Design and its Application in Ceramics and Textiles: Similarities and Divergences

Design is an intended arrangement of materials to produce a certain result or effect on man-made objects for various uses. This is done with the correct application of the elements and principles of design in an organized manner. Ceramics and Textiles are areas of industrial design that focus on effective use of motifs in different forms for aesthetic and utilitarian purposes appreciated by the users. Both serve as reserve for the cultural heritage of a people and have economic, political, social, religious and utilitarian value in the society. The basic raw materials for ceramic wares is clay while that of textile fabrics is fibre, either natural or man-made or a combination of both. This brings us to where both have divergences, but they meet at a point where design comes to play. Hence, this paper is an attempt to discuss and document design and its application in Ceramics and Textiles, defining areas of similarities and divergences. Areas covered are materials, method of design application and uses of both, with examples from photographs and sketches. Our primary sources of data collection are books, catalogues and photographs taken from physical examples of some art works. This research in its findings concluded that there are similarities and divergences in design and its application on ceramics and textiles. These have been documented in this paper for further academic work by researchers in Libraries, Museums and Galleries.