Good design comes in batches

It is not uncommon to discuss whether the times make the heroes or the heroes push the times forward. But the proposition that "good design comes in batches" is one of the best examples of how the times make the heroes.

At many points in history, focal projects have been the sum of a group of elites who have emerged to do great things, operating as a magnetic field, such as the talented artists who gathered in Florence in the 15th century.

Paul Graham says that the biggest factor that drives the emergence of talent in batches is when talented people come together to solve a problem. In other words, even the most elite of a wave of talent can at best have some impact on the trend, but cannot become the trend itself.

He also wrote an article not related to design about why Silicon Valley is Silicon Valley (. One of the points mentioned there is another way to demonstrate the genius-agglomeration effect: smart people always want to work with smart people, in any field.

Bauhaus style architecture

Bauhaus Schoolhouse

Originally a German school of art and architecture, the Bauhaus nearly established itself in the 1920s and 1930s as the "poster child of Western modern design. Although due to its profound influence on modern architecture, today the Bauhaus is not just a school, but a collective term for the school or style of architecture it promotes.

Bauhaus Schoolhouse

The German architect Gropius, the founder of the Bauhaus, proposed an architectural design that was both design and art, and could be manufactured in large quantities on the assembly line. For example, he personally designed the Bauhaus Design Academy in Dessau, where a flat, square roof and a building constructed entirely of metal panels, with a large, simple and bright glass façade, illustrated to the Bauhaus students how to use the simplest rectangles, squares and circles to win the modernity of design.

The main building of the Bauhaus Academy in Weimar at the beginning

The reason for this trend to pursue its cause was actually that Germany had nothing after the war. But interestingly enough, the place where the Bauhaus made its mark was the United States. Those Bauhaus masters found their home in the new land, and the large number of glass-walled buildings that sprang up in the United States and Europe afterwards were influenced by this. Today, many Gropius "landmark" buildings can still be seen in many cities around the world, such as the Empire State Building in New York and the Seagram Building in New York.

Seagram Building, New York

Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin, Germany

Braun

Dieter Ramsay

Many people today hold Apple and MUJI's product design as the benchmark for simple yet functional design, but it is important to know that both Jonathan Ive, Apple's chief design officer, and Naoto Fukasawa, MUJI's design consultant, were both influenced by the German brand Braun (or Dieter Ramsay, if you will) and thought about how to solve problems in a pure, non-fancy way.

We have already mentioned the influence of the Bauhaus on the field of architecture. And after the establishment of the Ulm School of Design in 1953, the collaboration with Braun rapidly expanded the application of the Bauhaus tradition in the field of industrial design, which led to the rapid transformation of design into industrial products and became one of the most important brands in the history of industrial design to modern design.

Indeed, Dieter Ramsay entered Braun in 1961 and was promoted to design director in 1965. During those years (1965-1995) when he led Braun's design, including audio products, electric shavers, hair dryers, electric fans, and electronic calculators. These products were all balanced, concise and unadorned, with colors in shades of black, white and gray, and shapes that straightforwardly reflected the functional and structural characteristics of the products; these consistent design languages formed the unique style of Braun products.

SK4 Jukebox

Scandinavian design from 1935-1955

During that period, the Nordic countries were less industrial than the United States, still relying on tradition, and design was often subordinate to the applied arts. But it was during that period that the modern Scandinavian design style that we talk about today, especially in the field of furniture, emerged.

The Chair by Hans Wegner

At that time, Denmark could be considered a major furniture design town, and Kaare Klint was a catalyst for furniture design education in Denmark, just as Gropius' Bauhaus school was a follow-up influence.

Safari Chair by Kaare Klint

Kaare Klint and Mogens Koch in the early days, followed by Borge Mogensen, Hans Wegner and Finn Juhl, to Arne Jacobsen, Poul Kjaerholm and Verner Panton, these designers are associated with the widely recognized achievements of Danish furniture. These designers were associated with the widely recognized achievements of Danish furniture in the mid-twentieth century and dominated for many years, reflecting an emphasis on craftsmanship and attention to detail, and the furniture designers were mostly highly trained furniture makers.

Folding Chair by Mogens Koch

The works of that era not only have an elegant shape, but also add a balance of comfort, functionality and overall aesthetics, which is still the root of Danish design.

The Ant Chair by Arne Jacobsen

The Golden Age of Japanese Graphic Design in the 1950s and 1970s

When talking about this "golden age", we have to mention the Japan Advertising Art Council (JAAC), the first national design organization in Japan, which was established in 1951. They held the "JAAC Exhibition" every year in Tokyo and other major cities in Japan, and opened the call for entries from the public, bringing out many outstanding design talents.

JAAC exhibition poster by Tadanori Yokoo

The "Graphic Design 55" exhibition held at Takashimaya in Nihonbashi in 1955 attracted a lot of attention. Seven key members of JAAC, including Hiroshi Hara, Takeshi Kono, Kenji Ito, Yusaku Kamekura, Ryozo Hayakawa, Masa Ohashi, and Ryuichi Yamashiro, participated in the exhibition, which was the first real appearance of graphic design in Japan and became a hot topic of discussion as a major event in the design world.

