Eight Major Movements In Graphic Design History

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he movement all began in Great Britain in the late 1800’s with the invention of the steam engine. Before mastering a craft took years of apprenticeship which was now replaced by faster and cheaper production. With the new mass production of literature, type casters, setters, and printers were all losing their jobs and book design and typography began to decline in quality. Even paper and binding quality lessened leaving a huge mark on print and type design. The Arts and Craft Movement advocated attention to detail and hand-craftsmanship in an effort to step away from mass-production.

Often recognized by the medieval or folk-like quality, the movement was essentially anti-industrial and emphasized nature and simplicity of form. As a reaction the movement

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tried to join together art and industry to bring good design to the masses, but unfortunately there was no success because it was really just cheaper to make it ugly.

So instead people of the movement decided to focus on hand-craftsmanship in the form of print, furniture design, and even architecture!

Author, poet, and art critic, John Ruskin, believed that the Industrial Revolution was the main cause of unhappiness of the poor. He looked back into Medieval Times and recognized the relationship between the worker and his guild and aimed to revitalize that. He believed that the separation of the act of designing and the act of physical creation was both socially and aesthetically damaging. William Morris was influenced by his words and came to London to begin his career in 1856. Morris and others created a firm that

focused on producing artist-designed, handcrafted objects.

Within the group they created furniture based off of medieval models which then lead them into the decorative arts. William Morris was known for making his mark on this movement and believed that beautiful things could improve people’s lives. He is best known for his pattern designs and is responsible for trying to bring together the values of fine art to the production of commercial design which is an essential part of the design world today.

Morris and other various artists responsible for the

movement began to call themselves Morris & Co. and began doing commission work for churches in Britain. In 1881 the Home Arts and Industries Association was initiated and encouraged the working class to pick up handicrafts to not only have occupants but to also improve their taste. Later their work became popular with the middle and upper class and by the end of the 19th century arts and craft design was the dominant style in the domestic interiors of Britain.

Going into the 20th century, over one hundred and thirty Arts and Craft associations and craft communities were formed. In 1887 the

Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society formed and held one of the first shows of decorative arts since the movement began. It was noted to be one of the first times that there was a recognizable change in society from the previous 20 years. A school of handicraft was later built and modeled itself on medieval guilds. It intended to give working men satisfaction in the craftsmanship and also provide a place for apprenticeship to happen.

The guild’s work is characterized by simple surfaces of hammered silver, wirework, and colored stones in simple settings. Eventually the guild was liquidated, but some craftsmen stayed to contribute to the tradition of modern craftsmanship.

Art Nouveau

AUB Aubrey Beardsley can make you dream up the craziest and weirdest things that people tend to not want to let people see. He was an English Illustrator and an author as well. He was very famous for his ink drawings which were inspired by Japanese woodcuts. His art came out a little different than others SO WHAT, he was different and he loved it that way. He loved the grotesque erotic style for his art, he also showed some history and mythology in his work. He was the most controversial artist of the Art Nouveau movement. I praise him for being so bold, unique and not giving a hoot about what others thought. He had made illustrations for books, magazines and he also made some illustrations for a play in Paris, called Salome, by Oscar Wilde. Beardsley was a very interesting person; he was as public as he was private.

Wilde has said that he had a “face like a silver hatchet and grass green hair�. Very meticulous about what he wore which just confirms his weirdness, he would wear gray suits, hats, ties and yellow gloves. While in his life he was odd his relationship life was not far from it. He was said to be a part of homosexual group but he was asexual. Rumors say he had a relationship with his older sister and got her pregnant but she miscarried. Wow he had an eventful life as long as he had lived. I’m sad to say he had passed from this world at the age of 25. In 1897 because of his health he had moved to the French Riviera and a year later had died in the Cosmopolitan Hotel in France. the cause of death was tuberculosis. At least he was not alone, his mother and sister was there when he passed. An amazing artist who had so much talent and potential, did not deserve to be taken so early. But he will be remembered as an amazing artist who had a pure talent with ink and drawing.

I have one aim... the grotesque. If I’am not grotesque I’am nothing !

BREY

“Art exists only to communicate a spiritual message.�

Mucha Alphonse Mucha was a painter and a decorative artist, known best for his distinct style.

