Stylogeny combining Bauhaus × Scandinavian Functionalism

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Style combination · Pairs well

Bauhaus × Scandinavian Functionalism

Soften Bauhaus geometry with Scandinavian warmth and natural materials for approachable functional design.

From the research on Bauhaus

Mix them and make something Bauhaus Scandinavian Functionalism

orderBauhaus × Scandinavian Functionalism
A sample layout drawn from the recipe: shapes from Bauhaus, their arrangement from Scandinavian Functionalism, the finish from Bauhaus. Not a real work, and not an image of either style.

01

What each style brings

Each part of the design comes from the style with the stronger say in it, and each style gives at least two.

Bauhaus Scandinavian Functionalism

Type from Bauhaus
Colour from Scandinavian Functionalism
Form from Bauhaus
Composition from Scandinavian Functionalism
Surface from Bauhaus

02

The type

Open fonts standing in for each style’s own type, which is often hand-drawn or commercial.

Display · Bauhaus

Order

Jost, standing in for Herbert Bayer's Universal alphabet (1925)

Text · Bauhaus

The German school founded by Walter Gropius in 1919 moved from Expressionist craft ideals to a programme of 'art and technology' after 1923, when Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer and Joost Schmidt made its printing and advertising workshops a laboratory for functional communication. Its graphics combine geometric sans-serif and lowercase type, bold rules, primary colours and basic shapes with photography in asymmetric, systematic layouts.

Jost; Bauhaus used Herbert Bayer's Universal alphabet and Josef Albers's stencil and combination alphabets

03

The colours

The ground and leading colours come from Scandinavian Functionalism, with a counter-accent from Bauhaus. The ink reads on the ground at 4.5:1 or more.

Bauhaus Scandinavian Functionalism

  • #f6f3ec ground · 36%
  • #1f2a37 ink · 14%
  • #e3b53a accent · 18%
  • #a63a2a accent · 14%
  • #d7261e accent · 10%
  • #3e6b50 accent · 8%

As CSS

:root {
  --ground: #f6f3ec;
  --ink: #1f2a37;
  --accent-1: #e3b53a;
  --accent-2: #a63a2a;
  --accent-3: #d7261e;
  --accent-4: #3e6b50;
  --font-display: "Jost", sans-serif;
  --font-text: "Jost", sans-serif;
}

04

The two styles

1919–1933 · Central Europe Bauhaus The German school founded by Walter Gropius in 1919 moved from Expressionist craft ideals to a programme of 'art and technology' after 1923, when Moholy-Nagy, Herbert Bayer and Joost Schmidt made its printing and advertising workshops a laboratory for functional communication. Its graphics combine geometric sans-serif and lowercase type, bold rules, primary colours and basic shapes with photography in asymmetric, systematic layouts. A rust-red cat sleeps curled beside a leafy green plant in a yellow pot on a cream background. Large dark lettering reads “Quiet Days” at upper left, with a yellow circle above the plant. 1930–present · Northern Europe Scandinavian Functionalism Nordic functionalism (funkis) arrived in graphic form with Sigurd Lewerentz's posters and winged emblem for the 1930 Stockholm Exhibition. It adapted Bauhaus rationalism to a social-democratic ideal of beautiful everyday things for everyone. Its graphic language is modernism with warmth: clear sans-serif or humane serif type, generous space, friendly simplified symbols and colours taken from nature, applied to public services, consumer goods and national identities.

05

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