A CENTURY OF TYPE THROUGH MUSIC tara gerke, fall 2012
PROJECT OVERVIEW This past semester I came to the realization that I am extremely interested in typography and the way art styles have developed over time. Due to my newfound interest, I decided to create a poster series of a century of typography. I was initially inspired by the Sony Records music timeline which demonstrates music development through song titles. After researching this project, I decided to use popular songs from each decade to represent the evolution of type. When I first began, I knew that there would be dozens of styles for each decade, but I also knew that I only had three weeks to complete this project. Thus, in lieu of saving time, I decided to focus on one style from each decade. I hope one day I can elaborate on this book and create a much more in depth version of the project, but until then; enjoy!
1900-1910 OVERVIEW At the start of the 20th century the Art Nouveau period was in one of its prime moments as it spread to America through the covers of magazines including Harpers and Scribners. Art Nouveau descended from the Arts and Crafts movement which originated in the late 19th century. Art Nouveau was the first style that beautified industrial products and was the first international style used by all of Europe and America. It was a rebellion against Victorian sensibilities and used lots of energetic and organic plant-like vines in artwork.
1900-1910 INSPIRATION
F.A. Mills, 1904
1910-1920 OVERVIEW Every nation that participated in World War I which lasted from 1914 until 1918 used propaganda posters. These posters were used to justify each nation’s involvement and to gather men, money and resources for their military. The United States, who didn’t join the war until April of 1917 produced more propaganda posters than any other single nation. At the time, much of America was not eager to enter the war so these posters were especially necessary to convince citizens to support the war. The American propaganda posters used bold styles in order to get their message across in the simplest way. They almost always included the prominent American colors of Red, White, and Blue. The famous Uncle Sam’s “I Want You” poster first appeared in World War I.
1910-1920 INSPIRATION
AMERICAN FOLKLORE 1917
1920-1930 OVERVIEW In the mid-1920’s, the style now known as Art Deco was developing. Art Deco began about 1925 and lasted until 1940. The style uses geometric shapes, strong vertical lines, Egyptian zigzags, sunbursts, bold curves, and patterns. This period had one of the largest impacts on typography. The typefaces often used thick base forms with filler shapes and lines. Broadway is one of the typefaces that was devised during this period that is often used today. Art Deco is one of the first art periods that was not based on political ideology. It quickly gained popular acceptance and was present in people’s everyday lives. Art deco is known for representing luxury, extravagance, and glamour. This style embraced the machine-age culture, consumerism and speed as it was the complete embodiment of modernism.
1920-1930 INSPIRATION
25
‘
1930-1940 OVERVIEW The 1930’s to 1940’s was a continuation of the Art Deco Style. By the 1930’s popular culture had completely embraced Modernism. When the Great Depression hit, American Art Deco displayed beauty and strength in a time that America was falling apart. Products and advertisements were designed to give hope for a better future. As World War II drew near, the Art Deco styles faded out as new designs and World War II propaganda took the lead.
1930-1940 INSPIRATION
SOMEWHERE
OVER THE RAINBOW
WAY UP HIGH THERE’S A LAND THAT I HEARD OF ONCE IN A LULLABY. SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW SKIES ARE BLUE AND THE DREAMS THAT YOU DARE TO DREAM REALLY DO COME TRUE
1940-1950 OVERVIEW World War II began September of 1939 and ended exactly six years later in 1945. American propaganda was used to create hate for the enemy and support for America’s allies. These posters urged public effort for war production and promoted money saving movements including victory gardens and recycling. World War I posters had been considered a violation of basic rights and misinformation, so at first the American government was reluctant to create propaganda for the Second World War. When the government eventually did create posters promoting the war, they insisted they were only providing information. The United States produced more propaganda posters than any other country just like World War I. Over 200,000 designs were printed. World War II propaganda was very bright and bold, portraying War as a good thing. Just like World War I, American propaganda continued to use the red, white, and blue colors although yellow was oftentimes added as an additional color.
