Bauhaus. 'Building House'

The Bauhaus wanted the world to be seen and reflected through all the arts. One could almost describe it as a combination of both architecture, sculptures and paintings merged into one.

Lecturers within the Bauhaus were given by visual artists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee. Apart from crafts, the Bauhaus' theory was that students would learn better if work was hands on, therefore students had to enter specialised workshops. Metal, weaving, pottery, typography, and wall painting all made up parts of these workshops. The Bauhaus aimed at combining ''art into industry''.

Many graphic designers attended Bauhaus, and even those who did not go got great inspiration from it; like Jan Tschichold who was truly inspired after attending the first Bauhaus exhibition in 1923. Many lecturers/teachers who thought there were quite important artists and designers of the time.

The influence of this era in art has influenced a vast part of design from billboards to infographics. The designers at Bauhaus believed that whatever they designed has to serve its purpose. Whatever your design is, it needs to make sense by itself. you cannot rely on your message to make it work. It must all interlink and not rely on just one aspect to grab attention. Wassily Kandinsky, a famous artist from the school believed that it was important to match object to colour. He believed that it was impressive as to how they compliment each other and we should never underestimate the power of combination. Typography plays a big role in the Bauhaus movement. To them it was one of the most important elements of Graphic design. In fact they believe that type is put before clever design, and that together they would work brilliantly. Designers at the Bauhaus seemed to have gotten rid of straight line text and adopted new ways of placing it, using odd angles and just being creative with it.

Without even knowing it, you might be looking at something 'bauhaus-inspired'. It took a great toll on design in the past and people still find it inspirational up until this day and use its inspiration in their work. On a more personal note, I am a big fan of the Bauhaus. The use of simple shapes and forms, the silence given off by the blank space and the use of bright simple colours, falls together so neatly. Even though there isnt much structure and in the sense of perfect lines and order, it can still fall into place, work brilliantly and portray the message you want.

Bauhaus Inspired poster upon his visit to Berlin.

A Bauhaus Ad designed back in 1928

The Bauhaus, 1919–1933 | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2013. The Bauhaus, 1919–1933 | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/hd_bauh.htm.> [Accessed 20 November 2013].

Graphic Design at the Bauhaus. 2013. Graphic Design at the Bauhaus. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://designhistory.org/Bauhaus_pages/GDBauhaus.html.> [Accessed 20 November 2013].

The Three Bauhaus Locations. 2013. The Three Bauhaus Locations. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://designhistory.org/Bauhaus_pages/BauhausOrigins.html.> [Accessed 20 November 2013].