Modern Design Does Not Need Ornament

G. Haydn Huntley has raised the points, can ornament again become part of good design and, can design today satisfy mass markets without using ornament (C.A.J. VI, 1). In order to discuss these points a number of related ideas need to be reviewed. Has the survey of history given us any clues to the meaning of ornament in human societies? What are the basic concepts built up by a century of practice and theory in modern design? Do these concepts leave room for the purposes fulfilled by ornament? Have modern designers, rejecting ornament, attempted otherwise to fill its roles? Is there any indication that the indifference of the wide public to the best modern design is caused by the absence of ornament?