On 3 December, Professor J.W. Drukker delivered his inaugural address as professor of History of Design at the University of Twente. Of course, Professor Drukker generally looks at the past, but on this occasion he will be making an exception and consider the future. On the basis of current trends, the professor predicted the future of industrial design. The fundamental 'form follows function' principle, for example, is becoming obsolete, and is making way for 'interface design'.
Since the eighteenth century there have been three technological tsunamis, explains Professor Drukker in his speech. He is referring to periods of rapid technological development in which society has undergone far-reaching changes as a result.
The first of these technological tsunamis was the Industrial Revolution, when improvements to the steam engine led to the industrialization of many kinds of processes. The second technological tsunami began in the latter part of the nineteenth century, as a result of the emergence of the internal combustion engine, electricity, and breakthroughs in the field of chemistry. Now, we find ourselves in the middle of the third tsunami. This is being caused by the advent of information in electronic form, and its miniaturization and digitization.
According to Professor Drukker, it is usually almost impossible to forecast the future, but once a tsunami has reached a given level of momentum, we can to a certain extent predict its subsequent development. In his inaugural address, he will therefore be making a number of predictions about the future of his field: this history of design.
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE
One of the predictions Professor Drukker made during his speech is that the fundamental 'form follows function' principle is becoming less relevant. This principle states that the shape of a product should be primarily based on its intended function. Any product to which this applies is regarded as 'well designed'. In the view of Professor Drukker, the principle is slowly receding into the background because fewer and fewer products are providing 'natural' feedback about their function - as a result of miniaturization and the greater use of electronics. To illustrate his point, Professor Drukker used his heating boiler: "These appliances are now so quiet that I cannot hear whether or not mine is working. That's why they now come with a display that tells me if it is on or off."
The same applies to computers, explains Professor Drukker in his speech. They work just as well with or without the screen being connected. Whilst this is no problem for the computer itself, the user is completely lost. The basic 'form follows function' principle is therefore gradually being overtaken by interface design. This involves the design of 'separate' communication systems that keep users informed about what a machine is doing.
CV
Professor Drukker studied quantitative economics and economic history in Rotterdam, Groningen (NL), West Lafayette (US) and Colchester (UK). He later taught quantitative economic history at the University of Groningen and the history of design at TU Delft. He has been professor of History of Design at the University of Twente for two years, prior to which he was employed at the university as a visiting lecturer.
NOTE FOR EDITORS
For a digital version of the 'Things to come; an economic and historical vision of the future of industrial design' speech, please contact Joost Bruysters, research information officer, on +31 (0)53 489 2773 or +31 (0)6 1048 8228 (mobile). er.