He had made many things in his life time, paintings, illustrations, advertisements, postcards and designs. In 1871 Mucha became a chorister in cathedral and he had gotten the chance to get his second education and is where his light bulb went off. He had found the amazing styles of Baroque art. In 1887 Mucha had moved to Paris and continued to study and but on his free time he did freelance work making magazines and advertising illustrations. Being in Paris really made his life take a turn for the better. he had stumbled upon a play that would be coming out and they needed a poster to advertise it and Mucha jumped at the opportunity. He had finished the poster in two weeks and was so happy that it was posted all around the city, where it got so much attention and he got hired right away for a 6-year contract. One thing I love about him is the way he uses his lines and colors to make his art, it is so fluid and curvy and beautiful. He truly was an amazing artist back in the days.

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Art Nouveau 1890-1910

Art Nouveau shows the aspects of the natural world and was a movement that went through the olden arts and impressive architecture of the late 19th and early 20th century. This type of movement was generated throughout Europe and the movement issued a wide variety of styles. It is decorative, organic, elegant, graceful and so much more. The term Art Nouveau first appeared in the 1880’s in the Belgian journal L’Art Moderne. There was a lot of different kinds of patterns used in this movement period of design like: Vines, flowers, woman figures, birds, shapes, fluid lines, patterns and more. Art Nouveau is considered a “TOTAL” art style because it brings in a little bit of all the different forms of art. Some of the artists back then felt that the unleashing of Art Nouveau’s flowing line is to be a metaphor for the freedom sought by the people who practiced it. One of the reason this is an awesome movement because it has so much different kinds of art styles and you can learn so much from it. It dabbles in architecture, graphic design, interior design, jewelry, furniture, textiles and so much more. It is truly a total art style for sure they did a great job in calling it that. A few artists stood out to me in particular like Henry Van De Velde, Aubrey Beardsley and Alphonse Mucha.

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INSPIRATION-Art Nouveau has always used plants and flowers with natural structures and forms with curved lines.

THE TOTAL ART STYLE-It can be found in a lot of aspects of life. In the decorative arts, graphic art, architecture, furniture, jewelry and so much more.

LIVING IN ART NOUVEAU HOUSE-It is said that to live in an Art Nouveau home you need Nouveau tableware, jewelry, furniture, lighting, carpet, art.

THE MODERNIST STYLE- The popularity of Art Nouveau went down when people began to look at modernist style. So sad that it had to go down like this.

THE NAME- Art Nouveau is called many names depending on the countries. Germany: Jugendstill, Italy: Stile Liberty, Austria/Hungary: Secession.

EUROPE- Art Nouveau was very big in Europe, but the influence of this awesome movement can be seen all around the world.

ARCHITECTURE- Art Nouveau is also implied in architecture: curved lines and flower designs are in buildings, furniture, on decorative molding.

SCULPTURE-When it is applied in a sculpture it is said that the artists use wrought iron and glass as the main material.

ALPHONSE MUCHA- The styles of Alphone Mucha reflects Art Nouveau, he was a Paris based Czech artist.

OTHER ARTISTS- These artists reflect Art Nouveau: Jan Toorop, Gustav Klimt, Antoni Gaudi, Rennie Mackintosh and Luis Comfort Tiffany.

Inspiration Henry Van De Velde An internationally acclaimed Belgian/ Hungarian artist who did painting, graphic design, architecture, was a teacher, a thinker and so much more. One of his quotes was “Beauty is the result of clarity and system and not of optical illusion.” So beautiful and true!

Finished Design

CONSTRUCTIVISM Art in Russia

1919

A historical acount of the movement and major contributors to the Russian Art form that helped shape Graphic Design as we know it today.

Constructivism art originates from Russia from around 1919. During that time, Russia was experiencing their Industrial Revolution, and transitioning from the “de Stijl,” or My Style, movement into constructivism. As a rejection of art, it influenced a meaningful redefining of artistic goals that shifted from a generalized aesthetic that had been used in mediums such as photography and graphic design.

Artists like Vladimir Tatlin, Alexei Gan, and Alexander Rodchenko expressed ideas for ending the art that everyone knew and used. Creating a Utopian lifestyle and means of art was their main intention.

Alexander Rodchenko LEF Magazine 1924

As one of many artists during the Russian revolution, Alexander Rodchenko served as an activist for utopian possibilities and against norms and practices of the standard people. This led way to a new kind of thinking that ushered a new outlook on Russian culture. He created a work called 5x5=25; monochromes that symbolized the end of painting.

