LESTER BEALL
“a unique ability to blend the abstract and the fantastic with the real� 2
1903– 1969
ester Beall Beall in the darkroom of his New York studio creating a photogram. Objects are placed on top of light-sensitive paper, which reacts to the light of the match, making an image of the objects onto the paper. Š 1940
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Always an Artist Before Beall became the leading force in modern American graphic design he experimented with abstract expressionism. He pulled influence from European avant-garde as well as Surrealism and Dadaism, those who were breaking away from the traditions of the past. These styles can be seen in both his fine art and graphic design because Beall saw no difference between fine art and applied art. He compared graphic design and typography to modern painting, saying both “are concerned with surface or plane design or organization.� Even though modern graphic design is two-dimensional it’s dependent on the understanding of the
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three-dimensional. He also believed an artist could not thrive while confined to one art form, inspiration came from everywhere. Interest in other forms propelled his inspiration and designs to come. Limiting creative interests only limits what can be designed. Beall summed it up, saying “all experience, in fields directly or indirectly related to design, must be absorbed and stored up, to provide the inspirational source that guides, nourishes and enriches the ideaflow of the designer.” All that a designer experiences shapes what and how they design. Beall’s personal art inspired his best graphic design work.
“The Purple Woman,” 1946 Paintings by Lester Beall, 1960 Figure sketches from Beall’s sketchbooks, 1946–1952
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The Photogram Beall combined his own interest in multiple forms constantly through the photogram, with which he could blend photography, typographic forms, art, printing and page layout all within the same design. Complex ideas and pieces that were separated by time, space and content could come together. He credited the camera with combining structure, organization and unity, the photograph being the core of 2D realistic reproduction. The camera became a powerful instrument for Beall, which he used to preserve pieces of the real world within graphic design.
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ORS publication, Davis and Geck, 1950s Cover for Scope Volume 2 #6 Cover for What’s New, 1939–1940 Cover for Photo Engraving, No. 7, 1939
What Meets the Eye Beall’s work utilized simple shapes and limited color palettes in clear and dramatic ways. He also frequently used type as texture and diagonal type as shapes. To control movement within his pieces he used thrusts, counter thrusts and overlapping. His designs were created to have a direct, clear expression so the viewer easily understands its meaning.
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Rural Electrification Administration Posters, Series One, 1937 Series Two, 1939 Series Three, 1941
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“The desire to meet the challenge of a new period in our economic and social history was reflected by the… search for forms that were strong, direct and exciting.” In 1937, Beall was hired to design posters for the United States Government’s Rural Electrification Administration (REA), to communicate the benefits of electricity to rural areas and restore public faith in the government. The government’s goal under President Franklin Roosevelt was to revive the economy after the Depression, through electrification of America. This electrical distribution including hydro-electric power would power the technology to improve the American quality of life, bringing basic amenities (heat, water, light) to remote areas. Beall’s simple and straightforward design and visual language reached a wide range of people. The posters were silk screened and there were three
series of posters over four years, the last being 1941—the year the United States entered World War II. The use of photography in the posters makes connections between the reader and the current time, appealing to the idea of an easier life. The Museum of Modern Art dedicated a solo exhibition to his posters, including six from the REA series, the first time it showed work from an American designer.
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“Will There be War,” promotion for Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, 1939 “Hitler’s Nightmare,” promotion for Crowell-Collier Publishing Company, 1939 Poster prototype for Freedom Pavilion, New York World’s Fair, 1939 “Don’t Let Him Down,” World War II poster, 1941–1942 Brochure for Museum of Modern Art, 1941 “Hacia La Victoria” (Road to Victory), publication for U.S. Government, Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, 1942–1943 Spread for U.S. Army publication, © 1942
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Red, War and Blue Beall felt that the designer “must work with one goal in mind—to integrate the elements in such a manner that they will combine to produce a result that will convey not merely a static commercial message, but an emotional reaction as well.” Leading up to and over the duration of World War II, Beall designed many posters, advertisements and war related designs. He was a year over the draft age when World War II started, so he contributed to the war effort with propaganda posters. His color palette during this time focused heavily on the colors blue and red to support the patriotic messages of his posters. “Don’t Let Him Down” relies on those colors and aggressive text that gives the reader an order. He also created a brochure for a show in Latin America called, “Hacia la Victoria” (Road to Victory), which was directed at Central and South America to enhance the image of Allied countries early on in America’s involvement in World War II.
Sources: Burrell, Brandon. “Abbott Laboratories: Provisioning a Vision.” PhD diss., Florida State University, 2013. Remington, R. Roger. “1992 AIGA Medalist: Lester Beall.” AIGA. March 1, 1992. Remington, R. Roger. “The Creative Process of Lester Beall.” Step-by-Step Graphics, 1990, 120–29. Remington, R. Roger. “Eye Magazine.” Space, Time and Content. Spring 1997. Remington, R. Roger. Lester Beall: Trailblazer of American Graphic Design. New York: W.W. Norton, 1996.
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Lester Beall, photographed by Arnold Newman in 1948
Designed and written by Rachel Morris. Composed in Optima and Alternate Gothic No1 D typefaces. Alternate Gothic No1 D designed by Morris Fuller Benton in 1903. Optima designed by Hermann Zapf in 1958. Printed from a Kyocera printer onto Hammermill 80 lb. paper. Copyright Š 2018 Rachel Morris, Portland, Maine, Maine College of Art.