Art Nouveau No longer looked to the past for inspiration Art nouveau represents the beginning of modernism in design (Modern Architecture). It occurred at a time when mass-produced consumer goods began to fill the marketplace, and designers, architects, and artists began to understand that the handcrafted work of centuries past could be lost. While reclaiming this craft tradition, art nouveau designers simultaneously rejected traditional styles in favor of new, organic forms that emphasized humanity's connection to nature.
“Ukiyo-e”,Utagawa Toyokuni, late Japanese Edo era: 1800s
“Dreams”, Aubrey Beardsley Zodiac, 1896, Alphonse Maria Mucha
May Belfort, 1895 Henri de Toulouse–Lautrec
Henry van de Velde ,'Tropon' ,1898
Peter Behrens, The Kiss, 1898.
MODERNISM Graphic Design lineage
Modernism especially changed the thinking process for communications, graphic design and typography, the style of design shifted drastically from the prior 19th century approach. Before the concept of Modernism, graphic design and typography was 'overly decorated' and elaborate, every possible inch of a typical poster would be filled with imagery and type.
Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wrigh,1935
Home and Studio, Frank Lloyd Wrigh,1889
The Four (The Glasgow School) ,Scotland “In Fairyland” Charles Rennie Mackintosh
“Margaret” MARGARET MACDONALD
”Spring” FRANCES MACNAIR
“The Sleeping Princess” Frances MacNair
Dutch artist Theo van Doesburg practiced painting, architecture and poetry - he also influenced graphic design and is considered the 'ambassador' of the movement De Stijl. He described Modernism times as: "Art should not deal with the 'useful' or the 'nice', but with the 'spiritual' and the 'sublime'. The purest art forms do not cause the decorative change of some detail from life, but the inner metamorphosis of life, the revaluation of all values." "Creative Bloq." The Easy Guide to Design Movements: Modernism. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014.
Koloman Moser,Vienna Secession,
The kiss, Peter Behrens,
Pictorial Modernism
Composition with Yellow, Blue, and Red, 1937–42, Piet Mondrian.
Otto Lehmann, WWI loan campaign
Poster for the Bauhaus Exhibition 1923,Joost Schmidt.
Akzidenz Grotesk
Bauhaus The Bauhaus school was founded by Walter Gropius in Weimar, Germany. In spite of its name, and the fact that its founder was an architect, the Bauhaus did not have an architecture department during the first years of its existence. Nonetheless it was founded with the idea of creating a ‘total’ work of art in which all arts, including architecture would eventually be brought together. The Bauhaus style became one of the most influential currents in modern architecture and modern design. The Bauhaus has had a profound influence upon later developments in art, architecture, graphic design, interior design, industrial design, and typography.
Herbert Bayer, Self-Portrait,1932
Composition VIII, Kandinsky, 1911
Josef Albers, Homage to the Square, 1965
László Moholy-Nagy Jealousy,1924-7
Expressionism, Dada, Constructivism, and de Stijl influenced the Bauhaus faculty and students. It’s weavers, furniture designers, and metal smiths did not try to create works of art but rather good and useful designs in which form was tied to function. Graphic design faculty also emphasized clean functional design. The profession of industrial designer was born from this movement. Bauhaus publications featured asymmetry, a rectangular grid structure and sans-serif type.
Colorchart study, Paul Klee
The contributions of artists and designers trained at the Bauhaus are vastly important and continue to exert a strong influence in contemporary design. A few Bauhaus artists who were influential in the development of graphic design: Josef Albers is known for his research into color. László Moholy-Nagy developed photography as illustration. Herbert Bayer created several typeface designs including Universal. In keeping with the Bauhaus philosophy, he believed in removing personal values from the printed page, leaving it purely logical and functional in design.
Isometric construction scheme, Walter Gropius,1926-28
Theo van Doesburg
Piet Mondrian, Line over form,1893
The New Typography What is the role of graphic design in this development of new typographic forms? It seems that graphic design is going to have to take a good hard look at itself and possibly re-define its parameters. The role of the designer has been simply stated as the communicator of messages. Designers should consider these new letterforms when designing a piece so that it may speak to our time and our sensibilities not to some preconceived notion of what design should look like. Our fall back aesthetic as designers has been the Bauhaus style and its Modernist credos. These ideas of design and communication were fine in their time but our time calls for design which expands the semantic role of graphic communication.
Jan Tschichold: The New Typography
Gill Sans, Eric Gill
Paul Renner,Linz Loves You
Kabel,Koch
The type faces of the digital era are quirky, personal and subjective, while the typography of the Swiss International Style strove for simplicity and objectivity. By designing and using new letterforms designers can advance the communication process of generations to come, most of which will rely less on the present forms of communication. Dutch designer Gert Dumbar defines graphic design as a “creative profession and creativity is by definition driven by innovation. It is not easy to convey this characteristic and still be able to transmit a message clearly�.31 I would agree that it may not be easy but it must continue to be a goal of the designer to convey messages in the most innovative way possible as to promote growth and interest in the field of graphic design, as well as, keep abreast of the needs of a changing society.
Font,Stanley Morison
International picture language, Neurath