What do Brutalism and Plain Language have in common?
Brutalism and Plain Language
Brutalism and the plain language movement. They’re both movements that emerged in the mid-20th century. They were both in response to the perceived excesses of the previous era. Brutalism in architecture was a reaction against the ornate and decorative styles of the 19th century. The plain language movement was a reaction against the complex and jargon-ridden language of legal and government documents.
Both movements share a belief that communication should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. Brutalist buildings are designed to be honest and straightforward. Their construction materials and methods are on full display. Plain language documents are written in a way that is easy for the average person to understand. Without the use of jargon or technical terms.
Both movements have also been criticised for being too simplistic. Critics say they lack beauty and complexity. Yet, both brutalism and the plain language movement have had a significant cultural impact.
Here are some of the key similarities between brutalism and the plain language movement:
- A focus on clarity and simplicity. Both brutalism and the plain language movement are focused on creating work that is clear, concise, and easy to understand.
- A rejection of ornamentation. Both brutalism and the plain language movement reject the use of ornamentation or decoration.
- A belief in the power of simplicity. Both brutalism and the plain language movement believe that simplicity can be powerful and effective.
However, they are very different movements, too. Brutalism is often seen as a controversial style. While the plain language movement is generally seen as a positive movement. Brutalism has been criticised for being cold, alienating, and even ugly. The plain language movement, on the other hand, is generally seen as a positive movement. One that’s making communication more accessible to everyone.
Despite their differences, brutalism and the plain language movement are both important movements. They’ve had a significant impact on the way we think about architecture and communication.
Both architecture and written language are also tools for social and cultural change. Architecture can be used to create new spaces and places. Ones that can help to shape the way we live and interact with each other. Both are powerful tools that can be used to communicate ideas, create meaning, and express emotions.
What can we learn from this?
We can be inspired by these similarities in movements of simplicity and apply some principles to our writing.
- Make your writing clear and concise. One of our users, Candi Williams, has great tips on how to improve clarity in content design.
- Reduce ornamental language. In this way, Brutalism is quite similar to the Imagist literary movement. Some ways you can reduce ornamental language include using our adverb detector and reducing wordiness.
- Believe that simplicity has power. Look no further than political speeches to see the power of simplicity in action.
