Graphic Design and Modernism.

Graphic Design and Modernism, Key Facts and Points of Relevance:

• The modernist period began in the 1750's, when large scale capitalism, industrialisation and urbanisation were introduced to Europe.
• Graphic Design in the 20th century was developed from a rejection of ornament, and could be universal without being fashionable and designed for "trend".
• Form followed function- examples included san serif typefaces, developed in the 1920's- they gave all the communication and clear visual legibility to readers, without the needing elaborate design.

Modernist Design Included These Factors:

• Clear, legible, and with good visual communcation- often transcending nationalities or cultures- dependent on one key element in design- usually type or image.
• Communication without embellishment.

• Cheret, Toulouse- Lautrec was one of the founders of modernist design- with his advertising posters (such as the ones for the Moulin Rouge, shown above) creating a blurred line between fine art and graphic design within advertising. His view was to depict modern life through design, with the change of the times and social culture- none more evident than within the illicit on-goings of the famous cabaret.


• "parole in liberta"- the Italian futurists emerge circa 1914. Designer Mannetti created "Zang Tumb Tumb"- an onomatopeic poem structured in a modernist and creative way, far from traditional format and print processing. This was new, experimental and showed the changing perceptions of how typography could be manipulated and used as much as a design or art form as the words and meanings used.
• The Futurist Manifesto revelled in the new age and ideals of modernism. The futurist artists and designers included:

Fortunato Depero (1927) Bolted Book- a modernist approach to book binding, in which the pages were infact attached by a nut and bolt fastening- very reflective of industralisation and the hard-edge of modernist design.

• Appollinaire (1918), Il Pleut- an onomatopeic poem arrangement inspired by it's title 'Rain'. This is definately one of my favourite examples of futurist design- with minimal yet carefully constructed composition, this poem really stands out for me.
• No fonts were used with the exception of Grokests in modernist age (sans serifs).
• Switerzland was very forward in terms of design during the Modernist age (post WWI)- and had a dinstinct, typographic style. Helvetica, developed around this time, was the Roman translation for the word 'Switzerland'- the styles consistently showed a use of grid compositions- flush left with ragged right text setting. Neue Grafik:

• Hand-drawn illustration was quickly abandoned for the advances of photographic technology.

Boyne and Rattansi (1990)

Postmodernism and Society (book)

key elements of this age:

• Aesthetic self-reflectiveness- work that relfects on itself- the methods or means of it's own communication (e.g. Jackson Pollock's design and craft was just as much about the methods he used to create it as the outcome itself).
• Montage
• Paradox, ambiguity and uncertainty- with mixed meanings.
• Loss of the intergrated, individual subject.
• Optimism.
• Reflecting the lack of confidence and understanding of oneself- all new industrialisation and rationalisation of life made people "dizzy with change", as they had no solid identity, and were no longer individuals- simply a part of a modern machine.

• El Lissitsky (1924) Advert for Pelican Ink- a great example of aesthetic self-reflectiveness- the processes to make the image are as much a feature as the image itself.