New
Graphic
F F L F T
Design
O RM OL OW S U N CI ON An exploration of Modernism and Post-modernism
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-5INVESTIGATING MODERNISM -7MODERN TIMELINE -9INVESTIGATING POSTMODERNISM -11POSTMODERN TIMELINE -13SWISS INTERNATIONAL STYLE -15FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION -19SWISS DESIGNERS
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MODERNIS Modernism, dating roughly from the 1860s through to the 1970s, is
developing industrial societies, with the First World War following
the series of reforming cultural movements in art and architecture,
shortly after. WW1 affected the whole globe, which subsequently
music, literature and the applied arts, Modernism can be viewed as
lead to people thinking differently, in need to be more modern in the
modern thought, character, or practice, and describes the style and
way they think, governmental, social and industrially. As art itself
ideology of art created during that era. Modernism is the feeling
has fundamentally changed during the modern period, so did the
of modern thought process, personal character appeal, and the
ideas about it, traditional expectations of one of the most important
practices of up-to-date lifestyle and technologies, the ideology was
tasks of works of art – to depict real things in the real world – and
to constantly push forward toward a perceived notion of progress.
instead represent either distorted images of recognisable things,
Modernism was fundamentally created as a rebellion against 19th
or completely abstract relations of shapes, colours and forms.
century academic and historicist traditions and against cultural
Modernists
absolutism and Victorian nationalism, wherefore the “traditional”
believing in standardisation and ease of mass production,
forms of art, literature, architecture, social organisation, religious
working with European ‘A’ paper sizes is extremely logical.
faith and daily life (in the modern world) were becoming dated. Modernism originally rose from large scale changes in Western society in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The main factors that formed Modernism included the rapid growth of cities and
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are
driven
by
logic,
for
the
true
modernist,
RNISM Characteristics
Graphic Design
• Explores subjective and psychological states, occasionally
It was in 1922 that the term ‘graphic design’ was coined, and
combined with a neglect of objective representation or realism.
is said that graphic design itself is a product of modernism.
• Different ways of thinking about representation (for example,
Filled with cultural, social, political and economical changes, the
Cubism, of which attempts to view the same event or object
20th century was a revolutionary period of time in many senses,
from multiple perspectives at one time).
looking at visual communication pre 1900s and post one can
• Radical experimentation in form, including a breakdown in generic distinction.
see a definite change. All of these factors had a major influence on the development of art and graphic design. Technological
• Form is fragmented.
advancements including telephone, radio, television and flight
• Great amounts of ambiguity and simultaneity in structure.
are all evident in modernism. Politically there was Communist
• Use of irony and parody in artistic creation, in a complex manner
Russia, Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy, again all evident in art
of which the mass consumers find difficult to understand. • Modernist art encourages the use of specific materials and techniques, maintaining a pure look and feel.
movements during the modernist period. Because of these factors the world was changed, many for worse, as a result artists wanted to change their traditions, leading to the birth of modernism.
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cubsim
expressionism
1900 - 1907
1919 - 1934
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Dada
de stijl
1917 - 1931
1917 - 1931
constructivism
Art deco
1919 - 1934
1920 - 1930
bauhaus
1919 - 1933
Surrealism
1920 - 1940
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in the 1960s and still present now, was a reaction to or even rejection of modernism, the second view was that postmodernism was the development and new generation of modernism and they are two aspects of the same thing. Postmodernism was first used to describe architectural designs that amplify and distort traditional ideologies. It embraced art, architecture, fashion, graphic design
and
furniture,
post-modernism
re-established interest in ornamentation, symbolism and visual wit. The postmodern period was an expressive and playful period where designers looked for eccentric and unconventional ways to break rules. Factors that influenced and allowed for postmodernism to emerge included World War II and the revolution in science and technology since the 1950s. Modern geometry was a big influence on postmodernism (evident in architecture) which moved away from modernism’s obsession with pure geometry. Postmodern designers often challenged the modernists’ obsession with progress and would intentionally violate the Bauhaus ideology that form must follow function.
One viewpoint of Post-modernism, beginning in the 1960s and still present now, was a reaction to or even rejection of modernism, the second view was that postmodernism was the development and new generation of modernism and they are two aspects of the same thing. Postmodernism was first used to describe architectural designs that amplify and distort traditional ideologies. It embraced art, architecture, fashion, graphic design
and
furniture,
post-modernism
re-established interest in ornamentation, symbolism and visual wit. The postmodern
Postmodernism
One viewpoint of Post-modernism, beginning
period was an expressive and playful period where designers looked for eccentric and unconventional ways to break rules. Factors that influenced and allowed for postmodernism to emerge included World War II and the revolution in science and technology since the 1950s. Modern geometry was a big influence on postmodernism (evident in architecture) which moved away from modernism’s obsession with pure geometry. Postmodern designers often challenged the modernists’ obsession with progress and would intentionally violate the Bauhaus ideology that form must follow function.
Characteristics of postmodernism - Parody and irony are frequent characteristics found in many postmodern works, pop art being the most obvious. - High and low cultural forms are broken down. Postmodern artists would combine and contrast popular and mass produced objects in coherent ways, even if their intentions are far more complex. - Disorientation of subjects, where by the subject intends to disorientate the viewer, making them question it. - The questioning of narratives (Lyotard). - Postmodern culture shows interest in retro styles and fashions, involving these out of their original context, the recycling of subjects is prevalent in modernism, with intertextuality being very apparent. - Focuses on personal and individual interpretation, allowing for viewers to have their own contributions, therefore each individual viewer has their own meaning to an art piece. - Promotes the use of numerous mediums and techniques, combining them to create new interesting works.
