LCCFDA INDESIGN

BRAND ETHOS: BAUHAUS
B
Bauhaus, meaning “house
of building” in German,
was founded in 1919 in
Weimar, Germany, by
architect Walter Gropius.
The school emerged out of
late-19th century desires to reunite
the applied arts and manufacturing,
and to reform education.
Bauhaus was not just a school; it is a
respected, revolutionary philosophy.
The ideas of the school were
rooted in the late 19th century Arts
and Crafts movement, which was
mainly a revolution against materialism,
founded during the industrial
revolution in Great Britain.
Simple design with geometrical pure
forms were being taught. Because
of this one could almost call the
Bauhaus movement a “back to basics
movement”. Its purpose was to
pursue new forms and new solutions
to man’s basic needs as well as his
aesthetic ones. The Bauhaus’ curriculum
returned to fundamentals,
the basic materials, the basic rules
of design. Bauhaus led to new definitions
of beauty, unadorned and
practical aspects of functionality.
Gropius wanted a fusion between
the different art disciplines. It was
also important for Gropius to help
lessen the gap between the artistic
side and the technological side of a
finished product. He wanted students
to accept the fact that their future
should be involved primarily with
industry and mass production rather
than with individual craftsmanship.
To some this represents the removal
of all that is human in the crafts. To
the teachers and followers of the
Bauhaus movement, function was
the primary concern, removing the
past was a secondary consequence.
The Bauhaus ushered in the modern
era of design and has become the
symbol of modern design. It did
achieve many of Gropius’s goals.
It left a legacy for visual communication
programs, art and design
schools to follow and in this case, Liz
Claiborne.
Sedis Quid
BRAND ETHOS: BAUHAUS
BAUHAUS WAS NOT JUST A SC
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