1922

Cover art of 5x5=25 Alexander Vesnin

1920

1917 through 1933

El Lissitzky was an artist, designer, photographer, typographer, polemicist and architect. He was involved with the Russian avant-garde, and even collaborated with his mentor Kazimir Malevich in creating suprematism (Curl). Malevich was a painter who introduced abstract geometric art and the avant-garde Suprematist movement into Russia. Suprematism is a form of art mimicking the primary and fundamental tools of art. It showcases basic geometric forms usually including circles, lines, and squares, all painted in minimal color palettes (MoMa, Getty Records).

His constructivist work is characteristic of what most will see today in its strong geometric forms. His most influential work during the Constructivist period was his 1919 propaganda poster “Beat The Whites With The Red Wedge.”

Vladimir Tatlin was among one of the first activists to engage the idea of Constructivism through his media of architecture and painting. Initially an icon painter, he learned from Pablo Picasso’s Cubist reliefs and Russian Futurism (TheArtStory), and created works that categorized as architecture and sculpture. Tatlin believed strongly in exploring the capacities of a tool or medium. The idea of staying true to your materials relied on maximising the use and function of a material (TheArtStory). He was the father of the 1920 Tower Rendition called a Monument to the Third International.

This was the first physical depiction of the Utopia Russian’s would learn to aspire for during their post-revolutionary phase. His work, originating from ordinary materials, began a “reassessment of the nature and role of art that ultimately led to the emergence of constructivism” (Taplin).

As constructivism shifted from being just and idea to a movement, May 1922 at the Düsseldorf Congress of International Progressive Artists was the year that Theo Van Doesburg formed the first Working Group of Constructivists. The group believed that architecture combined with materials was a way to carry out their vision.

The group as a whole denied producing art for the entertainment of an audience or to systemize expression. They wanted to begin creating artwork that served as a catalyst for the the growth of a new environment for the general people to truly indulge in. As they fought against traditional art, they strengthened their vision by linking “art and architecture, photography and printed texts” (Taplin).

Beat The Whites With The Red Wedge El Lissitzky 1920

Beat The Whites With The Red Wedge El Lissitzky 1920

(2001) Cornelis van Eesteren, architect, urbanist [vol. 1]

8 major Movements in Graphic Design History: Constructivism

10

CONSTRUCTIVISM Art in Russia

1919

A historical acount of the movement and major contributors to the Russian Art form that helped shape Graphic Design as we know it today.

Constructivism art originates from Russia from around 1919. During that time, Russia was experiencing their Industrial Revolution, and transitioning from the “de Stijl,” or My Style, movement into constructivism. As a rejection of art, it influenced a meaningful redefining of artistic goals that shifted from a generalized aesthetic that had been used in mediums such as photography and graphic design.

Artists like Vladimir Tatlin, Alexei Gan, and Alexander Rodchenko expressed ideas for ending the art that everyone knew and used. Creating a Utopian lifestyle and means of art was their main intention.

Alexander Rodchenko LEF Magazine 1924

As one of many artists during the Russian revolution, Alexander Rodchenko served as an activist for utopian possibilities and against norms and practices of the standard people. This led way to a new kind of thinking that ushered a new outlook on Russian culture. He created a work called 5x5=25; monochromes that symbolized the end of painting.

1922

Cover art of 5x5=25 Alexander Vesnin

1920

1917 through 1933

El Lissitzky was an artist, designer, photographer, typographer, polemicist and architect. He was involved with the Russian avant-garde, and even collaborated with his mentor Kazimir Malevich in creating suprematism (Curl). Malevich was a painter who introduced abstract geometric art and the avant-garde Suprematist movement into Russia. Suprematism is a form of art mimicking the primary and fundamental tools of art. It showcases basic geometric forms usually including circles, lines, and squares, all painted in minimal color palettes (MoMa, Getty Records). His constructivist work is characteristic of what most will see today in its strong geometric forms. His most influential work during the Constructivist period was his 1919 propaganda poster “Beat the Whites With the Red Wedge.”

