Form & Function

Sullivan’s ‘form follows function’ might lead many designers to believe that form fundamentally outweighs function in importance. While it could be debated that function inherently relies on form, the same argument can be made that form requires function to essentially be successful. With no purpose there can be no design; with no design there could not be a purpose. And a lack of one or both tends to leave a design feeling unfinished or not useful.

I believe both function and form have two clearly defined and important roles in the overall production of any visual digital design. Yet these roles are by no means mutually exclusive but rather share an interdependent relationship, where both support each other as a means to an end. That end being the overall user ability of your site.

It is the balance of both concepts that truly brings a visual digital design to life. For example, if an extremely over-zealous designer focuses all their energy and time solely on designing an extremely aesthetically pleasing site and not give much credence to the functionality of said design, there are going to be a few problems. With the lack of function users are not going to truly understand how to access the information properly.

It is the carefully crafted balance of form and function that brings the intended purpose and design of a project to fulfillment. Which is more important is up the designer and to their audience. But the user experience can only be exceptional if that scale meets somewhere in the middle.