You've probably already heard about the Bauhaus school? Today I would like to tell you about the origins and peculiarities of the direction, as well as how it all influenced modern web design.
Let's start with the fact that Bauhaus is a non-state educational institution that existed in Germany from 1919 to 1933.
"Bauhaus" from German translates to house-building, meaning bau - "to build", haus - "house". Now we call this word a whole direction in art.
The founder of the school and its first director was Walter Gropius. Nominally it was an architectural and art school. But in essence and in fact it became something more. The advanced views on construction issues are even now striking. And at the time, it was a breakthrough in the industry.
The Bauhaus school influenced the formation of various art concepts of the 20th century. From here, we can say, "came out" modernism, minimalism and functionalism. And if we are talking about websites, then Flat Design is first and foremost. And in everyday life we have a lot of Bauhaus manifestations. You will start to notice them after our article.
Features and principles
What is so unusual about the Bauhaus? If we talk about the school, then first of all the unification of disciplines. The school did not consider architecture and art as separate subjects. And form, and color, and functionality - all this must work in an integrated way.
In the early twentieth century, advanced artists wanted to unite architecture with the new methods of industrial construction. At that time, the possibilities of production had greatly expanded. New materials appeared, new tools.
Political influence was also important. The mood of the time gave the ideas of the socialist direction. Architecture in this sense is a renunciation of the past, a look into the future, no luxury and excesses, comfort for people.
Bauhaus became not so much an architectural school as a creative laboratory. New concepts were created at the intersection of different disciplines.
Another feature of the school is the approach to study. It is quite peculiar. There is no division into subjects. Symbiosis is important. And first the students learn the craft, and then the theory. It's important.
Not to take an example, not to build on the old, not to listen to stereotypes. Create new things - comfortable and understandable. But only after you understand the peculiarities of different materials, work with them with your own hands, master the subtleties and see how the assembly of structures takes place. They called it "form-making," although today we might call it all by the general term "design."
Here are a few Bauhaus principles:
- Unity of painting, sculpture, and architecture.
- Simple and functional design.
- Affordable housing for all.
- Form determines function.
The school changed three principals, many notable teachers, and three legendary locations. But the Nazis' rise to power contributed to the institution's demise. It so happened that most of the adherents of the school held leftist views, which was incompatible with the policy of the ruling party. Because of the persecution, students and teachers were forced to emigrate. At the same time, the school physically disintegrated, but did not perish. Its representatives traveled all over the world and spread their ideas.
A school building in Dessau (the first example of Bauhaus architecture). Not bad for a building a century old, eh?
What the Bauhaus gave us in architecture
When it comes to architecture, the designed buildings look futuristic sometimes even by modern standards. The adherents of the school abandoned decorative frills, leaving only practicality. Concrete, glass, metal, only correct geometric shapes.
And at the same time such buildings do not look like stupid boxes. They are aesthetically pleasing.
For example, many of these houses have protruding balconies. This is not just for beauty - it is not customary in the Bauhaus. This is a thoughtful element that increases the area and gives shade without undue stress on the structure. Not just beautiful, but practical and pleasant.
The development of technology in the early twentieth century was inspiring. And the adherents of the Bauhaus invented and in their own way predicted fast-built houses. At the time, this was not yet possible. But they thought of a concept that involved manufacturing parts of the house in a factory and installing them already on the plot. How cool is that?
The second director of the Bauhaus school was Hannes Meyer. In the 1930s, he and his students went to the Union. It is to them that we owe the best designs for social cities, educational institutions and public spaces. Some cities and neighborhoods were designed by the descendants of the Bauhaus themselves, and some were already being built according to their example. Minimalist aesthetics set the tone for the Soviet cities we grew up in.
Another student of the school (Marcel Breuer) helped shape the aesthetics of New York and Chicago with his recognizable skyscrapers.
Bauhaus followers also left their mark around the world - their architecture can be found from Israel to Argentina.
And in the home and everyday life?
Here is one example of a chair, an heir to the Bauhaus school.
