At art school I always think you learn more from the other students than from the teachers.
For instance, when I started at art school I was studying fine art, and I was confused.
Were we supposed to be painting as realistically as possibly, or not?
Were we supposed to be representing movement, or space, or evoking an emotion or feeling, or what?
No one would say.
It seemed to be what was wanted was whatever the lecturer thought was currently fashionable.
That didn’t seem very creative.
So, when I went to New York, I switched to Graphic design.
And on that course I discovered advertising.
At the same time I met a guy studying Industrial Design, and we ended up sharing an apartment.
His name was Elliot Rudell and he was from Brooklyn.
Everything you’d expect from a Brooklyn wiseass.
Sharp, funny, argumentative, inquisitive, entertaining, and fast.
Two things I learned from Elliot changed my life.
The first was Bauhaus.
Because Elliot was in Industrial Design, Bauhaus was a massive influence on his course.
It was the first time I heard the mantra: FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION.
When I heard it a light went on inside my head.
Suddenly I didn’t have to listen to anyone else’s opinion about what I should be doing anymore.
Now I had a brief that superceded whatever any of my lecturers said.
The solution was dictated by the problem.
It wasn’t dictated by fashion, or my lecturer’s opinions.
The solution was dictated by the problem being solved.
You see Industrial design is mass production in three dimensions.
What I was doing, advertising, was mass production in two dimensions.
So it fitted perfectly.
Just apply the mantra from his course to mine.
Suddenly it unlocked everything that had been confusing me before.
Suddenly I understood what I was doing.
I understood the purpose of advertising.
The second thing I learned from Elliot was to question everything.
Don’t obediently sit back and be grateful for what you get.
That’s not the Brooklyn way.
We’d see a car in the street and I’d say I thought it looked great.
Elliot would say, “Yeah it’s not bad, but they could’ve made it lower and wider. It would’ve been better. And the front’s good, but it looks like they got bored by the time they got to the back.”
And I’d look again and think, yeah he’s right.
I wonder why they didn’t do that.
We’d have those conversations about everything I’d never noticed before.
Chairs, tables, bottles, staplers, typewriters, road signs, phones, pens, bathrooms, blenders.
And the format was always the same.
It was always objective, never subjective.
Always “It would’ve worked better this way.”
Never “I don’t like it.”
Those two things taught me more about advertising than any lecturer.
But even Elliot had to learn there are times when it’s better to keep your mouth shut.
During the protests over Vietnam all the students marched on Wall Street.
Hundreds of construction workers were building the World Trade Centre.
They came down from the towers and began beating up students.
The cops stood back and watched.
One cop said to Elliot, “Dirty hippies. Why don’t you take a bath and get a job?”
Elliot said, “Yeah, I guess I could drop outa college and become a cop.”
And the cop hit him with his night-stick.
So I guess Elliot learned Form Follows Function in action.
If you don’t want to get hit, don’t open your mouth to a cop.
A little while later he and another guy and their girlfriends wanted to drive to Florida.
This was not such a good idea, because they had to drive through Georgia.
Elliot had long hair, scruffy clothes, and a red VW Beetle with massive chrome alloy wheels.
Okay in New York, but not in the Deep South.
And of course he was pulled over by a cop in a Smoky Bear hat and mirror lens sunglasses.
Elliot said, “What seems to be the problem officer.”
The cop looked in the car and said, “Are you-all boys or girls?”
Elliot thought this wasn’t a good sign.
The cop said, “Ya’ll were exceeding the speed limit.”
Elliot said, “But we were only going the same speed as everyone else.”
The cop spat on the floor and said, “Ya’ll calling me a liar boy?”
Elliot thought, “This isn’t Kansas Toto.”
But he’d learned his lesson so he just shut up and paid the fine.
Elliot eventually ended up in California, as hippies do.
He runs his own company designing toys and selling the patents to the big manufacturing companies.
I got an email from Elliot recently.
It said, “Good to hear you’re still a troublemaker Trott”.
It cheered me up to think that somewhere people think that’s a compliment.
It reminded me why I got into advertising all those years ago.
What I loved about it.
It also reminded me of a quote I read last year from the 85 year-old Tony Benn.
He said, “I got a death threat recently. I was so pleased. I haven’t had one of those for ages. It shows I’m not past it.”
RSS Feed
Twitter
Email
What great stories about my dad! Although I never heard those particular stories, they fit in exactly with the man I know as Elliot Rudell… The man I call “dad”
Rest assured that “Form Follows Function” wasn’t just college lip service… My sister and I were raised with that mantra and now both of us are designers working, creating and designing products with that same concept.
thanks, Dave!
Hi Liberty,
I’m knocked out that you wrote in about Elliot.
I learned such a lot from your dad.
He’s also, as I’m sure you know, one of the funniest, wittiest people I ever met.
I loved the fact that he was never intimidated.
He always brought a healthy, down-to-earth Brooklyn-ness to what would otherwise have been impenetrably high-brow cultural debates.
Importantly your dad was always skeptical, but never cynical.
You must be very proud of him.
I know he’s proud of you and your sister.
‘allo Dave
You reckon “form still follows function” in advertising these days?
Many times, I hear creative people say, “nah, it’s not creative enough.”
Seems like folks are on different pages.
Some want the ads to solve problems.
Others, especially award-hunters, want to win medals.
On the whole, your piece cheered me up.
Been branded trouble maker since young.
Oddly enough, it’s my experience that art directors are the ones who don’t believe that form follows function. Another handy rule of thumb is to apply Occam’s Razor. Whatever’s left is usually what you want.
