Blog Assignment Week 11

Hannes Meyer, director of the Bauhaus, argued that “design is a product of function X enonomy.” (Raizman, The first machine age in Europe). This allowed design to align with scientific models driven by new technologies and manufacturing potentials. He believed that designers should be focusing more on function and cost rather than elegance and aesthetics.

A good example of design through function X economy are these stools, shown above. Whilst been relatively unpleasant to the eye, they are extremely functional and economical. Not only are they very cheap and easy to make, but they do everything a stool should do. They allow people to sit on them around a table or bench.

Now compare those to the stool below. This is a good example of design for pleasure. This stool is made of a more complex material and clearly costs for to produce and purchase. However, they do allow the same sitting satisfaction as the stools above. And, better than the stools above they actually look nice. But this comes at a cost, the price of purchase and production.

A great benefit for the stools above compared to the ones below is that they can be stacked easily. This is an incredibly simple design addition that greatly increases the function of the stools above. Space is a key issue around the household and these stools combat that. Compared to the other stools which cant stack up at all, wasting valuable space when not needed.

I agree with Meyer that design should be a product of function X economy and also believe that design today should both science and art. Why should it be classified as one or the other? If it were all science it would be science. The same with art. There is a perfect balance for design to be both. Designers should be thinking not only about the art (aesthetics) of an object but also the science (the function and economy). This will allow us to deliver the best the we can offer as designers. There is no point designing an object is the production costs are unbearably high for the function of the object.

Hence the reason why the top stools are clearly better designed for a working class market. The immense reduction in production cost can be passed onto the customer and the added benefits are a blessing on top of this.

D. Raizman. (n.d). The first machine age in Europe.

http://besttopdesign.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/the-flow-stool-classic-seating-design-1.jpg

http://www.makingthemodernworld.org.uk/stories/the_rise_of_consumerism/01.ST.05/img/IM.0462_zp.jpg