Neo-functionalist Design

Neo-Functionalist Design

Scientific Operationalism: "Systems Designs that fit together within a system

Hochschule fur Gestaltung, Ulm, 1953-1968, Max Bill

In Germany, founded Max Bill

Science and Tech uses Ulm Model

"Ulm Model"

"scientific operationalism,": based on

"teams," : design teams

"systems": designs that fit together in a system

"Homogenus products"

"Environmental Ensembles"

Basic Course: applied sciences and math

2nd, 3rd Year Modules: real-life project, corporate identity;

prototype testing, marketability

Department of Product Design, Ulm

Ergonomics: human machine systems

2nd and 3rd year projects

Max Bill Clock, 1955

Minimalist: clean lines, pureform clock

Basic Course: 1st year project: applied math in furniture design

Furniture design golden proportions

2nd year project: "human-machine system"

van scooter project

3rd year project: "corporate identity project": Lufthansa;

logo, colors, ticketing, uniforms, plates

3rd year project: "real life project": Braun

Gugelot, Rams, and Muller

-consumer approach: appeal to consumer tastes

-product semantics: design explains operation

-prototype testing

Hans Gugelot, Dieter Rams, Gerd Alfred Muller, Braun electric razor, 1950

Ergonomic, ridged for stabilization

Braun electric razor, 1962 (rotating blade)

Rotating blade to clean

Dieter Rams, razor with case, 1973

carrying case with cleaning fluid

Otl Aicher, logo for Lufthansa, 1965

Corporate Identity, yellow

Otl Aicher, pictograms for Munich Olympic Games, 1972

coehisive simple

gridded, angles, linear ends rounded, jointedness

inspired pictograms for US department of Transport

Olt Aicher, logo for Olympics, 1972

3d garland in 2d for olympic rings

Marcello Nizzoli, Lettera 22/32 manual typewriter, Olivetti, 1950

Transparent so you need to press harder, qwery keyboard

Type face, strike face, type bar clash, carrying case

Old Typewriters

Rasmus Malling Hansen, Writing Ball, 1870;

for braille, uses ball

Sholes and Glidden, Remington Type Writer, 1874

QWERY, but uses typebasket, gets jammed

(platen, foot treadle, typebasket, QWERTY keyboard)}

Eliot Noyes, IBM typewriter, 1953

IBM Selectric typewriter, 1961 (stationary carriage; rotating ball)

Uses rotating ball, fonts can be changed

Ribbon tape for eraser

(IBM Exhibit, New York World's Fair, 1964, big typeball)

Automatic platen using return key

Dieter Rams, SK2 Radio, 1955; T3 radio, 1958

"Less but better"

Large perforated holes for illusion of bigger speaker

Good design is innovative

Good design is unobtrusive

Good design is as little design as possible

Hans Gugelot, Dieter Rams, SK4 radio/ phonograph, 1956 (plexiglass cover)

You can see the phonograph so no anxiety

Buckminster Fuller, Geodesic dome, 1949 (exterior structure, interior structure)

Spaceship earth, ephermeralization, doing more with less

could sustain its own weight, used vinyl plastic skin and aluminum tubing

Buckminster Fuller, Dymaxion car, 1930s

Dynamaxion = dynamic maximum tension

Fit 11 people, three wheels

Dieter Rams

Rams: "Less, but better."

Buckminster Fuller

"Spaceship Earth,"

Mother earth like spaceship need to be taken care

"ephemeralization,"

doing more with less

"dymaxion"

"tensegrity"