OUGD501 - Study Task 04 - Triangulation

The term ‘form follows function’ is derived from the article, ‘The Tall Office building Artistically considered’ written in 1896 by the American Architect Louis Sullivan. At the time when it was written, technology, tastes and economics were rapidly changing and design was beginning to become less about decoration (form) and more about the purpose it needed to serve (function). In the article he wrote:

‘“It is the pervading law of all things organic and inorganic, of all things physical and metaphysical, of all things human and all things superhuman, 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.”

However, there are multiple ways in which the term form follows function can be interpreted. Author of ‘Design Fundamentals: Elements, Attributes, & Principles’ Steven Bradley states that if form follows function means ‘beauty results from purity of function’. This approach favours simplicity to complexity. It states that beauty results from purity of function and not from ornamentation, comparing it to the way in which nature works.

The second interpretation is that ‘aesthetic considerations in design should be secondary to functional considerations’, prioritising functionality over all other design considerations, including usability, ergonomics, and aesthetics. Aesthetic considerations in design should be secondary to functional considerations.

Following this logic Bradley states that ‘every element would ultimately have the same design. Every functional item would have one and only one design. Before an object’s form could be changed, it would need to serve a different function.’

‘The principle of “form follows function” assumes that objects exist because of their function. That’s simply not true. There could be any number of reasons why something exists, from chance to some broad aesthetic value and anything in between. An object can exist for reasons other than function.’

Mother Ann Lee, the founder of the Shaker movement in America stated that ‘Every force evolves a form’ in this sense ‘function alone does not drive form.’ The form of a product should result from a number of elements including the client’s needs, the target audience, ethical obligations and material properties as well as functional requirements. All of these factors should contribute to the final aesthetic of a design to make it informed and allow it to withstand the test of time.

Both Mother Ann Lee and Stephen Bradley agree that form and function should be interchangeable to create a design that is beautiful, unlike Sullivan's mantra which suggests form should always follows function.