Anti-Design originated in 1960s Italy where designers like Ettore Sottsass, Jr. sought to break the rules of traditionally minimalist, Modernist design.
Modernists designers generally focused on sales, embraced the concept of Good Design and the adage that ¨form follow function¨ and employed a muted palate of blacks, whites and grays. In contrast members of the Anti-Design movement embraced the whimsical nature of Pop, consumerism and mass-media, and delighted in colorful, gaudy paints and fabric, for example, the use of plastic laminate. Always in an ironic, kitschy spirit, this movement flirted with distortion of scale and broke the rules of color, shape and function.
Anti-Design eventually took the design world by storm and later became crucial for Postmodernism and the Memphis movement.