Consumption and Advertising

The Bauhaus was a German institution established by Walter Gropius after World War I with the aim of bringing together teachers, artisans, and craftspeople to conduct architecture study. Americans stole the concept of rolling tubular steel using a computer program and have used it for a long time to make attractive and exceptional chairs and other household materials. A valuable concept was shared between Bauhaus and American companies, which contributed to the development and manufacturing success. One of the main ideas employed by the Werkbund was that they were concerned not only with consistency but also with their demographic population. They knew that ultra-modern designs would be expensive and therefore embarked on simple tubular crafted furniture that favored the middle class. The journey of designing less-effective chairs and later advancing them is an indication that research and cooperation between artisans is the vital thing towards development. For example, Marcel Breuer made a wooden chair in 1922 which was uncomfortable, but he later applied tubular steel in 1928 to create a more comfortable chair.

When comparing between American and German designs in 1922, American style was dull and had no taste while the German style had a sense of a unique design. They had to embark on the tubular and curved techniques. This point is crucial to me as I see the fact that designing is all about learning from one another and advancing what you have to make it better. Another critical point is how Gropius reasoned before coming up with the idea of tubular steel. He once saw it on a bicycle, and he then crafted ways of bending steel. The technique was later applied in making ceramic household tools. I like this because it is an indication of a designer who was willing to watch things in the environment and implements more advanced commodities.

In collaboration and compromise of design, I can support a plan if it shows a point of improvement from the previous one and it is manageable regarding cost and labor. Otherwise, if there are no changes, then it means that there is wastage of materials and a new opportunity. Another point to consider is customer preference and getting feedback from them. Like for example, the simplicity, purity and geometric techniques applied by Mart Start were excellent in making more acceptable designs. However, I do not like the fact that he took away the conceptual purity of design to cut down prices and keep quantity high. I would not agree to that since I would have maintained the purity of steel to some extent and I believe that customers would one day love it despite the price.

Work Cited

Bird, Matthew. From Bauhaus to Broadway: A Tubular Steel Bonanza! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsSRCDEXa5s