U T O P I AM i n i m a l i s t D e s i g n

“Look closely. The beauti ful may be smal l.”

Immanuel Kant

In this report I am going to compare functional

and aesthetic design principles to see which

creates the perfect minimalist designs. I am

intending to look into the history of the minimalist

design principles such as the main influences

of the movement, form follows function, less is

more, logical and rationale thinking which will

help me decipher the results and the overall

conclusions. From this I will hope to create a new

and current minimalist design utopia.

I bel ieve minimal ism is

design in i t ’s simplest

form, taking away

the unnecessary to

produce design purely

for i t ’s intent.

01 Funct iona l Min ima l ism

vs

Aesthet ic Min imal ism

When thinking about minimal ism there are two interpretat ions l inked to this; descript ive and prescript ive, this is effect ively functional minimal ism vs aesthetic minimal ism.

Descriptive minimalism (Aesthetic) - Where aesthetic beauty results from purity of function.

Descript ive minimal ism favours simpl icity, fol lowers of this interpretat ion appreciate the beauty of the minimal ist design and the overal l aesthetic rather than function, even though the function is impor tant.

Prescriptive minimalism (Functional)- Where the functional considerations are the top priority and the aesthetics are secondary.

Prescript ive minimal ism favours Functional i ty f i rst, then other factors such as usabi l i ty, aesthetics, ergonomics in order of pr ior i ty. Fol lowers of this interpretat ion don’t want to have mult iple i tems with the same overal l function. Eff iciency is a lot more elegant than the aesthetics.

Eye Of The Storm - Watch without a face.

This watch has been designed by Yiran Qian and takes on a very minimal approach. There is no face to the watch and the hands are only visible when the button is pressed on the side.

I t can be argued that descript ive minimal ism would appreciate having an aesthetical ly beauti ful minimal watch, the main function would be the design with tel l ing the t ime almost secondary. Whereas prescript ive may only have a mobi le phone as this would complete the function of tel l ing the t ime amongst other things so why mult iply the same function.

02 What

are

Aesthet ics?

Aesthetics is known as the theory of beauty, how we perceive and judge objects according to their attract iveness. Pleasing the senses including sight, smel l, touch and sound.

In the 1700’s aesthetics star ted to be explored by Edmund Burke and David Hume, with logic and rat ionale thinking. By the end of the 1800’s this was defined by psychologist Wil lhelm Wundt, with a rat ionale and scient i f ic approach in that objects needed to be not boringly simple, but not overly simple for us to f ind them beauti ful.

The overal l theory of aesthetics was dist inguished by Immanuel Kant, stat ing that the results are essential ly subjective to individual taste. However, symmetry, l ine and curves provide a visual ease and appeal which most people appreciate, therefore objects with these character ist ics tend to be more aesthetical ly pleasing.

I t is human nature to think that objects are fundamental ly better (whether they actual ly are or not) i f they appear to be more attract ive to us. Alongside the general aesthetic of the product we are also persuaded by the brand and what they stand for. Some of the minimal ist products can be for the highly aff luent, although the product i tself is minimal the person buying into the product maybe material ist ic to some extent. Products such as Apple and Alessi come with a large price tag attached. These companies produce beauti ful products, there is normal ly a pr ice to pay to be par t of their brand.

Aesthete

(adj) Someone with

deep sensativ i ty to

the beauty of ar t or

nature

03 Min imal ism

in the

des ign wor ld?

Minimal ism in the design world is more popular ly known for star t ing in the 1950’s, effect ively i t is def ined by the uses of simple vast forms. However, from my understanding this is not necessari ly the case. I have under taken a lot of research into this and I bel ieve that i t has been inf luenced and derived from many other sources.

04 What is

min imal ism

in f luenced by?

Minimal ist design has been inf luenced by a number of dif ferent factors from ancient stoics, phi losophers and ar t movements. From looking into the history of minimal ism I would have to conclude that the three main inf luences on this style would be Zen, De Sti j l and The Bauhaus.

