Poster, Function / Form

This is a Poster. It was made for (as the client) Herman Miller Furniture Company. It is dated ca. 1964–80 and we acquired it in 1981. Its medium is lithograph on paper. It is a part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design department.

Its dimensions are

89 × 58.5 cm (35 1/16 × 23 1/16 in.)

It is signed

Signed in graphite, lower left: 32/100 John Massey

It is inscribed

Printed in black, vertically, upper left: Sure, form follows function. / That ought to go without saying. / Certainly it would be curious / if the process were reversed--- / creating a form, / then looking for something useful / that could be done with it. / But design judgment is still / at the heart of the matter. / Which form follows which function, / and where? And how far? / A satisfying form does not invariably follow / a satisfactory function, / although it may seem to. / Consider what many regard / as the perfect form / for its purpose, the; in white, vertically, within black square at upper center: from / Notes on Function / by Ralph Caplan. / Herman Miller / Zeeland, Michigan; in black, horizontally, upper left: Herman Miller: form and function follow needs; in black, lower right: herman miller produces office / and health care systems, furniture, / service and information

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