Beat the Whites With the Red Wedge El Lissitzky 1920

Vladimir Tatlin was among one of the first activists to engage the idea of Constructivism through his media of architecture and painting. Initially an icon painter, he learned from Pablo Picasso’s Cubist reliefs and Russian Futurism (TheArtStory), and created works that categorized as architecture and sculpture. Tatlin believed strongly in exploring the capacities of a tool or medium. The idea of staying true to your materials relied on maximising the use and function of a materi-al (TheArtStory). He was the father of the 1920 Tower Rendition called a Monument to the Third International.

This was the first physical depiction of the Utopia Russian’s would learn to aspire for during their post-revolutionary phase. His work, originating from ordinary materials, began a “reassessment of the nature and role of art that ultimately led to the emergence of constructivism” (Taplin).

As constructivism shifted from being just an idea to a movement, May 1922 at the Düsseldorf Congress of International Progressive Artists was the year that Theo Van Doesburg formed the first Working Group of Constructivists. The group believed that architecture combined with materials was a way to carry out their vision.

The group as a whole denied producing art for the entertainment of an audience or to systemize expression. They wanted to begin creating artwork that served as a catalyst for growth of a new environment for the general people to truly indulge in. As they fought against tradi-tional art, they strengthened their vision by linking “art and architecture, photography and printed texts” (Taplin).

(2001) Cornelis van Eesteren, architect, urbanist [vol. 1]

8 Major Movements in Graphic Design History: Constructivism

Es Ly paç 19 gia o M 57 Cl od ar ul k ad

o

Aleksandr Rodchenko (1924, 1965) collection of the Pushkin Museum Books (The Advertisement Poster for the Lengiz Publishing House) (1924)

“Meaningful artistic work will emerge under conditions of purposeful activity (Gan).” In 1922, Alexei (Aleksei) Gan publishes the most thorough record included in the De Stijl (no.

4, 1922) of the goals and intentions expressed by Constructivists during the beginning of Russia’s post-revolutionary phase. Gan was also amongst the first to focus on post-revolutionary architecture and its importance while openly criticising the government’s artistic aesthetic (Taplin).

- Alexei Gan

Varvara Stepanova was a Painter, photographer, and designer. Much of her work shows a liking towards Cubist and Futurist art. Because of this, she was familiar with primitive form and going against traditional art. She was in line with the group’s vision and dedicated her life’s work to revolutionary movements in Russia. Her work consisted of posters, books, sets, costumes, and more.

(MIT Press)

Constructivism art has had a major impact in its goal to unite visual reason and form. In recognition of Graphic Design today, the vision expressed through constructivism has come to shape many trends related to visual messages and propaganda in the 21st century. An example Franz Ferdinand’s album cover for the album titled ‘You can have it so much better’. This is a modern take on Rodchenko’s photomontages from 1924. Also highlighted in this image is the sans serif typeface.It was made in 1917 and used in a lot of constructivist and Bauhaus Movement pieces from 1919-33 (franzferdinand.jpeg and rodchenko.jpeg). For another glimpse of how it has made its way into Graphic Design today, we can look at Shepard Fairey’s piece for Barack Obama’s Hope Campaign. The Sans Serif typeface with limited colors and geometric rendering are all characteristic and in line with the constructivist movement (obama-hope-shelter.jpeg). Whether it be the use of abstracted geometric shapes to articulate messages, or the desire for a Utopia where art is productive and used as a tool for change, Graphic Design encompasses the desire for communication and innovative responses to societal concerns and goals.

8 major Movements in Graphic Design History: Constructivism

12

Es Ly paç 19 gia o M 57 Cl od ar ul k ad

o

Aleksandr Rodchenko (1924, 1965) collection of the Pushkin Museum Books (The Advertisement Poster for the Lengiz Publishing House) (1924)

“Meaningful artistic work will emerge under conditions of purposeful activity (Gan).” In 1922, Alexei (Aleksei) Gan publishes the most thorough record included in the De Stijl (no. 4, 1922) of the goals and intentions expressed by Constructivists during the beginning of Russia’s post-revolutionary phase. Gan was also amongst the first to focus on post-revolutionary architecture and its importance while openly criticising the government’s artistic aesthetic (Taplin).

- Alexei Gan

Varvara Stepanova was a Painter, photographer, and designer. Much of her work shows a liking towards Cubist and Futurist art. Because of this, she was familiar with primitive form and going against traditional art. She was in line with the group’s vision and dedicated her life’s work to revolutionary movements in Russia. Her work consisted of posters, books, sets, costumes, and more.