I can see that there are a number of other factors which could have inf luenced these three movements, such as the ancient stoic phi losophy, design works from the l ikes of Christopher Dresser and even rel igion to some extent. Some of the main movements are considered to be design rather to bel ief, with a lot of spir i tual i ty such as Zen and De Sti j l . Another movement would be The Bauhaus which is now more commonly known to create designs on a rat ionale point of view. There is the exception as when The Bauhaus f i rst star ted there were some tutors which had a very abstract rel igious views such as Johannes It ten, who was a very strong bel iever in one of the oldest rel igions, Mazdaznan.

Zen

The idea behind Japanese Zen is not adding what isn’t absolutely necessary by el iminat ing what isn’t impor tant therefore making more room for the things that do. To incorporate natural ly occurr ing patterns and rhythms into design and to create the star t ing block for innovation.

A lot of the Zen phi losophy is about harmony between body and mind, being present in every moment and not to be f ixed on emotions or judgements. Wisdom, courage and self control are seen as the most impor tant elements to a happy l i fe.

05

“The only Zen you

f ind at the top of the

mountain is the Zen

you bring with you”.

Zen Proverb

To approach the

spir i tual in ar t,

one wi l l make

as l i t t le use as

possible of real i ty,

because real i ty is

opposed to the

spir i tual.”

- Piet Mondrian

This was a school founded by W

alter

Gropius which took in

fluence fo

r the arts

and craft movement.

The idea was to create a new style of products that

both were affordable and had an aesthetic style.

Fine arts and crafts were put together which resulted in simplif ied form

s,

rationality with functionality and the notion that mass production of

products can merge with artistic style.

“If today’s arts love the

machine, technology and

organization, if they aspire

to precision and reject

anything vague and dreamy,

this implies an instinctive

repudiation of chaos and

a longing to find the form

appropriate to our times.”

Oskar Schlemmer

The idea was to create a new style of products that

both were affordable and had an aesthetic style.

The finished products aim

ed to re

juvenate design for

everyday l ife and to

be used by every type of p

erson.

Fine arts and crafts were put together which resulted in simplif ied form

s,

rationality with functionality and the notion that mass production of

products can merge with artistic style.

I feel that these three elements combined are the main inf luences and have paved the way for the minimal ist design that we appreciate today.

I would argue that these three elements are better when they work together in harmony, and take some aspects from each of them.

I real ly l ike and stand by the phi losophy behind De Sti j l , even through the method behind this was quite a strange spir i tual l i ty between good and evi l .

I feel that The Bauhaus has incorporated the best elements from both Zen and De Sti j l which is why i t can be said that i t has been the most inf luential.

Over the years I bel ieve that there has been many inf luences on minimal ism as a whole. I think that this star ted as far back with the teachings from the ancient stoic phi losophies and also design works from the l ikes of Christopher Dresser.

Why

these

three?08

Christopher Dresser teapot design circa 1879

Form fol lows function is a design principle which was associated with modernist architecture. The design of the object/bui lding should be based on the intended purpose of the object/bui lding.

Who created Form Follows Function?Louis Sul l ivan was the f i rst person to adopt this design principle and was dubbed the “father of skyscrapers” and the “father of modernism”.

Louis Sullivan“Whether i t be the sweeping eagle in his f l ight, or the open apple-blossom, the toi l ing work-horse, the bl i the swan, the branching oak, the winding stream at i ts base, the dri f t ing clouds, over al l the coursing sun, form ever fol lows function, and this is the law. Where function does not change, form does not change. The granite rocks, the ever-brooding hi l ls, remain for ages; the l ightning l ives, comes into shape, and dies, in a twinkl ing.I t is the pervading law of al l things organic and inorganic, of al l things physical and metaphysical, of al l things human and al l things superhuman, of al l true manifestat ions of the head, of the hear t, of the soul, that the l i fe is recognizable in i ts expression, that form ever fol lows function. This is the law.”

This quote was taken from the 1896 manifesto “The tal l off ice bui lding ar t is ical ly considered”. The idea behind this was from the views of ancient Roman architect Vitruvius Pol l io’s work “De Architecture”, this states that bui ldings need to be sol id, useful and beauti ful.

