What many of you might not know about me is I actually started out as a furniture and product designer-maker – I was that student always covered in saw dust, oil smears and mucky overalls. I loved it.
Nothing quite beats making something from scratch in a workshop and them being able to use it.
During my degree, we, of course, learnt all about the Modernists and their principles – Mies Van Der Rohe, Le Corbusier, Breuer, Aalto, and later Frank Lloyd Wright, Eames, Day etc etc – I couldn’t get enough. Clean lines, cutting edge materials and technologies for the time. Uncluttered. Quality.
A far cry from the arts and crafts movements not many decades previous, and just shy of the utilitarian brutalist designs that followed the war.
I was fascinated by the timelessness of these designs – they transcended trend, era, fad or fashion.
These designs were so pure, so true to the materials and principles of stripping everything back to quality, elegance and function, that there was nothing and nowhere to hide.
To put it poetically – there were vulnerable. And with it, incredibly powerful.
They will far outshine and outlast many designs that have come and gone since.
So what is it we can learn about these pieces, if we are to create a long-lasting, powerful and meaningful brand?
Here are my top 4 thoughts:
KEEP IT SIMPLE
Prior to the modernist movement, furniture was seen as ornamentation. Rather than taking comfort and practicality into consideration, the value of furniture was determined by the amount of time and level of craftsmanship that went into its production and adornment.
Over embellishment can create confusion, distrust and complexity – strip it back, focus on what’s important and say it succinctly.
Less is more.
STAY RELEVANT
The Industrial Revolution opened new worlds for mechanised production, enabling furniture to become affordable and functional rather than ornaments reserved for the wealthy.
Make the most of technologies and advancements to stay front of mind and valuable for your audiences and reach new ones – adopt a new platform to streamline your customer experience, create digital products and services to increase accessibility and reach.
Innovate.
KNOW YOUR CUSTOMERS
Modernist furniture design considered the interaction of the design and the user, creating designs that fit with the human form rather than forcing bodies to conform to the furniture.
By better understanding who we serve, we can better serve them – don’t be afraid of asking what’s working and not, what they need and don’t want, then try and be a step ahead.
Adapt.
MAKE REAL CHANGE
The versatility of modernist furniture and ease with which it is produced revolutionised how the general public viewed furniture and furniture’s place in the spaces it takes up, even today. Ikea wouldn’t have happened without Modernists – it really doesn’t bear thinking about.
You brand, your vision, your work can make real change – it can change perceptions, shift systems and industries, forge new categories and shape futures.
Own it.
So, as we enter 100 years since the birth of modernism, ask yourself, will my brand be around in 100 years – what will it have changed, who will it serve and what value will it bring?
I’d love to hear your vision for this!
Lauren