(MIT Press)

Constructivism art has had a major impact in its goal to unite visual reason and form. In recognition of Graphic Design today, the vision expressed through constructivism has come to shape many trends related to visual messages and propaganda in the 21st century. An example Franz Ferdinand’s album cover for the album titled ‘You can have it so much better’. This is a modern take on Rodchenko’s photomontages from 1924. Also highlighted in this image is the sans serif typeface.It was made in 1917 and used in a lot of constructivist and Bau-haus Movement pieces from 1919-33 (franzferdinand.jpeg and rodchenko.jpeg). For another glimpse of how it has made its way into Graphic Design today, we can look at Shepard Fairey’s piece for Barack Obama’s Hope Cam-paign. The Sans Serif typeface with limited colors and geometric rendering are all characteristic and in line with the constructivist movement (obama-hope-shelter.jpeg).

Whether it be the use of abstracted geometric shapes to articulate messages, or the desire for a Utopia where art is productive and used as a tool for change, Graph-ic Design encompasses the desire for communication and innovative responses to societal concerns and goals.

8 Major Movements in Graphic Design History: Constructivism

DIE NEUE TYPOGRAPHIE Die Neue Typographie was a book written by Jan Tschichold in 1928. Die Neue Typographie, which translates to The New Typographie in English, was focused on applying modern design principles to typography and creating the most functional page possible. In it, Jan Tschichold describes what he believes to be the perfect way to lay out bodies of text on a page, and even gets as detailed as to what abbreviations have periods after them.

He describes The New Typography as being focused on clarity, while classic design was focused on beauty. He claims that modern people demand more clarity than beauty because of the amount of information with which we are presented. He critiques the “extreme inflexibility” of arranging bodies of text to a central axis. Tschichold scolds classic design for sacrificing logical order for external form. He believes this order should be shown by using different sizes of type. The central axis puts text in a literal box that just can not function and be made in a logical way that we demand today.

In The New Typography, he shows examples of classic letterheads but he changes the typeface to a sans-serif to show how reliant on a “beautiful” typeface they are. He goes on about how sans-serif typefaces are the only viable option for a modern layout.

Functional design means getting rid of all of the “ornamentation” that was so commonly seen for centuries. He made a very insightful comment that is still relevant to beginning designers today. He states that ornamentation comes from a primitive, instinctual, childish desire to decorate. Adolf Loos, an early modern architect, states that “the more primitive a people, the more extravagantly they use ornamentation and decoration”.

Going along with this theme of designing with reason in mind instead of the classic idea of beauty, he discusses the use of color and which colors should be used. He points out that in the past, colors have been used as decoration and were looked at from a

literary stand point. This means that blue would be seen as representing sadness, red is love, and yellow would be envy. Instead, colors are looked at from a functional and scientific standpoint. He claims that “we have a strong feeling for white because it reflects light”, even though all colors reflect light (except for pure black) which makes that reason kind of odd.

He does say, however, that humans prefer red because it corresponds to our own lively nature. Red also, being a warm color, comes to the front of an image. He also points out that black recedes to the back of the image, being the “densest color”. He states that red, blue and yellow, all in their purest forms, are the preferred colors, but other mixed colors are possible to use.

When it comes to typefaces, Die Neue Typographie absolutely condemns the use of anything but a sans serif. Jan

“HYPHENS ARE ALLOWED” Tschichold claims that the only reason a roman typeface should be used is for fun, that is, when making a parody of classic typography. He compares serif typefaces to pompous uniforms of an army general, obnoxious and unnecessarily decorated. The details of a serif typeface distract the reader from the meaning of the text, and thus contradict the whole point of typography.

He describes serif typefaces as historic, which makes them out of place with

the modern principles of design he describes. At the time this book was written, Paul Renner’s Futura typeface had just been released, which Tschichold stated was a huge step in the right direction, although he believed that no one person could make a perfect grotesque typeface. He believed that in order to make a perfect sans serif, an engineer would be needed in the design process.

The ideal layout, as described in Die

Neue Typographie, takes place on the page inside a nine by nine grid. He draws rules for layout from the golden ratio and the Fibonacci Sequence.

