The modernist principle ‘form follows function’ is highly thought after by many contemporary graphic designers and it can easily be seen when in use, but is it still relevant to contemporary graphic design? I hope to answer this question by explaining the origins of the principle from the Modernist movement and it’s necessity.
Art critics have stated that Modernism took place throughout the 20th century. Many believe that the true birth of Modernism took place between 1919 and 1933 at the world renowned Bauhaus school founded by Walter Gropius (fig.1) in Germany. Gropius claimed that an object's design should be dominated by its function, famously stating “An object is defined by its nature. In order, then, to design it to function correctly - a container, a chair, or a house-one must first of all study its nature: for it must serve its purpose perfectly, that is, it must fulfill its function usefully, be durable, economical, and beautiful.” (Gropius, W. n.d.1926). Gropius believed that a design is only as good as its functionality, if a design does not serve its function or purpose, then it is bad design. Bauhaus students studied the purpose of an object intently before it they began designing. This so-called obsession with functionality was key to the Bauhaus’ success which has made it such a huge inspiration to modern design. Studying purpose has become the starting point of the modern day design process and in turn has helped the design industry grow and evolve. Gropius realized that functionality is the key to success with our culture and helps us progress and become more efficient in life; this is why the modernist movement and the use of its principles are so important.
Louis Sullivan, an American architect, known as ‘the father of Modernism’ coined the Modernist principle ‘form follows function’ in 1896 in his article ‘The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered’. The phrase has since become the backbone defining the movement. “It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things super-human, of all true manifestations of the head, of the heart, of the soul, that the life is recognizable in its expression, that form ever follows function. This is the law.” (Louis Sullivan, 1896). It should be stated that Louis Sullivan was heavily inspired by the natural world, the 'form follows function' principle was inspired by nature's lack of unnecessary elements. He believed that design should have the same principles as life; every animal, plant and organism has a purpose in this world, which contributes to creating a sustainable, efficient and above all else functional ecosystem. The same should be said of the world of design; that any unnecessary flamboyancies that don't contribute to the functionality of a design are needless and should therefore be eradicated. This focus on detail and efficiency allows us to progress within the world of design in the most adept of ways. In the words of Milton Glaser, “Modernism is about progress, the endless frontier and the ceaseless development” (Barnard M, ,2005, p.114).
Modernism, as a vague definition, is the act of creating without the use of traditional methods. Many designers believed that the overcomplicated, intricacies of the ornate and decorative traditional design was holding them back. On account of this, there isn't a particular style to modernism, but there are however certain common traits; exploring new materials and techniques, rejecting tradition and the simplification of forms to list a few. The Industrial Revolution was a large influence to this rejection of tradition. Many designers were influenced by the realization that a machine solves the problem at hand in such a straightforward manor with such precise, fluid and clean movements. This outlook was consequently influential as was its application to design. Theo Van Doesburg wrote “The machine is the supreme example of intellectual discipline [...] The new potentialities of the machine have given rise to an aesthetic theory appropriate to our age, which I have had occasion to call the 'mechanical aesthetic' [...] This style, far removed from romantic vagueness, from decorative idiosyncrasy and animal spontaneity, will be a style of heroic monumentality”( Doesburg T V, 1922). He goes on to say that this 'style' will be a use of “simplicity instead of complexity”, which is a common trait within modernist graphic design.
If nature and machine abide to these principles, then why should design not too? Modernist architecture, for example suggests that the functionality of a building should be the groundwork of its design. Using the New York, Guggenheim Museum as an example (fig.2), we can see how the desired purpose of the building has been so highly influential in its design. The purpose of it being to exhibit artwork and play host to a mass of visitors. The innovative spiral design makes excellent use of space available and creates one long hallway for a continuous art viewing experience, like a nonstop conveyor belt of masterpieces. It could be argued that the architect of the building, Frank Lloyd Wright, used his own personal variation of the "form follows function" principle, "form and function are one". This building functions so brilliantly thanks to its near perfect design. In this case, as in many others, form and function go and in hand as they are just as important as one and other. Many designers believe that this variation to the principle is more relevant in modern graphic design. Jan Tschichold (1995), for example, claims that form and function are equally as important due to the fact that they are codependent. “It was left to our age to achieve a lively focus on the problem of "form" or design. While up to now form was considered as something external, a product of the "artistic imagination" […], today we have moved considerably closer to the recognition of its essence through the renewed study of nature and more especially to technology (which is only a kind of second nature). Both nature and technology teach us that "form" is not independent, but grows out of function (purpose), out of the materials used (organic or technical), and out of how they are used. This was how the marvellous forms of nature and the equally marvellous forms of technology originated.” (Tschichold J, 1995, p.65). Tschichold explains, much like Gropius, that a design, which is purely made to be as functional as possible, brings with it its very own form. The Guggenheim museum design has been achieved in this way.
