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Welcome friends! Lovely to have you here. So where exactly is "here"? And what on earth is a ThinkerBelle? "Here" is a blog space on all things that interest this little strategist, namely design, social media and technology. I like to think that "ThinkerBelle" (my strategist persona) lives at the intersection of these three domains. I hope you enjoy this space, please comment and don't be a stranger. I appreciate you being here. Follow me in the tweetverse if you like @thaz7. Stay groovy.
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Bauhaus Part 2: Re-discovery.
Now that we’ve been grounded in what this amazing period was about, it’s time to start connecting it to what’s going on right now. I believe the greater learning in studying the Bauhaus is rooted in the notion explored in 1923 by Walter Groupius: “Art and technology: A new unity“. This takes on a whole new meaning in the world we live in today, yet is just as profound and “new” a concept today as it was in 1923. This incredible convergence of these two massively impact filled worlds is yet again, changing the consumer world.
There is a growing desire to maximize this bond-fuse into something spectacular that yes, perhaps even is commercial. Commercial has the opportunity to find it’s way OUT of being a dirty word if it’s done RIGHT. Coming back to some planning language, this is contingent on what is core to being a MODERN BRAND. Modern brands will live at this intersection of art and technology and still have expansive commercial appeal. It IS possible. Great examples exist with brands like Method, Uniqlo and IKEA.
In a very simple and tangible example of Bauhaus influence is with IKEA. Mats Nilsson, IKEA’s design strategist, had mentioned in a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, that the company’s ideology is inspired by the Bauhaus, especially the idea that high-design objects could be affordable to the masses. According to Nilsson, “this was Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius’s ground-breaking idea, while the machine aesthetic he worked with in his days was a bit hard for many to like and accept.” The modern styling and mass creation is reflective of the Bauhaus clean, simple style and ethos is definitely defining to IKEA, but stopping to say that IKEA = Bauhaus would be an unfair assumption.
So many other influences of the Bauhaus exist to this day, many architecture and design as the Bauhaus faculty and graduates fled Nazi Germany, Groupius teaching at Harvard and spreading the ideals of Bauhaus to North America. Ideals of simple modern design are still prevalent in many of the most famous buildings in the world, as well as typographical impacts and the profound impact on the “fine art” world as well (still some of the most revered artists of our time came from the Bauhaus). The ideals of Bauhaus will live on forever, but the impacts should be taken in by ALL of us, not just our design counterparts. There is so much to learn and uncover for the future of great products and great thinking to come.