Form

fo l lows

funct ion09

Adler and Sul l ivan’s Guaranty Bui lding in Buffalo

Who else backed the movement?Frank Lloyd Right, Le Corbusier, Walter Gropius and Mies Van de Rohe al l got on board with this pr inciple. Adolf Loos bel ieved that al l ornamentat ion on bui ldings were a ‘cr ime’, and this was a waste of energy for the designers as these ornamentat ions wi l l become outdated. Bui ldings were to be based solely on the function purpose rather than tradit ional aesthetics.This is described in Adolf Loos 1908 manifesto, “Passion for smooth and precious sur faces”.

Ludwig Mies Van de Rohe was a great pioneer for modern architecture with his approach ‘ less is more’.

The form fol lows function design principle is st i l l used in the present day as this has a mass fol lowing. The outcomes of these products and bui ldings are something to be desired, there are clean l ines, simple forms and rat ional i ty, not to mention they are aesthetical ly pleasing. I bel ieve that there wi l l always be a place for these types of design.

Less

is

more10

Ludwig Mies Van de Rohe Society, I l l inois

A great example of form fol lows function is the internat ional space stat ion. This was created and designed purely on i ts intended purpose, to orbit around ear th and to accommodate astronauts l iv ing inside. This is a highly complex and eff icient piece of equipment and it was created with rat ional and logic by a numerous amount of engineers. The aesthetics of this have taken a back seat so this would be classed as a prescript ive interpretat ion of form fol lows function.

Architect Sandro Si lv i launched a competit ion in 2007 on a search for the most beauti ful object in the world. The object that won the competit ion was the Gyrofocus f i replace designed by Dominique Imber t in 1968. This f i replace is a minimal design which fol lows the design principles of form fol lows function, but this is also a beauti ful piece where the aesthetic is a main element in the design process. This is considered to be the descript ive interpretat ion.

Out of both these two objects I can appreciate the design and aesthetics of both of them, but my preference would be the aesthetics of the Gyrofocus f i replace. I feel that the design of this would add such an elegance and class to the room, whi lst st i l l being a prefect example of form fol lows function.

Designs without aesthetic style are examples of pure engineering.

Engineering is the outcome of solving problems using logical and rat ionale thinking, mathematics and empir ical evidence. The outcomes of these can have a great f inesse and completely f i t for purpose, however they can lack in overal l aesthetic style.

An example of pure engineering would be St Pancras Stat ion. The rear roof of the stat ion was made up of i ron r ibs, which was the f i rst and largest of i ts kind. The reasoning for this was to al low extra room for more platforms to be added. The design not only al lowed more room for the platforms as there was no obstruct ion on the ground, but due to the design this meant that when it rained more water would get dispersed quicker and more effect ively. This is a great example of form fol lows function.

This design was a complete contrast to the front architecture of the stat ion which is a very highly ornate Gothic Victor ian Castle. This style was a completely new contrast in style compared to what was around at the t ime it was produced, however at a later date this design principle was repl icated around the world.

When aesthetic design style is added with rat ionale and logical thinking then the outcomes can be truly fascinat ing. There are dif ferent design elements to come from this such as architecture and industr ial design.

When architects and architects work together they can produce they can create some spectacular designs.

Engineer ing11

The Mil lau Viaduct is the tal lest br idge in the world which spans across a val ley in France. The Engineer Michel Vir logeux had to come up with the solut ion to the problem, where as the engineer Norman Foster had to make sure the aesthetic of the bridge was suitable for the area. The bridge needed to resemble a l ight frame with a minimal ist ic design. I feel that this is a per fect example of the two aspects of design working together in harmony.

‘ I have no power as an

architect, none whatsoever ’

Norman Foster

Design withrationale isn’t always minimal

Form fol lows function doesn’t always fol low minimal ism. A great example of rat ionale, Logical simpl ist ic design is on the Seed Cathedral design by Thomas Heatherwick. The idea behind this was to create an exhibit ion that represents what the UK has to offer. The design uses 250,000 seeds cast into 60,000 acryl ic rods. The seeds represent growth, potential and promise.

The design is clean and simple making per fect use of geometry. There is a signif icant harmony between the bui lding and the sky as they merge together as one.