Frank Lloyd’s set task was to create a continuous art-viewing experience within the limited space available, the functionality of his design was the key to him being successful in such a tremendous task.
Modernist graphic design shares the same clean, clinical and non-decorative values as all other fields of modernism. The aim of graphic design is to communicate, whether it is an idea, a theme or simply some information. The sole purpose of the discipline is to get a message across through the use of an appropriate medium whether it is a subliminal message or not. Modernist graphic design tries to achieve this in the most straightforward, minimalistic of manors.
The modernist belief that design should be non-decorative is due to the belief that ornamentation and decoration creates a style. In Adolf Loos 'Ornamentation and Crime' he explains how “The ornamentation of an object is to be avoided, because it causes them to go quickly in and out of style” (Barnard M p.114). Adolf Loos explains this very well in his 1908 passage 'whoever works in the style of our time works well. And whoever does not work in the style of our time works carelessly and badly. And that is how it should be. For a bad form - by which I mean any form which does not conform to the style of our time - can be excused if one has feeling that it will soon be done away with'.
Modernist graphic design is minimalistic and has no distinguishable or particular themes that tie it to a specific era or genre and therefore it can theoretically stand the test of time always being relevant, as previously stated by Loos. A good example of this minimalistic design principle being put to use is the work of Paul Rand. His logos are comprised of solid colours and simplistic forms, which allow them to be “distinctive, memorable, and clear” (Rand, P. 1993). Above all else it allows them to be used for extended periods of time. A simplistic design is much more memorable than one which is highly complex. Rand's IBM logo (fig.3) that he designed in 1956, and then updated in 1972 is still in use today because of its durability. Pepsi, Starbucks, Microsoft Windows, Facebook, Twitter and many other companies have redesigned their logos to an attempt to achieve a minimalistic style so that they can become timeless and iconic.
An example of Modernist design in mainstream media is the sudden re-design of many companies. Microsoft, for example, brought a new style to Windows 8 which has been dubbed 'flat' using solid colours, simplistic square icons and getting rid of any drop shadow or decorative effects which had been in prior operating systems. Along with the operating system re-design was a new logo, which is a modernists approach on the original Windows logo by Pentagram designer Paula Scher. “The logo re-imagines the familiar four-color symbol as a modern geometric shape that introduces a new perspective on the Microsoft brand” (Pentagram, 2012). Apple shortly followed in this trend and re-designed their chrome styled I-phone software to have a subtler, 'flat' theme.
Type is a fundamental cornerstone of graphic design. Typography from a modernists point of view should be “invisible”. Beatrice Warde (1930) writes, “type well used is invisible as type” (Warde, 1930, p.2). What Warde means by this statement is that a typeface should fit it's intended purpose, which above all is to communicate what is being written, this however cannot be achieved if the reader is being distracted by the actual letterforms. The letterforms should not be acknowledged as an object, just used as a vessel for understanding. To expand upon this, Jan Tschichold criticizes old typography in his book 'New Typography'. “The New Typography is distinguished from the old by the fact that its first objective is to develop its visible form out of the functions of the text. It is essential to give pure and direct expression to the contents of whatever is printed: just as in the works of technology and nature, 'form' must be created out of function. Only then can we achieve a typography which expresses the spirit of modern man. The function of printed text is communication, emphasis (word value), and the logical sequence of the contents.” (Tschichold J, 1995, p.66-67).
Writing on the topic of the functionality of the forms of type, Tschichold writes, “The New Typography, on the other hand, emphasizes contrasts and uses them to create a new unity. The real meaning of form is made clearer by its opposite. We would not recognize day as day if night did not exist. The ways to achieve contrast are endless: the simplest are large/small, light/dark, horizontal/vertical, square/round, smooth/rough, closed/open, coloured/plain; all offer many possibilities of effective design.” (Tschichold J, 1995, p.70). By this Tschichold means that letterforms need to stand out from one another to be clearly recognized. A typeface is not effective if it is not legible or readable. Century Schoolbook is a good example of an effective typeface. It was specifically designed with open forms, contrast in line weight and serifs to make the individual letterforms differentiate from one and other to be quickly recognizable.