Tubular base, simple but comfortable and well thought out shape. All office furniture now resembles this chair. And its very first prototype was the Wassily chair. It was created by Marcel Breuer, and he named his creation in honor of Wassily Kandinsky. Yeah, the famous artist was not only related to the Bauhaus, but was also a teacher at the school.
The Wassily chair
In general, there were a lot of famous teachers and students there. We are studying with students the Itten circle. This circle and color theory in general was invented by Johannes Itten in the Bauhaus.
If we talk about everyday objects, it was at the Bauhaus that many other things that are familiar to us today were invented.
The author of the design of the following objects is Marianne Brand. She was already a professional artist when she went to a Bauhaus exhibition in 1923. She was so impressed that she came home, burned all her work and went to school. And already in 1924, she created her legendary MT 49 teapot. It's considered a design masterpiece. Maybe you don't think so, because the shape is already familiar. But at the time, it was a breakthrough. The simplest forms, functionality and aesthetics - the main ideas of the Bauhaus were embodied in this teapot.
The second outstanding work by Marianne Brand is the table lamp "Kandem". Such lamps and their variations are easy to find in any lighting store. No unnecessary details, an ordinary thing. Now already ordinary, because its prototype revolutionized the world of lighting fixtures. Before that, they were all lavishly decorated.
The relief wallpaper for painting is also a Bauhaus invention. Their first collection was created as part of a competition among students in 1929. And since then, such wallpapers have become one of the school's most famous and successful products. Many manufacturers use the Bauhaus brand when producing fleeced backing for painting.
Stackable furniture that can be easily stacked under each other. This marvelous solution was invented by Joseph Albers. This type of construction even now seems innovative. Tables can be conveniently stored, pulled out one by one or several at once. Pay attention to simple shapes and pure colors. Now this is a classic. Similar models are sold today in IKEA.
And last but not least, a door handle from the very founder of the school, Walter Gropius. A design from 1923! 100 years for a second. Correct geometric shapes without frills predetermined the design of handles for a century to come. To this day, nothing better has been invented in the affordable segment.
Engineers and designers at Apple and Google have said they are inspired by examples and ideas of this style. Maybe that's why their products are so popular.
The Bauhaus influenced the idea of a new vision in photography and typography. Text over image - that's from here. And slanted posters. Because before that, all printed material looked like an old newspaper. Flat, clear, headline, photo. And the Bauhaus showed us how to do it differently.
From here also come laconic sans serif fonts, playing on contrasts, combining different textures and techniques.
How Bauhaus and web design are connected
At the beginning of its journey, UX-design applied the transfer of real images into the virtual world (this is called by the scary word skevomorphism). Recycle garbage can, floppy disk-shaped save icon, voluminous buttons. But practice has shown that it is necessary to simplify and make it convenient.
The main philosophy of Bauhaus is minimalism and functionality. No unnecessary details, only usability. The simpler and more ergonomic, the better. Doesn't it remind you of anything? These are the words we use all the time in the context of web design. A hundred years ago, the concept of UX/UI didn't exist, but the Bauhaus School had already defined its principles.
Otto Neurath, a student of the Bauhaus school, came up with the concept and developed a system of pictograms - Isotype. It is essentially a set of symbols that are easy to interpret at a single glance. This is what gave rise to the development of icons and infographics in general.
Itten has already been mentioned about Isotype. He suggested that there is a certain psychology of colors and the social role of their combinations. Today it is the basis of branding and visual marketing. And Kandinsky in turn developed the idea, adding form to color and explaining their relationship. The whole look of today's buttons and navigation are based on these theories.
Function is primary. This statement first originated in the Bauhaus, but has become the motto of UX design. We cut away the superfluous, we do things "for people", we care about practicality above all else.
Why has Bauhaus remained relevant for over a hundred years? Because it is based on timeless truths. Simplicity of form. The purity of colors. Convenience. The pursuit of brevity rather than fashion trends.
A web designer to understand these ideas and their origins is certainly worthwhile. It will give the basics, a general understanding of the concept and vision. Going deeper into the topic you'll understand what the ideal usability world should look like and how to get there. Of course, we use this information in our training too. In the course "UX/UI legend", for example. Join us! Let's make this world a better place together.