Function Follows Form
01 This book is part of a three part series that explores the idea of ‘form follows function’ and tries to determine whether this principle is an accurate representation of good design. Within this book I have focused mainly on form and allowed this to become the main element of the final outcome, causing the function to become less of a concern.
Contents: 03 05 07 09 11 13 15
Introduction to Modernism Louis Sullivan Josef M端ller-Brockmann Le Corbusier Walter Gropius Modernism Today Essay
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Function Follows Form
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Modernism in design and in the aftermath of the Fir Russian Revolution – a pe avant-garde dreamed of a greed and social inequalit loose collection of ideas. M be characterised as Moder certain underlying princip and applied ornament; a p and a belief that design an transform society.
With the advances of techn to break through at the end into the beginning to the 2 society began to develop n culture and improve the co Modernism covered many design and art to influenci
d architecture emerged rst World War and the eriod when the artistic a new world free of conflict, ty. It was not a style but a Many different styles can rnist, but they shared ples: a rejection of history preference for abstraction; nd technology could
nology Modernism began d of the 19th century 20th century. Western new ways to shape human onstructed environment. y creative disciplines from ing architecture, music
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Function Follows Form
Lou van
u lli
is S
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An American architect, often called the ‘father of modernism’, Louis Sullivan originally coined the phrase ‘form ever follows function’. He believed that buildings should be built from the inside out and the form should be a direct result of the function the building is to perform.
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Function Follows Form
Josef M端ller Brockmann
Josef M端ller-Brockmann was a Swiss graphic designer and teacher who is best known for his simple design and clean use of typography, traits directly influenced by Modernism. Grids are a key feature that run throughout his work and ensures that the function is always of upmost importance.
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Function Follows Form
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Charles-Édouard Jeanner better known as Le Corbu was a Swiss-French archi referred to as one of the p modern architecture; ded providing better living co his values stem from that modernist movement.
ret-Gris, usier, itect often pioneers of dicated to onditions, t of the
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Function Follows Form
Walter Gropius was a German architect and founder of the Bauhaus school who, along with Le Corbusier, is referred to as one of the pioneers of modern architecture. The Bauhaus school was heavily influenced by Modernism and is known for its simplified forms and focus on functionality.
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Function Follows Form
to the meaning behind it. Design is often created according to ‘form follows function’ without any thought for what this really implies.
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Modernism Today The influences of Modernism can still be seen within design being created today, but often it focuses on the aesthetics of Modernism as opposed
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Function Follows Form
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Is the principal ‘Form Foll representation of good des
Not to be confused with mo experience of living within describes ‘a set of aestheti Europe in the 1880’s, flouri World War and became ins art galleries of Post-Second (Barnard, 2005:112) It was unfolding of cubism and fu (Barnard, 2005:112) reduce self-reflexiveness, montage ‘integrated individual subj to distinguish when moder many writers having differ and Crowley (Jobling and C that ‘mature’ modernism
lows Function’ an accurate sign?
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odernity, which refers to the n the modern world, modernism ic movements that emerged in ished before and after the First stitutionalised in the academies and d World War Europe and America.’ s an art movement ‘driven by the uturism’ that Malcolm Barnard ed into four core values and beliefs: e, paradox and the loss of an ject.’ It is much more complicated rnism in graphic design occurred, rent ideas of when this was. Jobling Crowley in Barnard, 2005:113) state could only be seen within graphic
Function Follows Form
(Hollis in Barnard, 2005:114) believes the origins lie within Italian futurism and can be seen from around 1914 until the late 1960’s.
underlying and values interpreted the design, of the two most signi Milton Gla discusses t aspect, sug that ‘Mode There are two is about pr key elements to modernism within the endless and ceasel graphic design: the aesthetic of the developme design as well as the ‘origins ar
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g beliefs s that are d through , the latter being the ificant. azer this ggesting ernism rogress, s frontier less ent’; its re in the
idea of good coming from boundless technology’ and it is ‘essentially utopian’. (Glazer in Bierut, M., Drenttel, W., Heller, S., Holland, DK., 1994:44) But when applied to graphic design, the core values as mentioned above can be reduced into two main themes,
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This principle has created an iconic aesthetic that is unmistakable and discussed by numerous writers such as Katherine McCoy (McCoy in Bierut, M., Drenttel, W., Heller, S., Holland, DK., 1994),
Function Follows Form
This stems from the essay ‘Ornament and Crime’ by Adolf Loos (Loos, 2013), originally written in relation to architecture, in
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or principles. ‘The first is the rejection of ornament and the favouring of ‘clean’, ‘simple’, ‘nondecorated’ graphics, often in the interests of ‘clarity’ or the function that the design is to perform.’ (Barnard, 2005:112)
which he discusses how by removing the ornamental elements of a design we are left with a much more timeless and functional design.
