To help prepare you for the course please complete our Form Follows Function activity.
‘Form follows function’ is a key principle within design, that the outcome is informed by the purpose or function of the object.
Although the principle is most famously seen in architecture and 3D design, it can be applied across all design, for example, in lens-based media, games and animation, ensuring you are directing or guiding the audience as intended. In fashion and visual communication, too it is a vital creative tool to help challenge and test design assumptions. It’s also a consideration in industry to ensure that the design meets the demands of the brief.
Task:
Research ‘Form Follows Function’ to find examples (looking at the Bauhaus movement will be useful). Make a note of these, including the designer, date and title.
Consider your own area of specialism, how could you apply this principle now you know more about it? Make a note of your thoughts.
Sketch/ make your own version of ‘form follows function’ within your area of specialism: consider the intended purpose and try to use that to inform your decision-making. Remember, it doesn’t have to be a totally serious intended purpose; you can be playful in your approach!
Record your work. Try to answer the question of whether following ‘form follows function’ changed the way you work, and if so, how?
