Technological Futurism in Industrial Design

A lecture (part one, part two) on design theory by Alex Velasco

This is an interesting lecture on future fantasy in architecture and technology. It shows historical and early visions of the future. The top figure on the left is a French illustration from 1910 called: "In the Year 2000". It shows a woman in a fully automatic bathroom environment. Bellow is a drawing of a submarine (1912). The lecture covers as well pictures of how devices and objects actually developed over time. The figures in the middle show an early mixer on the top and the same device bellow as it looks today. Last it also discusses current visions of the future. The figures on the right represent a designer's vision of a future ski chalet and a vision of Volkswagen about cars and about social trends (such as clothing).

The lecture covers the following areas:

- Introduction

- Architecture

- Industrial Design (Kitchen)

- Sci-Fi Hi-Fi

- Planes, trains, automobiles, motorcycles and bicycles

- Medical Equipment and Computers

- Future fantasy typography

The key term of this presentation is 'future fantasy', is the style that has dominated much of designed products this century. In addition to the style is the notion of 'technological futurism' a concept to describe the social beliefs and ideas behind progress and provide the foundation for future fantasy in design.