Modern design, modernist design, is often called "functionalist design", also known as "technical beauty", or "machine art". Modernist architecture refers to an architectural thought that dominated the Western architectural community in the mid-20th century. Representatives of this kind of architecture advocate that architects should get rid of the constraints of traditional architectural forms and boldly create new buildings that adapt to the conditions and requirements of industrialized society. Therefore, it has a distinctive color of rationalism and radicalism, and is also called modern architecture.

Ideologically: Modernism emphasizes the worship of technology, the rationality and logic of functions, while postmodernism advocates high technology, high emotions, and emphasizes people-oriented.

Methodology: Modernism follows the absolute role of physical properties, standardization, integration, industrialization and high efficiency and high technology. Postmodernism follows the leading role of human experience, the unity and continuity of time and space, the interpenetration of history and individualization, dispersion and liberalization.

In terms of design language: modernism follows function to determine form, "less is more" and "useless decoration is crime" (Loss); postmodernism follows the diversification, blurring and irregularity of form It is neither this nor that, it is also this and that, there is the other in this, and there is this in that. It emphasizes the historical context, imagery and metaphorism and "less boring" (lessisbore).

The famous sayings "function determines form" and "less is more" regarded as classics by modernism ignore the progress of society and people's needs. Da Luzi said: "Materials and decoration are The cells that make up the product”. Functionalism opposes decoration because it treats design with a rational and logical attitude. Today, times are different from before. The relationship between people and the world has become more complex, and people's aesthetic taste and life taste have become higher. Therefore, the principles of functionalism and reductionism followed by modernist design are increasingly challenged and questioned.