Some works of JAAC exhibition

Japanese graphic design works of that period can be roughly divided into two categories: first, rich colors and strong sense of decoration; second, the simplicity and simplicity of straight lines.

In particular, for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Japanese graphic designers centered on JAAC created a holistic and systematic visual identity design for the logo, posters, tickets, gold medals, awards, event schedules, reports, ID cards, uniforms, commemorative coins and stamps, venue guidance, and other items, forming a design system with synergy between the central elements and the whole. This design approach ushered in a new era of systematic design in the history of modern Olympic design, and became a model for future international events.

1964 Tokyo Olympics Poster by Yusaku Kamekura

Good design is often bold design

In what age or field is this not the case? Those that are good, beautiful, and close to the truth are often overshadowed by the absurd, ugly, and wrong, and if we want to pursue the former, we need the courage to question the latter and the ability to rebel against them.

Graham says, "I think it's easier to find something ugly than you are to imagine something beautiful. Most people who make beautiful results seem to do so only to fix what they see as ugly."

He cites Giotto as an example. The Italian painter, considered the "father of European painting," didn't like the rigid, stereotypical Byzantine art style and decided to improve it himself, giving the figures personality and a sense of realism and three-dimensionality. He thus ushered in a new era of art, and the Renaissance began.

He created good designs, exercised himself, and developed "a rigorous taste and the ability to achieve it. Copernicus, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein, and many other daring (and treacherous) people throughout history had proven this through their own thinking and practice long before.

The new Norwegian banknote designed by Snøhetta (back)

The Norwegian Central Bank launched a competition in November 2013 to design the new 2017 edition of the banknote, which called for a maritime theme, using visual language such as bright colors and three-dimensional graphics to commemorate Norwegian coastal landmarks. A pixelated concept created by renowned Norwegian design firm Snøhetta was chosen to be the back of the new Norwegian krone.

Snøhetta's design considers pixels to be a visual language of our time, and the patterns they form show the contrast between softness and rigidity, as inanocean of abstraction.

This solution overturned the usual formula of banknote design, breaking the tradition that banknotes of various countries and institutions used to depict only landscapes and nature, architecture and portraits of great people.

SMEG Retro Refrigerator

Founded in 1948, SMEG is an Italian company and one of the world's largest manufacturers of kitchen appliances. Their first line of retro refrigerators was designed in 1990 and launched in 1997, taking the world by storm.

The structure of the SMEG refrigerator is not very different from the average refrigerator, and the internal functional partitions are similar in design. The boldness of SMEG retro refrigerator is that it overturns people's perception of a refrigerator and a kitchen appliance, which can be warm, soft and stylish.

SMEG also often collaborates with architects, various designers, or other brands (even FC Barcelona) to launch limited edition refrigerators. "The Hollywood star of the appliance world", this refrigerator deserves that accolade.

BIG-designed waste-to-energy plant

The waste-to-energy plant Amager Bakke, designed by Danish architectural firm BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group), is already attracting worldwide attention and will probably be the cleanest plant in the world when completed.

The BIG power plant is a change from the clumsy and polluting stereotypes that power plant buildings often give, with an exterior that resembles a mountain slope. The roof is planned as a ski area, hiking area and green recreation area, and the whole is integrated with the surrounding environment. The design is inspired by the ski slopes of the Alps.

The most special thing is that the carbon dioxide produced by waste incineration will be released from the chimney of the power plant in the form of a smoke ring. For every ton of carbon dioxide emitted, the stack releases a smoke ring, which, together with a special laser lighting system, resembles a beautiful halo in the sky. The design is a visual way to remind the public of the environmental impact of waste incineration.

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

When it comes to bold architecture, you can hardly miss Frank Gehry's work, and the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, is the most important of all. Frank Gehry thought of architecture as sculpture, or an organic body made up of various blocks, and not just for containment purposes. The Guggenheim embodies this philosophy with its strange and flamboyant structure, its experimentation with uncommon materials, and its overall visual impact. The inauguration of the museum has also triggered the "Guggenheim effect", which has led to tourism and economic development in Bilbao and has truly transformed the city.

The museum is built on the river, with a close relationship between architecture and nature, such as the narrow passage at the entrance that resembles a canyon, and the curved walkway and the artificial lake that echoes the Narvon River against which it rests. From the ground, it also looks like a ship, reflecting the industrial history of the port city.

In addition to the use of steel frames, sandstone and glass as building materials, the most unusual aspect of the museum is the surface cladding of titanium, which is rarely used in architecture. The building consists of a group of irregularly curved bodies covered with titanium panels, which, according to Gehry himself, are randomly curved to catch the light. As the direction of daylight changes each day, the surface of the building changes and glistens.

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