Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
The design curriculum of the Bauhaus served as a template for the Ulm School of Design,
founded in 1953 by Inge Scholl, Otl Aicher and Max Bill. A former Bauhaus student, Bill
served as first director of the Ulm school and saw it as an institutional successor to the
Bauhaus and an inspiration to many subsequent design schools around the world including
the Sydney-based Shillito Design School.
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The Bauhaus Basic Course (
Vorkurs
) was developed Johannes Itten, Josef Albers and
Wassily Kandinsky under the direction of Walter Gropius.
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It was divided into seven
main areas of study:
1. Light-dark contrast: Considered to be a particularly expressive element of
design;
2. Colour: Particularly primary colours (red, yellow and blue); and secondary col-
ours of orange, green and purple;
3. Materials and texture;
4. Form: The basic and foundational forms considered to be the square, triangle
and circle. In addition, the Golden Section was used as a compositional device
to develop cohesiveness among forms and the proportion use of elements;
5. Rhythm: wherein the repetition of line, points, shapes, textures and colour were
used to create a sense of rhythm and vitality. Deviations in direction and mass
were considered to contribute to variations in rhythm;
6. Expressive form: Students were encouraged to experiment with line, rhythm,
form and direction plus analyse existing artwork to explore the expressive
nature of different compositions;
7. Subjective form: Both Itten and Gropius believed that each student expressed
their unique nature by applying the basic elements of design in an idiosyncratic
way in their compositions.
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The directors of the Bauhaus were determined to work in collaboration with industry and
therefore aimed for “the greatest possible standardisation with the greatest possible vari-
ation of form.”
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To achieve these aims, the design process often began with a grid based on the Golden
Mean, a proportion whose origins can be traced back to antiquity.
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The grid provided a
standardized framework within which visual elements and compositional principles could
be manipulated to achieve any applied art or design project from graphic design to object
or furniture design and architecture.