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Function Follows Form
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Function Follows Form
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ornamented font ‘meets our requirements for clarity and purity’ (Tschichold in Barnard, 2005:127). Barnard explains modernism in graphic design, saying it ‘can be identified by stylistic simplicity, a flatness of form, a taste for asymmetrical composition and the reduction of elements to a minimum’ (Barnard, 2005) which again
The second, and more
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supports this idea of clean, simple design that has been stripped down to its essential components. These three authors have all written about this element of modernist design, explaining how, aesthetically, they all favour clean design and think it enhances the clarity and function.
Function Follows Form
significant, principle is ‘For originally coined by architec ‘The Tall Office Building Arti essay he states ‘It is the perv and inorganic, of all things all things human and all thi manifestations of the head, life is recognizable in its exp function. This is the law.’ (S architecture, Sullivan is also within design and indicates a direct result of the job it is the first principle, the term to the creation of the design the design itself. If creating follows function’, you would affect the function of the des
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rm (ever) Follows Function’, ct Louis Sullivan within his essay istically Considered’. In his vading law of all things organic physical and metaphysical, of ings superhuman, of all true of the heart, of the soul, that the pression, that form ever follows Sullivan, 2012) Again referring to o against the use of ornamentation that the form of a design should be s to perform. Although similar to ‘form follows function’ refers more n as opposed to the appearance of design according to the law ‘form d be ensuring that the form did not sign; in many cases the form would
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often be a direct response to the opt being written with architecture in m exclusive and can be easily applied includes graphic design, and when a simply translate to a designer looki the design problem’ (Walker in Barn more about the functionality of the quality.
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Function Follows Form
A number of creative intellects have ‘form follows function’, looking at t key importance, with aesthetics bei Petroski (Petroski, 1992), Paul Jacqu Vignelli (Vignelli in Bierut, M., Dren DK., 1994) and Beatrice Warde (War commented upon the principle of ‘fo the way in which the two are related ‘The Evolution of Useful Things’, Pe function is the driving force behind
timum solution. Despite initially mind, both of these views are not across multiple disciplines. This applying these principles, would ing ‘to find the optimum solution to nard, 2005:114) and thus worrying design as opposed to its aesthetic
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e considered the principle of the way in which function is of ing a secondary concern. Henry ues Grillo (Grillo, 1960), Massimo nttel, W., Heller, S., Holland, rde in Armstrong, 2009) have all orm follows function’, discussing d. For instance, within his book etroski discusses the idea that the evolution of all design; that in
is somewhat wanting in its function, and this is what drives its evolution. Here, then, is the central idea: the form of made things is always subject to change in response to their real or perceived shortcomings, their failures to function properly.’ (Petroski, 1992:22) He states that ‘aesthetic considerations may certainly influence, and in some cases even dominate, the process whereby a designed object comes finally
Function Follows Form
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to look the way it does, but they are seldom the first causes of shape and form’ (Petroski, 1992:32) This then implies that it is in fact the function of the design that decides its form and despite aesthetics being taken into consideration, these are still secondary to the function. He goes on to discuss this point further, saying ‘Tableware, for example, has clearly evolved for useful purposes… But when aesthetic considerations...
Loos, A. (2013) ‘Ornament and Crime’, http://www.scribd.com/ doc/118668000/ornament-and-crime, (accessed 29th January
Grillo, PJ. (1960) ‘Form, Function & Design’, New York, Dover Publications Inc.
Petroski, H. (1992) ‘The Evolution of Useful Things’, New York, Vintage Books.
Armstrong, H. (2009) ‘Graphic Design Theory: Readings From The Field’, New York, Princeton Architectural Press.
Bierut, M., Drenttel, W., Heller, S., Holland, DK. (1994) ‘Looking Closer: Critical Writings on Graphic Design’, New York, Allworth Press.
Function Follows Form Barnard, M. (2005) ‘Graphic Design as Communication’, Cornwall, Routledge.
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Norman, D. (2009) ‘The Three Ways Good Design Make You Happy’, http://www.ted.com/talks/don_norman_on_design_ and_emotion.html, (accessed 1st February 2014).
Finck, N. (2001) ‘Form vs Function: Finding the Balance’, http:// www.digital-web.com/articles/form_vs_function/, (accessed 4th February 2014).
Rawsthorn, A. (2009) ‘The Demise of ‘Form Follows Function’’, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/arts/01iht-DESIGN1. html?pagewanted=all&_r=0, (accessed 5th February 2014).
Sullivan, L. (2012) ‘The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered’, http://www.scribd.com/doc/104764188/LouisSullivan-The-Tall-Office-Building-Artistically-Considered, (accessed 29th January 2014).
2014).
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Figure 1
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Figure 2