Although this is not truly minimal ist as there are a number of dif ferent elements which make this piece come together.

I think that the design of the Seed Cathedral is a br i l l iant example of what the Expo pavi l ion is al l about and represents the function whi lst being aesthetical ly pleasing, contemporary and modern.

Rat iona le :

Thomas

Heatherwick12

“Design is l ike solving a

cr ime”

Thomas Heatherwick

I think this notion is very simi lar to the idea behind the Rietveld Schröder House. This house was to represent everything De Sti j l . The house was init ia l ly to be without wal ls as Mrs Truus Schröder-Schräder wanted there to be a pure connection between inside and outside.

I think that a lot, i f not al l of Thomas Heatherwicks work is visionary. I bel ieve that he uses logical and rat ionale thinking in creat ing his designs whi lst adding aesthetic style. Al l the work that he produces f i ts in with form fol lows function and can be put in either of the arguments of function or aesthetic.

The Spun chair that he created is another example of form fol lows function. He wanted to create a chair that was total ly symmetr ical, rotat ional and ergonomic, and this was achieved and the outcome is br i l l iant by using a simpl ist ic design fol lowing the minimal pr inciples i t has work per fect ly.

Wabi Sabi is l inked to Japanese aesthetics, but i t is the appreciat ion of imper fect ion. This comes from the Buddhist teachings of acceptance. The main character ist ics are simpl icity, asymmetry and auster i ty. This contradicts what we general ly see as appeal ing due to the imper fect ions being celebrated.

Beauty

in the

imper fect ions13

I t is sometimes perceived that minimal ism is the easy option with design, that by creat ing a minimal design you are cutt ing corners, and not putt ing in a lot of effor t. This is sometimes seen as infer ior. Within human nature we automatical ly assume that a larger quantity is better, but this is not always the case. Most people are aware of the saying qual i ty rather than quantity, that is what minimal ists are trying to achieve.

There are some people which would disagree with al l things minimal, weather that is the perspective or descript ive interpretat ion. A maximal ist would argue that for something to be aesthetical ly pleasing i t would be blend styles and dif ferent periods together. The idea behind this is to mix several styles together from old, new and the in-between with big, bold, br ight colours, lots of keepsakes. By doing this i t creates individual ism and a boldness of style and most impor tant ly for them it is their memories and that results in individual happiness.

The

easy

opt ion14

ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THIS

WOULD BE THE BAROQUE

ART MOVEMENT

ALTHOUGH THIS WAS BEFORE

OFFICIAL START THE

MINIMALISM ART PERIOD

THIS STYLE IS STILL BEING

REPLICATED TODAY TO

SOME EXTENT

BAROQUE ART CAME AFTER

THE RENAISSANCE AND

WAS AT ITS MOST POPULAR

BETWEEN THE FIFTEENTH

AND SEVENTEENTH

CENTURY

A LOT OF THE WORKS

WERE ISSUED BY ROYALS

TO STRENGTHEN THEIR

POLITICAL SUCCESS AND TO

SHOW THEIR OWN GRANDEUR

AND TO THE VATICANThe Apotheosis of St Ignatius (1694) San Ignazio, Rome, by Pozzo.One of the Baroque’s most inspiring religious paintings ever created.

The Apotheosis of St Ignatius (1694) San Ignazio, Rome, by Pozzo.One of the Baroque’s most inspiring religious paintings ever created.

Tim Bret Day takes inspirat ion from the Baroque ar t movement to create his photographs. I can understand why these are popular as they have an impact on the audience as i t is pushing the boundaries.

I personal ly don’t l ike this style as I feel that there is a lack or space, to me it looks cluttered and disorganized. I don’t think that there is a balance to the design which doesn’t result in visual harmony.

The Cloud - T im Bret Day

The Deser t Fathers where par t of a rel igious group but found great comfor t in taking up a minimal ist l i festyle by sel l ing al l their possessions, giving the proceeds to the poor and moving into the deser t on the search for true, pure happiness. This is simi lar to the phi losophies of the ancient stoics.

