Should form always follow function?
After living in Chicago for almost 6 years my girlfriend and I finally decided to take the famous architectural tour down the Chicago river. We loved it. I was especially excited because architecture and web design follow such similar philosophies. In fact, I compare architecture with web design almost on a daily basis to help clients understand our development process.
Marina City and the Old IBM Building
So as we went up and down the river, our tour guide described the basic details of each building including who the architect was, the type architecture and how it fit into the history of the city. Within the first 10 minutes of our tour we pulled up to the old IBM Building and Marina City (where I happen to currently live). The old IBM building (see on the right in the photo) is a clear vision of modern architecture, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Meis believed in a simple philosophy, “form follows function”. “Form follows function” simply means that functional usability should come before creative design. This was fascinating because as a Creative Director I’ve followed this philosophy for years. With each of his buildings Mies spent a great deal of time understanding how his buildings would be used by people rather than the creative framework. Most of his buildings use industrial steel I-beams, conformed with glass at perfect right angles. In fact when describing his buildings Mies referred to them as “skin and bones”.
Right next door to the old IBM Building you may recognize Marina City. They are two corncob-shaped, identical residential towers that sit on the river at 300 N State Street. The architect, Bertrand Goldberg was a student of Mies. Ironically Goldberg believed that nature has no right angles and nor was it necessary to put right angles into his buildings. As a resident of Marina City I can assure you there are almost no right angles in either building. What makes this so interesting is that the Marina towers are circular and each unit is the shaped like a slice of pie. My bedroom is a small slice and my living room is a big slice. This made arranging my furniture a big challenge as I am sure it is for all residents of Marina City. Being such a believer in “form follows function” I can’t help but wonder how much Goldberg consider this functional problem?
So here comes the question. Should form always follow function and are there any occurrences in creative design when function should follow form? Post your comments. I would love to hear everyone’s opinion.
7 Responses
Should form always follow function?
August 31st, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Been a fan long term of Frank Lloyd Wright I believe form should always follow function. Although I must say Wright believed that form and function are intrinsically connected – which is also true.
When it comes to design and , in my case, creativity I reckon from should always follow, or be connect with function.
September 1st, 2009 at 4:34 am
Form and function should always co-exist, but I also believe function can follow form: sometimes a beautiful design can be created that also allows for useful function. And in much of art, form is the only objective: it must be pleasing to the eye, and serve only to provide beauty. Similarly, for some artists, their works must also stimulate and challenge the brain and deliver a message to the viewer.
If I’m buying an apartment, I must have form following function. If I’m buying a lamp, function and form must co-exist. But if I’m buying a painting, I want to feel it in my soul.
Glad you enjoyed the tour. The beautiful Chicago architecture is best observed and enjoyed from the water or the air.
September 1st, 2009 at 7:45 am
Original context by Louis Sullivan, 1896:
“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.”
I like this article and I think it is something that EVERY creative designer and architect think about at one time or another. I believe there is a middle ground that is found when you take what you NEED (the function) to put into the design, and ‘form’ it to be the most easily accessible and appropriate to users. This keeps your design from becoming bland.
Of course, a designer/architect/creative must come to the project with knowledge of the client, their clientele, and a strong foundation of good design habits. Put these together and you get a fully functional, beautifully formed (maybe minimally formed) user interface/website/design/building/whatever.
Good post.
@nickwichman
September 1st, 2009 at 8:16 am
I think something to think about is that form and function always depend on context. What is functional or beautiful in one space can be hideous or counter-intuitive in another. For example, a park may be functional in the middle of a city block, but would it be functional in the 3rd floor of an apartment building?
Form and function are ultimately dependent on context. Really interesting post.
September 1st, 2009 at 8:29 am
I think, like Catherine said, form and function should always co-exist. After all, isn’t sometimes the function of an object, building, or website simply to be beautiful or eye-catching? In that case, form would come first in order to ensure its function. And like she said, again– in art, form is the only consideration, since there is usually no functional use of an art object.
I think the simple, practical answer lies in the goal of the project. In residential architecture, thoughtful use of space and consideration for the future inhabitants place function first. In more artistic endeavors, function can be sacrificed for form.
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:59 am
This a topic that we, at Magellan Development Group, consider every day in the architecture and design process of our buildings at Lakeshore East. I believe that at Aqua, we have been successful in striking a balance. The exterior design of Aqua, somewhat similar to Marina City but a little more wild, certainly attracts our buyers and renters. However, we have taken great care to ensure that Chicagoans can actually live in the floor plans. For example, every bedroom is designed to comfortably fit a queen or king bed. Walk-in closests are a must in every residence (even a studio)! The bottom line is that people need to be able to live and function in their home and that’s what ultimately sells them on a new residence.
October 11th, 2009 at 9:46 pm
While I agree that ‘form follows function’ may be overused, it generally applies. Specifically for UI design, I think the form (graphic design) should support the form (interaction) insofar as it helps guide and support the user in choosing the right buttons, or guiding them to a target through use of color, layout, grouping. (That is why I believe look and feel as a phrase work – these things go hand in hand). In addition, however, graphic design also serves its own function – to appeal to personas they are serving, not just cloaking it with branding.
Look and feel should therefore do two things well – 1) support the interactions through easy to follow guideposts, and 2) provide a comfortable recognizable environment for the user of the site. My two cents.