In 1896, Louis Sullivan wrote about skyscrapers and architectural design in “The Tall Building Artistically Considered” This was the origin of the famous phrase, “form follows function.” What Sullivan actually said was “form must ever follow function” but regardless of phrasing, the meaning remains the same - architects should first consider how a building will be used then base the design on that. 

One of his most famous designs was for the Carson Pirie Scott building downtown Chicago. Today the building is actually called the Sullivan Center in his honor, but Sullivan was such a difficult man to deal with, he was actually passed over for the third phase of it's construction. Essentially Louis Sullivan couldn't get the job of designing The Sullivan Center.

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