to between 20 and 30 outstanding individuals, working in any field, who have shown “extraordinary originality and determination in their creative work”. Once in 1981 this “Genius Grant” was awarded to Joseph Brodsky.

Matthew Carter: I’ve always been a very curious person. I have always been curious about other people. I wonder what goes on in their minds, whether they are good or bad and I wonder about their lives.

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Английский для дизайнеров

The Key Terms of the Unit

12. Match the terms to their definitions from the Oxford Dictionary.

VOCABULARY

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PROGRESS CHECK

UNITS 1–4

1. Fill in the gaps with the English equivalents.

Curiosity as a major driver of evolution

Curiosity is a (базовая потребность) _______________________________ of our (познания) __________________. It is a motivator for learning, decision-making, (улучшение) ________________ conditions of living, and important for healthy (развитие)

________________. Recent years have seen major(достижения) __________________

inboththeneuroscienceandpsychologyofcuriosity.PhilosopherandpsychologistWilliam James (1899) claimed that curiosity (означало) ____________________ “the impulse towards better (познание) ____________________”, meaning that it is the desire to understand what you do not know but strive to (приобрести) __________________. It(вдохновляет) ________________ a (успешный) ________________ way to a “higher, more intellectual form” – an impulse towards more complete scientific and philosophic knowledge. A (общепринятый современный) _____________________________ view of curiosity is that it is a special form of information-seeking and(фильтрации информации) ________________ that are internally motivated as curiosity is strictly an (внутренняя потребность) ______________________________. Information allows for better choices,more(умелый)________________ search,more(сложные)__________________

comparisons. Acquiring information, of course, is the primary evolutionary (цель)

____________________ ontheEarth,andhasbeenamajordriverofevolutionforhundreds of millions of years.

2.Translate the following statements from Russian into English.

1.Успех – это мировосприятие. Чтобы добиться успеха, начни думать как успешный человек.

2.Часто редактируй свою жизнь. Сделай из неё шедевр.

3.Удовлетворение лежит в усилии. Приложи максимальное усилие.

4.Единственный путь к провалу – это сдаться.

5.Твоя самооценка и эмоциональная сила зависят от того, как ты думаешь и видишь вещи вокруг.

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Английский для дизайнеров

6.Успех – это способность идти от поражения к поражению без потери энту-

зиазма.

7.Достижениеуспеха –однаизфундаментальныхчеловеческихпотребностей.

8.Развитие – это трансформация жизней людей, а не только трансформация экономических систем.

9.Гений – это 1% вдохновения и 99% трудолюбия.

10.Успех не ключ к счастью. Счастье – ключ к успеху. Если ты любишь то, что делаешь, станешь успешным.

3.Fill in the gaps with Present Simple or Present Continuous.

We are actually living in a million parallel realities every single minute.

Marina Abramović, a yugoslav performance artist

Performers always (stay) __________________ as a central point of reference, but at the same time I (direct) __________________ films, (make) __________________

video installations. I (work) _______________________ the Abramović method, and I (do) __________________ the Marina Abramović Institute in Hudson now. I (work)

________________withchoreographersand(do)__________________thestagedesign.I (think)__________________imagesandinterestedinwhat(happen)__________________

infashion.Mywork(take)__________________meinsomanydifferentdirections:Ialways (think) ____________________ first about the idea and then (see) ________________

what kind of material I (need) ____________________ to explore the idea. Now I (spend)

________________threemonthsinBraziland(study)____________________shamanism that (incorporate) ____________________ spirits in the human body, to see whether we can actually use this kind of ancient cultural practice and knowledge in contemporary art. So really – I (feel) ____________________ like I’m a kind of explorer, I’m an explorer in the field of art. I always (go) ____________________ to a place where I have never been. I always (go) ____________________ to the place where I (not understand)

__________________ anything, because it (have) ____________________ nothing to do with my culture. I (feel) ________________ I am open-minded and curious. I (live)

__________________ sometimes very uncomfortable and (face) ________________ a huge amount of fear. So many people (be) __________________ afraid to make such experiences because they (prefer) __________________ the security of their hotel room. But I don’t. I’m now 67, and I (not feel) __________________ this age. Really I just (go)

__________________. I (enter) the most impossible situations, and then ideas (emerge)

____________________, like a mission. It is different if you’re a dentist or if you (work)

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