True, Tom
Gets more complicated when said Art D becomes C Director.
\Yes, I know this answers the brief,\ they would say, \But can you make it more creative\
Tom and Robin, there is no reason why creativity cannot go hand in hand with function. Creativity in advertising should be all about “creatively” finding a solution to the problem. Drogas millions is a perfect example of this, so is The great schlep or Crispen’s whopper virgins. All of the best agencies and creatives in the world right now are combining creativity with both the form and function to a degree that has never been possible before.
“I hear creative people say, “nah, it’s not creative enough.””
Perhaps they are right; the bar for creativity IS constantly being raised, especially where function is concerned.
http://ex-blank-page.blogspot.com/2009/09/in-reply-to-daves-great-posts-77.html
Nice debate. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t see much creative advertising out there at all - neither form nor function is particularly evident in the majority of posters, press or telly. Is the creative bar really being constantly raised or is that something creatives just like to say?
Hallo Ben
I agree about raising the bar.
But you must agree that there are times when work is created more for award juries than consumers.
i think ben is right. and i think the UK is somewhat lagging in this respect. the UK has been so craft focussed for such a long time that it has kind of missed the boat media wise recently. form follows function has never been more relevant.
I think ‘creativity’ is such a vague, fluffy, subjective word.
What I like about Form Follows Function is it isn’t any of those.
My problem with advertising at present is it’s largely become the opposite: Function Follows Form.
For creatives it’s like, “What wins awards? Let’s do that.”
For planners it’s like, “The answer’s brand, now what’s the question.”
REAL creativity is at the stage of defining the problem in an unusual, exciting way.
Most ‘creatives’ nowadays let the planners define the problem.
They assume their job doesn’t start until they get a brief.
And that all the creativity is in the ‘Form’.
So, as Vinny says, the UK has become craft obsessed.
By craft obsessed I suppose you mean ignorant about function. And I agree with you on that, Dave. But craft obsessed doesn’t necessarily mean highly efficient craft-wise.
Obsession is no key to brilliance.
So being craft obsessed can translate into huge production budgets, sometimes (many times, if you ask me) with inconsequential results. (For more details ask Fallon about the budget they allotted to that absolute bullshit — including craft-wise — called zoetrope. If you’re really merciless, you can also ask Sony how they’re life has changed ever since they embraced this secret method of circumventing efficiency.)
I agree Anca.
Obsession doesn’t guarantee quality, often the opposite.
It becomes Form Follows Form.
So it’s purpose becomes decoration rather than function.
Exactly. It’s what I call one-dimensional thinking.
I’m afraid it ain’t just the UK, Dave.
It seems to have spread to Asia as well.
Strong branding, no name needed:
If you read an endline like “Our bullshit goes straight to Guinness World Records.”,
would you recognise the ad agency?
(Sorry, guys, really, but I just couldn’t help it.)
Sure, form follows function. But a concept seldom has one function. Here’s the list:
Solve the client’s apparent problem.
Help further your career (utterly essential these days).
Further the CD’s career.
Appeal to the account handlers.
Appeal to all the people clientside who have to approve it.
Be research-proof.
Make a profit for the agency.
A packaging change might solve the client’s problem beautifully. But what’ll get made is a TV ad.
Al,
I think that’s a really good point, and all those are valid functions.
The problem is no one is ever honest about them.
If the real criteria aren’t listed on the brief then you fail before you start.
Check out this link:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/09/things-to-ask-before-you-redo-your-website.html
I really can’t believe Godin took the time to write down all those obvious questions, with occasional turbulence created by obviously useless questions. He’s clearly not an engineer.
“Are we hoping that people will watch or learn?”
No, Seth, we’re just hoping they won’t end up with deep scratches all over their retina.
And by the way, if we want to be very rigorous, the name of Seth’s post is “Things to ask before you REDO your website”,
which means you already have a website, which further means that the first question, THE MOST IMPORTANT, THE VITAL QUESTION is (Seth, pay attention, I’m not saying it twice):
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE CURRENT WEBSITE?
It is the essential question, because it’s the only one that contains verified facts, for Christ’s sake! It’s tested already, involves no intuition-based clever guesses! Do kids still study formal logic at school? They should!
Calm down Anca. (And pay attention, I’m not saying it twice)
Don’t worry, Charlie, it’s just the way I sound in English. I had a very ironic English teacher.
Mais nous pouvons essayer un peu de Francais si tu crois qu’il fait du bien a l’argumentation (et a ton orgueil peut-etre). C’est une chance a courir. Qu’en penses-tu?
Whatever you do, don’t calm down Anca. You are on a roll!
You been in advertising a long time, Dave.
And from the old journals which showedyour home, you obviously don’t need the money.
So, what keeps you going?
Ever wished you were doing something else?
I enjoy advertising.
Just that the focus seems to have shifted a lot.
From doing good work (in the 80s and 90s) to either winning awards at all cost, even if means doing scams OR making money even if it means not doing what we believe in.
Sir Humphrey once told the Prime Minister, “havig a conscience is a luxury politicians cannot afford to have.”
Wondering if that also applies to advertising.
Hi Ian,
I don’t think we should compare advertising now to what it once was.
That’ll just make us unhappy.
I think we should compare advertising to any alternative job.
That’s when we realise how lucky we are.
Thans Dave.
i remember reading this and thought it insightful: “if you want to be a well paid copywriter, please your client. if you want to be an award-winning copywriter, please yourself. if you want to be a great copywriter, please your reader”. steve hayden
is this not form following function…!