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  • Brianna Dresbach

Was Bauhaus Design's Unprecedented Future?

In this post of Authenticity by Design, the application of comparing and contrasting a design movement to something occurring in the 21st century --usually one that has recently caught my interest or has been an interest of mine for a while-- will instead be juxtaposed with my life personally.


The Bauhaus movement, and more importantly, "The Bauhaus" school located in Germany, was known for being the first among many to truly utilize the phrase "design thinking" as the school promoted the reunion of fine arts and functional design to create the first ever design-based university. The characteristics of The Bauhaus school, as well as the layout of the many workshops students would attend, reflect directly upon the way design is taught today and gave way to the method that it is carried out by designers all over the world.


The Bauhaus Logo

Universities around the world follow almost the exact same educational format as The Bauhaus did back in the early 1900s. For example, my university --the University of Tampa-- uses a very similar structure. When a student enters the College of Arts and Letters at UT as a design major, they acquire a specific academic catalog that lists the courses they are required to take. Students first start off with foundations courses. These courses involve a general overview of the different materials and methods used to create fine art and/or design. They include anything from digital arts to 3D Design, and allow the student to get an idea of the types of media they might be interested in.


Required Foundation Classes at UT

Afterward, students advance to more specific studio classes through the art and design program and are required to take one studio course from each of the five concentrations:

  • Drawing

  • 3D

  • Painting

  • Photography

  • Printmaking

Following those courses comes a plethora of art history classes as well as a seminar and review class structured to broadcast the student's developing portfolio and allow them into the program. Then finally: a number of major-specific courses, which in my case would be Graphic Design.


This structure of classes from general to major-specific is the exact format that The Bauhaus first developed. Students would go about taking broad workshops for specific materials and then would narrow their studies year by year.


The Bauhaus Workshop Structure

In addition, this structure of courses was not the only thing to come out of The Bauhaus and impact design education and creation today. The Bauhaus would also bring in visiting artists to inspire and teach attending students, a characteristic of education that now happens quite frequently in today's universities. Furthermore, being the first ever design-based university, the subject of color theory and how it can apply to humans in ways that evoke emotion, was created by a man named Johannes Itten and is another subject taught today in almost every art and design university as well.


A University Lecture on Color (left) Accompanied by Itten's Color Theory (right)


The last and most important factor that came from The Bauhaus was the ability to challenge students in a non-oppressive way and give them the ability to learn and create without any restrictions, as well as the development of the concept of "Design Thinking". These concepts are what universities and workshops have been built on and have been promoted over and over again, giving a whole new meaning to the design profession as a whole.


A Present-Day Take on "Design Thinking"


Because of the creation of The Bauhaus a century ago, design was given a home to grow and develop, simultaneously being reimagined and challenged by students and other intellectuals. These concepts have been highly-regarded and taught throughout time, making way for new perspectives and procedures that constantly bring design to new heights.



 

Sources:


Albritton, Caitlin. “Color.” 2D Design. 2019.


“Bauhaus Movement Overview.” The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/movement-bauhaus.htm.


“BFA in Graphic Design.” University of Tampa - BFA in Graphic Design, ut.smartcatalogiq.com/current/catalog/College-of-Arts-and-Letters/Department-of-Art/Graphic-Design/BFA-in-Graphic-Design.


Lou, Mary, and Shovova. “Bauhaus: How the Avant-Garde Movement Transformed Modern Art.” My Modern Met, 8 Dec. 2017, mymodernmet.com/what-is-bauhaus-art-movement/.


“What Is Design Thinking.” Teaching With Design, www.teachingwithdesign.com/what-is-design-thinking.html.


Woodland, Kevin. “The Bauhaus.” Graphic Design History. 2019.

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