How is ‘Form Follows Function’ to the 21st Century of Design?
Here comes the cliché — form follows function. I bet Louis Sullivan, the American architect who coined this phrase, would never think it could be this overused today. In his 1896 article “The Tall Office Building Artistically Considered”, Sullivan wrote:
“Whether it be the sweeping eagle in his flight, or the open apple-blossom, the toiling work-horse, the blithe swan, the branching oak, the winding stream at its base, the drifting clouds, over all the coursing sun, form ever follows function, and this is the law. Where function does not change, form does not change…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.”
How should we interpret it?
If we look into the context of this phrase — Modernism, we could understand Sullivan’s standpoint. Before Modernism, design was associated with expensive materials and exquisite craftsmanship. The Modernists agree with the value of aesthetically appealing, but holds that beauty should come from the pursuit of functionality, rather than simply use decoration or styling.
I believe this notion was a consequence of the Machine Age of the late nineteenth century, in which, design was determined greatly by functional considerations. The core principle of Modernism in design was to determine the form of an object from functional requirements instead of traditional aesthetics or ornaments. As a result, its design was simple and clean, based on rationality and functionality.
What is Form?
A form is the outer surface of an object. It is what people see and interact with. Numerous examples can prove that form follows function. The two holes in the scissors are not the same size not because of the so-called beauty of asymmetry but people put different numbers of fingers into each of them. Thus, for the first-time user, it is quite easy to figure out how to use this tool from its form.
However, in some cases, the function is concealed by the outer shell. Take iPod Shuffle as an example. I will not blame you if you cannot guess what this thing is supposed to do — playing music. Given the fact that lacking clues to suggest its functions, Shuffle’s form could have various options, such as an LED screen, a different button layout, or having the shape as a ball.
When the function is hidden, there is free space for the form to vary. One function can be shelled with multiple form options and they all do the job as outer surface equally well.
What is Function?
Let’s look at chairs. What is the function of a chair? To have people sit on it. If form always follows function, or is entirely determined by function, all the chairs should look the same. So why do chairs differ in material, structure, shape, size, color, etc.?
Because function can be complex. A chair in a public park may be built in stone or metal so that it won’t be worn out easily. An office chair may be height adjustable because of ergonomics considerations. A chair at home or hotel may be cozy and stylish to fit in the interior design of the space. Ornamentation is allowed as long as it serves a function that could support people’s emotional needs. A chair may vary in color for people to choose the color they like.
A function is a reflection of the requirement or purpose of the design which comes from human needs and wants.
New credo: function follows human needs, form follows human behavior
Why should we care about this theoretical or philosophical topic? In this fast-changing Digital Age, we are living in an artificial world with computer-based products. This has set a new challenge for designers: how to help people operate ever more complex digital products.
In the old days of the Industrial Age, people could guess roughly how to use an object by looking at its appearance. Now whether people could listen to a song with iPod Shuffle is largely determined by its user interface. A good design makes a product easy to use and this has become a golden rule in today’s design. The appearance, or form, is cultivated through the study of human cognition and behavior. The better we understand how people think, feel and behave, the better product we can design to make it intuitive to people.
Sullivan’s credo is still true, but maybe a new expression that is more in line with Digital Age is: function follows human needs, form follows human behavior.
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