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pop art
Installation art
1950s onward
1960s onward
conceptual art
minimalism
Mid 1960s onward
1960s onward
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Graffiti art
brit art
Early 1970s onward
1980s - 1990s
neo-expressionism deconstructivism
1979 onward 1980s - 2000
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the 1940s and 50s, and was the basis of much of the development of graphic design in the mid 20th century. It is well known for its attention to detail in design. Grids were used to form these elements, enhancing the readability, clarity and precision of image and type. Due to its sense of uniformity the Swiss design style format of the grid became an iconic formation in graphic language. Leading practitioner of The International Typographic Style
was
Josef
MĂźller-Brockmann,
he
introduced the style to America in the 1950s then spreading globally, thus the name. The framework of Swiss Style was massive influence on many postmodern texts during its development; it provided a neat structure which visual communication could be presented. The principle “form follows function� was used by many modernist artists, designers and architects after the 1930s; consequently, most of the Swiss Style craft is committed to minimal elements
of
style
including
typography
and content layout instead of textures and illustrations. The use and development of grid structures was one of the important aspects of graphic and typographic design that occupied theorists and practitioners. This seems to have been done in a very thorough way, going beyond the simple desire to make the arranging of type, charts, tables and illustrations into a logical procedure. As a result, once peace was attained after the war, the whole appearance of Swiss design came as something of a revelation to students and designers worldwide. The Swiss content was always impressive in its combination of great presentation with functional efficiency.
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Swiss International Style
Swiss Style originated in Switzerland during
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FORM
SWISS The Swiss style is characterised by its
attention to detail, craft skills and it’s precision in design, and as a whole, Swiss style pursues simplicity. For modernist architects, the term “form follows function” became their guide for achieving clean design. Because of this principle, the majority of Swiss design is true to the basic elements of style, with focus on typographic design and content layout instead of illustrations and texture. Buildings were designed and built to be functional, not
FOLLOWS
to look admirable. Asymmetrical building layouts were common, and followed the street pattern. Ornamentation and decorations were removed, with structures reduced and simplified in order for them to be made quickly. Features that make Swiss style architecture notable includes flat and bare white walls, flat roofs, lots of windows, and sharp corners, with steel, glass and concrete being the main building materials. The interior would bare all mechanical equipment with things such as pipes and elevator shafts being exposed. The use of steel meant that architecture was no longer restricted by height and shape, as steel frames would support. The Bauhaus was
FUNCTION
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majorly influenced by the International style and its notions.
BAUHAUS Mechanisation and industrialisation was seen
shapes. Reducing objects to their most basic
Like the Swiss, the Bauhaus favoured
by many during it’s advancement in negative
state was used as a strategy for quickly mass
glass, steel and concrete, and plywood. The
way by many, due to the poorer quality of
producing retail goods. This became the
finished designs of buildings construction
goods being produced. The Bauhaus was
Bauhaus’ answer for designing a clean and
and structure allowed the designer to control
active in producing a new style which would
efficient living space in the technological
their external look, regarding the outcome
echo the processes and values of mechanised
age. Angular, Abstract geometric forms were
as “styless”, this developed from the phrase
production; the “industrial” or “machine”
consistently used to create a simple, clear
“form follows function”. The Bauhaus has
aesthetic is what it would often be named.
appearance. These forms were inspired by
impacted design on an international level,
The Bauhaus followed in the same footsteps as
the modern industrial machinery including
where form follows function in the design
Cubist artists, who would reduce objects down
pistons, wheels and tubes, amongst other
world.
to their most fundamental state of geometric
mechanical components.
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of grid structures, but Josef Muller Brockmann gave a new
Josef Müller-Brockmann
direction to the teaching graphic design. He demonstrated that intellectual analysis was very important, even when a solution required intuitive input. He also explored the application of grids to a wide range of problems, simple and complex, in two and three dimensions. He was influenced by numerous designs and art movements which included De Stijl, Suprematism, Constructivism and Bauhaus. He is recognised for his clean use of typography and his simple designs.
Armin Hofmann
At the age of 26, Armin Hofmann began teaching at the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule in Basel. Emil Ruder and Hofmann created an advanced class for graphic design at the school which received much attention from all over the globe. Hofmann practiced new techniques of photo-typesetting, photo-montage and experimental composition and heavily favoured sans-serif typography. Armin Hofmann, as well as the rest of the Swiss International Style, thought that the use of the poster was one of the most effective and efficient forms of communication, most of his career was dedicated to designing posters, with frequent designs for the Basel Stadt Theatre.
Carlo Vivarelli After attending the School of Arts and Crafts in Zurich, he moved to France, studying with Paul Colin. He moved to Milan where he became the artistic director for Studio Boggeri, Vivarelli later moved back to Zurich where he establihed his own studio in 1946. Vivarelli was one of the members creating the magazine publication ‘Neue Grafik’. It was this magazine that unified the international movement, presenting it to an international audience.
Emil Ruder
Swiss born graphic designer and typographer, Emil Ruder helped Armin Hofmann establish Swiss Design. His teachings explained that above all, typography’s purpose was to communicate ideas through writing. His work is both concise and clear, his typography especially, with sans-serif typefaces having a great importance. Ruder favoured asymmetrical compositions, as did most Swiss Design designers, Negative space and the counters of characters were of a high importance in his compositions. Emil Ruder played an essential role in the development of graphic design in the 1940s and 1950s. Ruder’s usage of grids in design has influenced the development of web design on many levels.
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SWISS DESIGNERS
Many designers contributed to the widespread application
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Photography and layout by Leo Patterson University of Huddersfield U1259121 Email: lap21@hotmail.co.uk