Form follows Meaning: the design process and the value of solitude

Abstract

Beginning with historical and cultural studies ofthe materials, form, and manufacturing processes of three iconic chess set designs (Staunton, Bauhaus, and Balanis), this paper discusses the development of seven conceptual chess sets by undergraduate design students in Brazil. To encourage creative practice guided by sustainable principles, this design exercise focussed on hand skills and the use of local natural materials or reused (discarded) materials. Walker’s "progressive design praxis" was employed as a practical approach to design research, which combines thinking-and-doing to address the principle of "form follows meaning". Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the exercise was developed online, with students working at home. Compared with the previous experience (2019) when students worked alongside each other in the studio, the elevated level of the design outcomes suggests that, despite the anxiety felt due to the pandemic, the tangible and intangible aspects of the artefacts were enhanced by students working in solitude.