History of ID Week 1: Intro. What is Industrial Design?

These videos were made in 2020 as a desperate COVID-era attempt to help keep students engaged in learning as in-person teaching stopped. With no support, no resources, a ridiculous "production schedule," and no idea they would become a sort of permanent record of the time, I just threw them at YouTube. The students mostly didn't watch them, but lots of others did, and that continues to amaze me. I decided to leave them up for anyone who is just curious about design.

NOTE: If you are a current student at Rhode Island School of Design and your professor has sent you here to watch these videos, you should really worry about how much tuition you are paying just to have a teacher sending you to YouTube instead of teaching you themselves. Just saying...

[masongeick]

You are doing God's work with this course. Empowering so many people with great information. I'm finding this two years later and it hasn't lost an ounce of value.

[adriengignoux]

I would like to thank you mister Bird, I never thought I would find such a high quality class on ID on the internet

[jessicaT]

You must be one of the best professors alive. Thank you!

[kchol]

been glued to this channel during lockdown and now I'm wishing I was 30 years younger and a student at RISD. What a great educator. Thank you for these brilliant talks.
(and I hope we'll see a video on Baroness Gisela Josephine von

[SohNatan]

I'm so happy that I found this content and even more amazed that it is free! That you VERY much for democratizing knowledge like this and for the countless hours I'm sure you've spent preparing, filming and editing everything. May you be eternally happy in your life.

[lourias]

I LOVE to learn. My mother always told me, "Even if you think you did not learn something new, you actually learned something."

This set of videos has been helping to explain a BUNCH of concepts and important time frames of the past, that is now filled in better.

For instance: I learned that the industrial revolution was precluded by ELECTRICITY experiments of the late 1700s to early 1800s. Without those scientists, we would not have better ways to produce these things that you discuss in your class.
For some reason, I had ut in my mind that in the late 1800s, there was no indoor plumbing, or natural gas feeding into homes. I suppose my ideas were based on when my Aunt and Uncle's farm had access to modern amenities... even in the early 1970s, one of the farm houses still had an out house... we lived there for a couple of years, just after I was potty 'trained. What an weird time... they had the "deluxe outhouse". It had two big holes and a small hole, just big enough that I would not fall into the cess-pit.

[thrillscience]

I loved your tour of all the tools in the shop. Thank you for sharing these classes with the world at large.

[wilderdede]

You’re back?!?! So delighted to now see the start of your course.

[goaway]

Than you for this great series of lectures on the history of industrial design! I have been interested in this topic for over 30 years and you have provided numerous insights that frame the topic in a context that would have otherwise taken a lifetime to fully realize! I really appreciate you and the effort you put into making this terrific video series!

[MachoMuxGrandeeSavage]

If anything good came out of the pandemic, it's videos like this. Stumbled across the section on art deco because I've always had a passing interest in that style of art and design, and came out wanting to learn more and having a bunch of different threads to pursue to do so, and just want to thank you for uploading these videos.

[Phenom]

I'm a 22 y.o. mexican engineering student. I was watching a YouTube channel about the interwar years and what lead to the second world war. I don't know how I stumbled upon this channel but I am very glad I did. This is fantastic.

[deborahmatatall]

Thank you, thank you, thank you for posting this class online. I did not realize how much I wanted to learn about ID until I watched this first video. Thank you, Mr Bird for giving me the opportunity to learn what you have to teach!🌸

[JM-cfyn]

Love love love your channel! 💐 I love the Decorative Arts, Design, Art, History, Architecture, Historic/Historical Preservation of everything (film, music, etc.) Everything from the Turn of the Century to the 1940’s. Especially history of the Gilded Age, WW1, (not the War itself but the time period and how it affected the World) DADA movement and everything it represented and created as an expression of (the disgust) WWI. I apologize for my overwhelming thoughts. Just wanted to let you know how much these beautiful, timeless, and precious “gifts” fill my heart 💜 I could have just said Thank You for sharing your education and information to the public so we can all understand, appreciate, and value the beauty💐

[Karen-lime]

Thank You, Thank You!
This is so fascinating. I love the way you are presenting this information.
I love your going back & giving credit to people who were instrumental in the events without even being known to the world. The unsung heroes. The average person just wanting to make an easier way of doing things.
Thru the miracle of "click-bait", I started watching Art Nouveau, but it lead me to start at the beginning & am currently watching all in the series.
I was a Mechanical Drafter in the 1970s, 1980s & 1990s when the field was not popular for females.
I liked seeing the 'pieces' that eventually made the 'whole'. the components of a stapler. We take it for granted, but someone invented it piece by piece, often from something someone else did long ago.
I made the pretty pictures of those things. And it was Art. I still like that kind of art. When the mechanism was on the outside of the box, not tucked in & sealed shut assuming the outside shell was more beautiful than the mechanics. Steampunk is a big passion at the moment.
....back to video watching & learning.
New

[harleyreed]

If someone ever asks me who my favorite instructor is, I'll probably say Matthew Bird. That's not to knock the instructors whose classes I've paid to attend - they're incredible too! I just mean to say Prof Bird is the best among the best!

[josieTheDuck]

I am so happy to see the first lessons of your course uploaded! Thanks for your great work, Matthew!

[CarrieSherwood-bi]

Dear Mr. Bird, thank you for your amazing videos. I have absolutely loved watching them over the years. Your perspective, knowledge and inclusion make for fascinating and informative lectures that I come back to often.

[faithinverity]

That us the best lecture that I have ever listened to. Detailed, but not tedious. Broad, but not meandering.

[lilliankrieger]

I can't believe I found this channel! I sense a "Continuing ed wintersession 2022"!!!

Mr Bird, you need a raise + a bonus for all of the amazing work you do + making this information accessible to so many. 👏 👏 👏 👏

[morlanddong]

Thank you so much for these wonderful classes! I’m from China and it’s really wonderful to hear you talk about the contributions China had to ID. Paper making and the bronze vessels were taught in middle school but only from a historical perspective.