He states that the ideal page’s ratio is 2:3, 5:8, and 21:34. This ratio applies to the page’s length and width, the text box’s length and width, and the size of the text box in relation to the page. By maintaining a ratio that falls within the Fibonacci Sequence, a harmonious and proportional page is guaranteed.

Die Neue Typographie is all about progression. Tschichold argues that a typeface is a reflection of idea of form in the time period in which it was made.

This is a other reason that he states that the sans serif is the best style of typeface for the modern era. An example of typefaces corresponding with the era they were made in would be fraktur being used in rococo design. Fraktur was widely accepted as an ugly typeface at the time because it did not re-

flect the style of said time.

The Die Neue Typographie style can be identified by the use of sans serifs and bright, usually primary colors. The layout of type is usually asymmetrical with a focus on alignment of design elements. Jan Tschichold outlined a style that focuses on getting rid of frills and pointless decoration to make a design as functional as possible.

“THE INDIAN OVERLOADS EVERYTHING...

TO INSIST ON DECORATION IS TO PUT YOURSELF ON THE SAME LEVEL AS AN INDIAN. THE INDIAN IN US ALL MUST BE OVERCOME. THE INDIAN SAYS: THIS WOMAN IS BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE SHE WEARS GOLDEN RINGS IN HER NOSE AND HER EARS. MEN OF A HIGHER CULTURE SAY: THIS WOMAN IS BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE SHE DOES NOT WEAR RINGS IN HER NOSE OR HER EARS”

NEW YORK SCO HOL

Eight: Major Movements in Graphic Design

1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s

Leah Talsky

The New York School was created from an increase in interest of European modernism as well as from advancing technology and a growing economy. The movement grew to be a dominant force for graphic design from the 1940s well into the 1970s. The New York School focused mainly on two aspects: how ideas were expressed and the ability to have an open/direct yet unique presentation of information.

New York City served as the cultural center of the world throughout the middle of the twentieth century; the city acted as a place of inspiration and possibility to those with amazing talent and potential.

The artists of the New York School were inspired by surrealism, which is an artistic

movement that aims for the freedom of the of the twentieth century; the city acted as a place of inspiration and possibility to those with amazing talent and potential.

The artists of the New York School were inspired by surrealism, which is an artistic movement that aims for the freedom of the mind by emphasizing the creative powers of the subconscious. They also drew inspiration from abstract expressionism, an American style of modern art that utilized improvised techniques to form extremely abstract forms. There were many unique artists during the New York School movement who each added their own contribution into making graphic design what it is today.

P a u l R a n d

Artist Paul Rand, born ‘Peretz Rosenbaum,’ shortened his name, creating a “new persona, which served as the brand name for many of his accomplishments, was the first corporate identity he created, and it may also eventually prove to be the most enduring,” as stated by a good friend of Rand’s, Morris Wyszogrod. His early work includes him working on page design and cover art. The cover art for Direction magazine in 1940 was a critical step for Rand in developing his own signature style. The cover uses barbed wire to represent a present as well as a crucifix; Rand worked with Direction for free with the deal being that he was to have complete artistic freedom. A quote of his about the cover reads that it “is significant that the crucifix, aside from its religious implications, is a demonstration of pure plastic form as well . . . a perfect union of the aggressive vertical (male) and the passive horizontal (female).”

Rand, however, is mostly famous for his design of multiple corporate identities including logos for UPS, ABC, NEXT, IBM, and many more. People were quick to criticize that Rand’s logo designs were far too plain in which Rand responded “ideas do not need to be esoteric to be original or exciting.”

Paul Rand helped businesses/companies understand that design is a beneficial and powerful tool. This opened the door to a variety of new opportunities for graphic designers. Graphic Designer Louis Dazinger said that “Anyone designing in the 1950s and 1960s owed much to Rand, who largely made it possible for us to work. He more than anyone else made the profession reputable.

We went from being commercial artists to being graphic designers largely on his merits.” Rand kept on producing designs as he aged. In the 1990’s, he worked with Steve Jobs producing the ‘NEXT’ logo for the NEXT Computer. Quite pleased with Rand’s work, Jobs called him “the best living graphic designer.”

HERB LUBALIN

Herb Lubalin, known to be a gentle and quiet man, is also hailed a genius when it comes to the subject of typography. He is able to give a message to the viewer simply through how he places letters on a page. However, what he claims he does is not typography. Lubalin once said “what I do is not really typography, which I think of as an essentially mechanical means of putting characters down on a page. It’s designing with letters. Aaron Burns called it, ‘typographics,’ and since you’ve got to put a name on things to make them memorable, ‘typographics’ is as good a name for what I do as any.”

