Design Process

MODERNIST DESIGN LIVES AT

WHY “RAUHAUS”?

I adapted the name “rauhaus” for my design business in reference to the Bauhaus, a highly influential German design school founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius. Repercussions from this school, which advocated a “less is more,” and “form follows function” approach to design are still being felt today.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bauhaus has a very interesting and much more complete history of the school. I don’t normally encourage the use of wikipedia—it is unedited and often inaccurate—but this particular entry is of some value.

For an idea of why this school was so controversial in its time, click here for a PDF of some “before and after” examples of what life was like at the time, and what the Bauhauslers were suggesting was more appropriate for the “modern” age. You’ll be surprised at how contemporary many Bauhaus designs still look!

DESIGN PROCESS

While the artist and designer share the tools of color and composition, the similarities end there. The professional goal of the designer is to communicate a clear message and to express the client, not himself. Good design is not window-dressing, or a subjective brush stroke performed simply to attract attention. Design should be an integral part of the production process, not an after-thought; it should function as a reflection of the material it is meant to convey and a means of imposing order and logic through proven methods of visual communication.

In addition, a graphic designer should have knowledge of and regard for the history of the profession. Historical knowledge provides the designer with a sense of tradition and continuity, an understanding of the technological advances and sociological events that inevitably shape design, and supplies the designer with an internal visual library from which resource and inspiration can be drawn.