"Less is more"... one of the leitmotifs of modernist architecture and design, whose roots are arguably deeper in terms of history. However, Peter Behrens (1868–1940) and his student Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886–1969) in particular contributed to its virtually society-wide popularisation in the context of 20th century modernism and the avant-garde, making it a literally international phenomenon.
"Less is more" – three words that seem to contain a contradiction in terms. How can something that is less actually be more? However, if we set more specific terms for them, we can arrive at a number of logical solutions. In general terms, for example, less work can lead to more free time; with more appropriate solutions, we can achieve maximum effect with minimum resources. For example, a simplified design that allows more products to be made from fewer materials, or more products to be made in less time, thus making them more affordable or "democratic". Or it can offer better materials or better craftsmanship for the same price... In other words, to achieve efficiency, the boundaries of which were tested during the early days of modernism by, for example, Henry Ford (1863–1947) in the USA, Tomáš Baťa (1876–1932) in Zlín, or many others who understood and consistently applied the principles of modern mass production in practice.
Just three words, which were able to provoke a number of creators in their time to look for radically different solutions than had been common until then. The question therefore arises as to whether this is still the case today. Whether they are still so provocative and relevant after a hundred years, during which time there have been a number of tendencies that developed the perspective of Mies and his successors, as well as a number of those that, on the contrary, radically rejected the concept with slogans such as "less is a bore" and labelled the foundations of modernism as an empty formalism, which only resulted in a series of "grey" soulless objects or buildings, renouncing the values of earlier generations and creative freedom. There were even calls for the form to follow the expression above all, as one of the important features of the design.
Is it therefore a now meaningless imperative of the pioneering generation of modern design, which was looking for an adequate expression for the new era and stormy scientific and technical progress, unencumbered by the relics and patina of the past, or "Less is more" refers to a timeless creative principle, the concrete meaning of which is determined only by the needs of the time?
In the course of the last century, the slogan "Less is more" was subjected not only to efforts to relativize it, as postmodernists led by Robert Venturi (1925–2018) did, but also found a number of modifications that make it less radical, but perhaps even more so more current and applicable in practice. We can include here, for example, the principle of "Doing more with less" developed by Richard Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983), one of the pioneers in the search for more sustainable paths in design and architecture, or "Less but better" by the German designer Dieter Rams (*1932), which, among other things, calls for more reasonable and responsible handling of materials and raw materials. Perhaps their derivative of the “Less is more” approach can also be one of the answers to today's ecological and economic challenges.
After a century of "lessons" framed by the radical "purge" of the modernists, opposed by the extravagant postmodernism, and their final intersection and convergence, which allowed for today's freedom and plurality of coexisting creative approaches, we no longer consider even the decoration of objects to be "criminal", as Adolf Loos (1870–1933) critically approached the issue. On the contrary, we are looking for ways to use today's progressive means of production, which make it possible to realise almost anything (without wasting the energy of poorly paid workers), to create a quality, pleasant and safe environment for its users, in which they do not have to feel that less is a bore.
Even from this brief excursion into the development of modern and contemporary design, it is clear that the slogan "Less is more" has neither a simple nor a clear meaning across a wide range of perspectives and specific applications. Therefore, we take a unique opportunity to examine its potential and validity today. We want to reach out for creative interpretation to the youngest creative generation, represented by students from differently oriented studios, coming from several countries and different socio-cultural backgrounds. Moreover, not only in examples of material or spatial design, but also digital, opening up completely new possibilities for grasping it.
The international design project is therefore a challenge to the current reinterpretation of an iconic statement that has been resonating (not only) in the world of architecture/design for more than a century and in the past it was the subject of a wide range of authorial or programmatic artistic paraphrases. What connotations does it bring in the 21st century, when the sphere of design solutions is no longer limited to the design of the environment in question, but increasingly includes the organization of living conditions and what character the forms of our actions should have?