Lubalin was known to use photography in which he exposed negatives to photographic paper and then cut his proofs apart with a razor in order to rearrange them. He compressed the type with his hands in order to build ligatures, or in other words a single character containing two or more letters, and remade them to be unexpected sizes. He even designed a unique type specimen for Avant Garde which was Lubalin’s own periodical filled with fiction, visual writings, and information regarding contemporary themes.

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Want to learn More?

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Bradbury Thompson

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Bradbury Thompson came to be one of the most influential graphic designers in the postwar United States. He first began by working for printing firms; from 19391961 Thompson designed for Westcavo Inspirations which were four color (CMYK) publications demonstrating printing paper. His immense knowledge of printing plus typesetting in addition to a bold, adventurous style allowed him to build a very good reputation for himself as a graphic designer.

Communication Arts said of Thompson:

“In his own quiet way, he expanded the boundaries of the printed page and influenced the design of a generation of art directors.�

Thompson used letterpress plates of art and illustration which he borrowed from both advertising agencies and museums.

Thompson was an expert regarding color, layout, and how to make a design appealing to the viewer all while making sense.

THE Psychedelic

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By: Jessica Doyle

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In a culture like ours, everything is screaming for our attention, so at a certain point we become immune to the screaming. The question then is what do we do to penetrate people’s immunity?

-MiltonGlaser

D

8 Major Movements in Graphic Design

: Psychedelic

W

t is t

Psychedelic

lined up artwork on a wall, how would you know which piece is a Psychedelic piece? Let’s begin with the physical features of the work. The color palettes tend to be vibrant.

This allows for high contrast, a favored design element of the era. Letters do not appear like they are fresh out of a machine, but are an artistic element. Letters range from organic to ornate shapes. Repetition is a strong motif. Shapes and symbols are repeated, kaleidoscope-like swirls, spirals and radiating lines are often seen.

“How does it alter your consciousness?

How does it change you and your relationship to the world?”

-Johnson Now let’s say you are down to two pieces of art, and both have all of the appearance qualities mentioned above. The next thing you evaluate is the subject matter. New York Times art critic, Ken Johnson, explains that art used to be judged on whether it was aesthetically good or not, but now it is about, “How does it alter your consciousness? How does it change you and your relationship to the world?” The subject matter is surrealist-like, in the sense that subject matter is now based off of individual perception,

1960s-1970s

ERA

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In order from left to right Mad Men by Milton Glaser Self Portrait by Peter Max Bill Graham Poster by Rick Griffin Comics Journal Piece by Victor Moscoso

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and is not easy to sum up in a conventional way.

There is a preoccupation with how perceptions work, and a value on unique ones. This is why the use of drugs such as LSD came in.

Under LSD, an artist was guaranteed a new perception Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) was most often sold in small tablets called “microdots” or gelatin squares called “window panes”. The desired side effect by users was hallucinations.

While hallucinating, individuals experience an “awareness” of the senses. People hear things, feel sensations such as numbness, and see the world differently. Under LSD, an artist was guaranteed a new perception. So were there plenty of Psychedelic artists using hallucinogenic drugs? You bet, and the ones who did not were still influenced by the design of the ones who did.

Not quite enough LSD for you?

Learn more at: Drug Free World

http://www.drugfreeworld.org/drugfacts/lsd.html

K Additional

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“In a culture like ours, everything is screaming for our attention, so at a certain point we become immune to the screaming. The question then is what do we do to penetrate people’s immunity?”

Milton Glaser is arguably the most well known designer from the Psychedelic Era, and he continues to be prolific in his other works. His Poster for Bob Dylan’s Greatest Hits (1967) reflects the Era he burst forth in, and his I Love NY Campaign Piece is one of the most recognizable graphic works to date. Yes, the I (insert shape of heart) NY was this guy. A golden nugget of advice to take from this timeless artist is, “It is far more important for posters to be effective than artistic.”

