Which statement best describes a modernist design principle?

Which statement best describes a modernist design principle?

• A. The design emphasizes excessive ornamentation.
• B. The principle of form follows function is central.
• C. Function should be suppressed by style.
• D. Materials dictate aesthetics regardless of purpose.

Answer: (B)

In modernist design, how something works determines how it looks. The idea is that the purpose of an object or building should drive its shape and form, so there’s little or no unnecessary decoration. This makes designs simpler, clearer, and easier to produce, often aligning with new manufacturing methods and a belief that beauty comes from honesty of purpose. So the best description is that form follows function: the design’s shape is guided by what it’s meant to do, not by trying to look fashionable or ornamental. For example, a chair is shaped to support sitting comfortably, a lamp is designed to cast light where it’s needed, and a building’s lines expose its structure and use. The other statements clash with this mindset. Ornamentation is rejected as wasteful and not essential to function; concealing function behind style contradicts the practical, unadorned approach of modernism; and saying materials alone dictate aesthetics ignores how form should still support what the object is for.

In modernist design, how something works determines how it looks. The idea is that the purpose of an object or building should drive its shape and form, so there’s little or no unnecessary decoration. This makes designs simpler, clearer, and easier to produce, often aligning with new manufacturing methods and a belief that beauty comes from honesty of purpose.

So the best description is that form follows function: the design’s shape is guided by what it’s meant to do, not by trying to look fashionable or ornamental. For example, a chair is shaped to support sitting comfortably, a lamp is designed to cast light where it’s needed, and a building’s lines expose its structure and use.

The other statements clash with this mindset. Ornamentation is rejected as wasteful and not essential to function; concealing function behind style contradicts the practical, unadorned approach of modernism; and saying materials alone dictate aesthetics ignores how form should still support what the object is for.