1940-1950 INSPIRATION
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy HE WAS A FAMOUS TRUMPET MAN FROM OUT CHICAGO WAY
HE HAD A THAT NO ONE ELSE COULD PLAY HE WAS THE TOP MAN AT HIS CRAFT BUT THEN HIS NUMBER CAME UP AND HE WAS GONE WITH THE DRAFT HE' IS IN THE ARMY NOW
A BLOWIN REVEILLE HE’S THE
Andrews Sisters 1941
1950-1960 OVERVIEW The 1950’s were a very energetic time in the United States. Although the Cold war was present with the imminent nuclear threat, the overall outlook was very positive as the United States thrived in post-World War II recovery. Design was influenced by technology, space exploration, and science. Although design was innovative, it still had a very classic appeal. There were three prominent color trends used in 1950’s design; pastel, modern and Scandinavian. The popular pastel colors included pink, turquoise, pale green, yellow and blue. Modern colors were very bright and clean including vibrant yellows, blues, oranges and reds alongside black and white. The Scandinavian color schemes were strongly influenced by nature including brown, cream, gray and green. Design was bold and confident as America moved forward with newfound morale.
1950-1960 INSPIRATION
we’re we’re gonna gonna
rock
around around the the
clock tonight tonight
Bill Bill Haley Haley & & the the Comets Comets 1957 1957
1960-1970 OVERVIEW The 1960’s was a time for massive change both socially and technologically. It was the age of youth as the baby boomers from World War II grew from children to adults. The space race had begun, the Cold War was ever present, and jet airplanes were faster than ever. The 1960’s is often remembered as a time of rebellion as the younger generations rebelled against traditions of the older generations. This rebellion impacted everything from music to home decorations. Modernism and abstract expressionism were on the rise. New viewpoints were celebrated and tradition was trashed. Design was a way to provoke reaction and to escape from details. Artists attempted to inspire viewers to experience art in their own way. Pop art was rising alongside assemblage art, optical art and kinetic abstraction. The 60’s evolved into a psychedelic movement focused on experimentation and freedom.
1960-1970 INSPIRATION
1970-1980 OVERVIEW The 70’s brought on a mix of nature based art and clashing colors. Although the 1960’s used many San-Serif fonts, including the brand-new Helvetica which was designed in 1957, the 1970’s brought on more rounded, organic typefaces. The 1970’s carried on the rebellion and experimentation of the 1960’s. There was a growing disillusionment of government along with advances in civil rights, women’s rights and space exploration. The 1970’s refined the avant-garde trends of the 1960’s leaving us with a legacy of remembering the seventies as the “groovy” period.
1970-1980 INSPIRATION
1980-1990 OVERVIEW The 1980’s was a generation of people seeking status as a new breed of billionaires was formed. The richest people were more important than the largest companies. Binge buying and credit cards were on the rise. The Baby Boomers were continuing into adulthood and were often tagged as the “splurge generation.” The decade began with enormous levels of inflation and continued with Reagan declaring a war on drugs, employment at all-time highs and AIDS scaring the population. The eighties was a huge period for art as artists continued to push the boundaries and museums and art auctions became popular. The 1980’s design styles were brash and all about getting attention with bold, neon colors and jagged typography.
1980-1990 INSPIRATION
1990-2000 OVERVIEW The 1990’s was the growing electronic age. The World Wide Web was developed in 1992 and cell phones became widely popular in the late 90’s. The internet strongly influenced products as every company tried to make their mark on the web. Stylistically, the 1990’s approached a shift into Post-Modernism as designers in this decade gathered and combined multiple elements from various styles into their design. The 90’s introduced Photoshop and many other various graphics editing programs which revolutionized graphic design. Grunge textures were popularly used amongst artists and typography hit an all-time high.
1990-2000 INSPIRATION