The Bauhaus was a school, not a style
Fourteen years, three cities, and a set of arguments we are still having.
A method, not a look
The Bauhaus is remembered as primary colours and geometric sans, but it was primarily a teaching method: a foundation year of material experiment before any specialisation. The look was a by-product of the questions.
The workshops mattered most
Weaving, metal, typography and furniture were taught by practising masters. The insistence that design be made, not only drawn, is the part most worth stealing.
What was carried out
When the school closed in 1933 its teachers scattered — to Chicago, to Ulm, to Tel Aviv — and the method travelled further than the style ever did.
The look was a by-product of the questions.
Design a poster using only a circle, a square and a triangle, plus one typeface at two sizes. Constraint is the whole lesson.