I believe in Dieter Rams ‘10 principles for good design’. ‘Good design is innovative. Good design makes a product useful. Good design is aesthetic. Good design makes a product understandable. Good design is unobtrusive. Good design is honest. Long-lasting. Good design is thorough down to the last detail. Good design is eviromentally-friendly. Good design is as little design as possible’. These 10 principles can help make the design industry as useful within our society as possible, helping the human race progress further. Although it is important to create design that fits its purpose, there are times when it is important to experiment and use unnecessary methods as it can be interesting and engaging to an audience which can also abide to these 10 rules. What is often forgotten is that Graphic Design is an art. Similar to the studies of fine art, music, and fashion, creativity, experimentation and innovation are key. After all, rules were made to be broken.
As an example of good use of these principles in contemporary graphic design we can look at the 2008 Barrack Obama, ‘Hope’ campaign poster (fig.6). The aim of the design is to create a image that presents Barrack Obama as a patriotic candidate that is the hope that many Americans needed for a better America. The poster design uses bold colours which connote the colours used in the american flag, whilst simultaneously simplifying the image of Obama so that it is more easily recognisable and iconic. The single word ‘Hope’ is used, again, to make be memorable and and above all iconic. We can easily say that the design is successful and fits its function perfectly.
Some of the most functional and least appreciated pieces of graphic design are the road and motorway signs in Britain created by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert from 1957 to 1967 (Fig.7). These signs have gone on to influence modern road signage all over the world. The simplistic info graphic style makes them easily understandable, recognisable and memorable. The sans-serif typeface ‘motorway’ is clearly legible and readable from both close-up and far away.
The Modernist ‘form follows function’ principle is more relevant now than ever. The design world is bigger than it ever was before, producing more content than ever before. With almost every person having constant and instant access to the Internet where they are exposed to an unimaginably vast amount of design content, we need to create effective work that stands out and these modernist principles can help us to determine what is good design and what is bad design - A good design being a memorable, effective and durable. This is not to say that all design should all have the same simplistic layout, a generic sans-serif font and ‘flat’ logo, but we need rules so that they can be broken on occasion. If all designers were taught the previously mentioned Modernist principles, and nothing more, they would be producing the same content because they would be restraining what they could do to the extent that graphic design would be pointless and a computer would be doing the job instead. Instead, I believe that the Modernist principles are a set of rules that is taught, and applied in moderation to the relevance of its presence. I believe the Modernist principles are more relevant to corporate, professional design. Corporate companies use the ‘form follows function’ principle and test designs to see which are most successful and create a series of principles themselves, almost like an algorithm that is used over and over again. A good example of this is the generic movie poster principles. Action movies posters will often feature a complimentary, teal and orange colour scheme (fig. 5) with the protagonist in the center. Comedy movies usually consist of the movie title written in a block, sans-serif font, and a group of the actors pulling goofy faces. The list goes on and on. These over-used algorithms force the posters to not stand out amongst each other and become easily forgotten. The ‘form follows function’ principle would suggest that these algorithms are successful, because the complimentary colour schemes and use of type excite the viewer which is intended, but in this case I disagree with its application as they are not using the principle in a innovative manor, just re-using the same design. In conclusion, the principle ‘form follows function’ will always be relevant to graphic design as it isn’t simply a principle, it is, as previously stated by Louis Sullivan, a “law”, something that will never change, just as the laws of physics will never change. It is a way in which we think and is and always will be needed. The application of the principle, on the other hand, does need to be experimented with, so as not to create a boring world filled with lifeless design. Design needs personal expression and visual experimentation to survive.
Bibliography
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5.Tschichold, J. 1995. The new typography. Berkeley: University of California Press.
6.Warde, B. and Jacob, H. 1955. The crystal goblet. London: The Sylvan Press.
7.Rand, P. 1993. Design, form, and chaos. New Haven: Yale University Press.
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9. https://www.vitsoe.com (2014) Vitsoe [online] available from: https://www.vitsoe.com/gb/about/good-design