Artists **

www.miltonglaser.com

ic ****

Milton Glaser

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Peter Max www.petermax.com

Peter Max carries similar design motifs throughout his work. Quite a few can be used to identify his work amongst others, such as his use of stars, planets, and radials often emitting from a sun. There is a fun reason for this! Mr. Max visited the Mt. Carmel Observatory in his early childhood and it sparked a love for astronomy. His colors are most certainly not space like though, are they? When he studied painting, he studied under Austrian expressionist, Professor Honik. Honik introduced him to Fauvism and the works of Matisse, Vlaminick, and Beckmann.

To this day, Peter Max’s work reflects these influences. Check out the 2015 Beatles Fans Fest Poster he made.

Rick Griffin www.myraltis.co.uk/rickgriffin/bio.htm

Amazing lettering and ornate details, it can easily be said that Rick Griffin has an “eye” for design… literally. One of his most well known posters is Jimi Hindrix’s 1968 poster, which features an eyeball with wings. What’s the deal with that?

Well, it is speculated that the design is inspired by a rough car accident Rick was in. In this accident, Rick’s left eye was dislocated.

Victor Moscoso www.victormoscoso.com

Victor Moscoso’s work is most recognizable for its “vibrating” colors.

This “vibrating” art is created by putting complementary colors of the same tone and intensity directly next to each other. There is NO break between the two colors. As a viewer, your eye does not know which color to settle on, hence the “vibrating”.

Moscoso’s Neon Rose Series (1966) is defiantly worth checking out if this technique intrigues you. His posters are made by offsetting a lithograph.

AIGA has a fantastic interview with Milton Glaser! www.aiga.org/medalist-miltonglaser CNN Article: www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/07/15/ken.johnson.psychedelic.art Guide to Graphic Design by Scott W. Santoro 8 M a j o r M o v e m e n t s i n G r a p h i c D e s i g n

Sources

: Psychedelic

NEW

WAVE

&

Punk

The movement of New Wave and Punk was an influential step in the graphic design world that went against pre-defined rules. The movement, taking place in 1976- 1990s, was a time when people started to embrace the unpredictable when it came to design. Designers were now caring less about grid structure and started to follow their own guidelines. This opened up a whole new territory when it came to typographic placement. Text could now be placed in a chaotic, disorganized manner that rejected former typographic rules. This fearless step in the graphic design world gave designers a whole new sense of freedom.

The New Wave movement differed greatly from past movements in that there was a lack of grid structure and typography was placed in unpredictable and abstract ways on the page. New Wave design progressed from Swiss Style and was shaped by Punk and postmodern language theory. Some common characteristic seen in New Wave design is having inconsistent spacing between letters, the alteration of type weights, and the odd placement of text at various angles.

The weight of the text would not just be changed between words, but would randomly vary between letters as well.

Doing this allowed designers to add additional meaning to text that was previously never seen before. http://www.thisisdisplay.org/exhibitions/Weingart_Typography_Wolfgang_Weingart http://www2.palomar.edu/users/gkelley/Weingart.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Wave_(design) http://alansaccodecelis.blogspot.com/2014/01/wolfgang-weingart.html http://www.designhistory.org/PostModern_pages/NewWave.html http://carson-vs-vignelli.tumblr.com http://www.designishistory.com/1980/ray-gun/ https://99designs.com/blog/creative-inspiration/ripped-punk-influences-graphic-design/ https://reinhardtart235.wordpress.com/brief-excerpts-from-design-history/a-brief-intro-to-post-modern-new-wave-punk-rock/

culturacolectiva.com

Wolfgang Weingart, a German graphic designer, was responsible for New Wave typography. In the 1970s, he introduced his New Wave design in Switzerland at the Basel School of Design. Weingart’s first designs were abstract through the use of type. The image to the left shows some of his abstract typographic patterns.

Weingart was a master of typography so he knew what rules he had to break to come up with such unique ideas.

al designer in the New Wave movem ent.

He was a surfer, graphic designer, and an art director.

Like Wolfgang Weingart, Carson also heavily experimented with typography.

One work Carson is best recognized for is the magazine titled “Ray Gun”.

His design a ppr illegible, me oach, although sometim ssed with th e typograph es layout and g ic ave new me aning to wh once associa at we ted to previo us designs.

His destructive, chaotic, and abstract style caught the attention of many people. Some loved his work while others despised it.rld would greatly wo n sig de e th to n io ut However, his contrib me. affect generations to co He was well known for his “Grunge Typography”

Designhistory.com

David Carson was another influenti