There are dif ferent people in the world who bel ieve in a lot of dif ferent things.Such as logic, rat ionale, science and spir i tual i ty to some extent, which is classed as a postmodernist approach. There are other people who reject these things, and bel ieve in rel igion and faith, this would be a modernist approach. Although there are dif ferent bel iefs there are st i l l overlaps between l i festyle choices and design tastes.

I would say I fal l in the postmodernism category, as I bel ieve in science and rat ionale.

I can see both sides of which design principle works best. However, in my opinion some of the best designs are a result of using a combination of both aesthetic and functional i ty to create an improved harmony.

I bel ieve that there are lots of dif ferent elements and factors that are inter l inked which have inf luenced minimal ism.

Although minimal ism is about the reduction and having things down to their simplest forms, I f ind the whole topic of minimal ism not actual ly very minimal at al l . There is such a vast amount of diversity to this and it would be dif f icult to say what type of minimal ism principles are correct whether i t is functional, aesthetic or a mixture of both.

For instance, Dominique Imber t’s Gyrofocus f i replace as mentioned previously.

I f i t was down to choosing one or the other and they had to be completely separate, I would fal l more towards the aesthetic minimal ism rather than purely functional. I appreciate the beauty of minimal designs rather than the the sole function. However, I think that the subject of taste is far too personal, and would be down to each person’s individual style and preferences.

I don’t think that i t is as simple as to say that function and aesthetic can be placed into two separate categories, i ts not as clean cut as that. I f i t is down to my own taste I think that the overal l value aesthetic is a function in i ts own r ight, therefore i t is st i l l classed as functional minimal ism.

Conclus ion15

Essential ly every design or object has a function and purpose and that function or purpose has to be ful f i l led, therefore you could argue that form fol lows function is always achieved in everything, but with dif ferent functions being prior i t ised to achieve this.

The root objective of a bui lding is to provide shelter, so no matter on the overal l design aesthetic as long as this is achieved then the function is ful f i l led. There could be other functions that are prior i t ised in dif ferent orders which st i l l need to be met such as size, uniqueness, signif icant and excit ing, this l ist can go on and on.

The prior i t ies wi l l be specif ic to each design and therefore the order wi l l change, due to this I think i t is dif f icult to create a specif ic set of rules or guidel ines on creat ing the per fect minimal ist design.

I am only able to specify my own views and create my own personal design utopia. As this is personal to me I can change and amend this as needed but I wi l l have a foundation of this.

http://vanseodesign.com/web-design/why-minimalism/

http://www.theartstory.org/movement-minimalism.htm

http://www.artmovements.co.uk/minimalism.htm

http://understandingminimalism.com/introduction-to-minimal-art/

https://clairethomson1.wordpress.com/contextual-studies/minimalism/

http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/m/minimalism

http://www.minimalstudent.com/zen-and-the-art-of-minimalism-part-1-zen-philosophy/

https://www.reddit.com/r/minimalism/comments/270xhi/minimalist_philosophers/

http://www.huffingtonpost.in/afzal-ibrahim-/understanding-minimalist-_b_9037110.html

http://www.pocketstoic.com/blog/5-stoic-principles-modern

https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/comments/48ziz7/my_favorite_quotes_from_meditations_by_marcus/

https://www.reddit.com/r/minimalism/comments/2ti740/japanese_minimalist_architecture_moriyama_house/

http://dt.pepperdine.edu/courses/greatbooks_v/gbv_101/Wabi-%20Sabi.PDF

http://spyrestudios.com/minimalist-design-a-brief-history-and-practical-tips/

https://www.reddit.com/r/minimalism/comments/20pn4q/i_think_im_out/

http://minimalissimo.com/category/architecture/

https://www.reddit.com/r/minimalism/comments/264yp5philosophical_concepts_expressed_simply_in_a/cho7039

http://www.sitepoint.com/what-is-minimalism/

http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/cultures_east-west-phylosophy.html

https://wawaza.com/pages/when-less-is-more-the-concept-of-japanese-ma.html

http://www.mooponto.com

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aesthetics

http://understandingminimalism.com/a-list-of-all-famous-minimalist-artists-architects-and-designers/

References