ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how design involves unavoidable compromises between the needs of function, materials requirements and production methods. There is usually one primary driver affecting the final appearance. Choices about styling equally affect the choices about function, material choice and production methods. No design can avoid the balancing of constraints. What is called ‘uncompromising’ design is always a compromise, whether in cost, appearance or functionality. This chapter also discusses the vexed philosophy of functionalism which accords respect to the functionalist ethos but also draws attention to its limitations. The reader is asked to consider a wider interpretation of what functionalism might mean. The chapter presents a discussion of how initial choices about style affect the resultant object in terms of material and manufacturing methods. The examples of limited production and mass production make clear the two poles of cost versus quality. Exercises for readers to undertake in a classroom setting are suggested.
