Here are the final images for the Collaborative Design projects. I assisted in offering ideas to the designs and researching information on the progression on Hieroglyphic scripts through time.
Unique Title Goes Here, Right?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
International Style
Josef-Muller Brockmann
Brockmann's designs were based on abstract
concepts that allowed him to capture the subject matter and emphasize it, while
keeping the designs simplistic. To the average viewer, they're likely to evoke
the idea of it being too simple but yet, the designs work due to their
simplicity in that it doesn't overload the viewer with too much information. It
catches their attention and slowly draws them in with the information and makes
them curious about the subject matter and why he chose to use this particular design.
Paul Rand
Uberholem..? Im Zweifel nie! 1957
The Family of Man 1957-1958
Konrad Wachsmann, Bauen in Unserer Zeit 1958
Brockmann was an illustrator who converted to using the
international style in the 1950s. He used Akzidenz Grotestk typography and made
excellent use of it throughout his career. It gave a modern look that was
excellent and dramatic and worked incredibly well with photos. It fulfilled its
role nicely in that it did its function well without it being too dramatic and
stylized. Across the three images, you can see the font employed to great
effect as well.
Paul Rand
ABC Logo 1962
Season's Greetings ACI 1947
Eye Bee M Poster 1970
Many people have seen his works, but probably never knew it.
His name is synonymous with Corporate Identity and the International Style in
the United States. As you can see from
above, he has created the 'abc' logo as well as various others. Unlike other
designs, logos need a longevity to them to create an identity associated with
the company over a long period of time. Designers recognized this and strived
to create a design that has lasting appeal and was practical to apply to
different formats and situations.
As you can see from the examples above, the designs are
shockingly simple but eye catching too. Everyone is familiar with the abc logo
which is still being used today. The other two not logos but rather messages.
The IBM logo is a play on the letters with using objects for the letters I and
B. Much like the iconic "I <3 NY" design, this one has the viewer
figure it out and its impact causes it to stick in the person's head.
Jan Tschichold
Typographische Gestaltung, 1935
Original prospectus for "Die Neue Typograhie", 1928
Original invitation notice for a lantern lecture, 1927
Tschichold was a proponent of New Typography in the 1920s
and early 1930s. However, around the 1940s, he took a polarized position and
repudiated New Typography due to that it's idea ran parallel to that of the
Nazi Regime during WWII. Above, we have examples that were before he objected
the New Typography. We can see an adherence to the Grid system as well use of
the Akzidenz Grotesk font to create the clean look to the designs. The Die Neue
Typogrpahy is incredibly simplistic, using mostly fonts and a yellow background
but due to the positioning of the text, it creates an composition that moves it
beyond being simply a wall of text. The boldness at the top right pulls the
viewer upwards but there is enough text to help draw the viewer downwards,
especially with the rectangle two-thirds the way down to help push the viewer's
eyes downwards towards the information.
Art Deco
Cassandre
'Air-Orient' Poste Aérienne 1932
'Normandie' French Line Poster 1935
'Nord Express' Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits Poster 1927
A well known Art Deco graphic designer in Paris, Cassandre
was a pseudonym used by Adolphe
Jean-Marie Mouron. He was a member of the Purist Group and it is evident in the
images. We can see across all the images that geometric shapes are dominant
theme in his works. The idea is simple enough that it gets the information to
the viewer without it having to be complicated. This a machinist aesthetic
quality to them, as if the object were broken down into its only necessary
components, the very small details not paid any attention to at all, as if it
were frivolous and unnecessary to the object at all.
Examining the Normandie
image, we can see Cassandre really nailed the feeling of the ocean
liner. It's very vertical but with the large dark shape of the front, the idea
of this ship being large is very easily noticeable. Cassandre captures the
basic necessities for the image to get an impact on the viewer. There is no
major detail in the ship, just a sculptural feel to it. No blemishes at all,
just it's pure basic essence.
Cipe Pineles
Seventeen July yr 1949
Charm January 1954
Charm June yr 1951
Pineles was a pioneer in that she was the first woman to be
an art director of a mass-media periodical and her success landed in magazines
such as Charm and Seventeen. Pineles style clearly revolve around the female
models on the cover of the magazines and how she intends to portray them to the
audience. She takes a simplistic approach to the designs, reducing the image to
it's necessary components while still intending to make its message clear to its
viewers. The images presented show a near full body approach to the women,
unlike in today where often much of the figure is cropped out.
Of particular note is the Seventeen image. It is an
interesting image in that at a quick glance, the viewer is suggested that it's simply a mirror
image of the lady on top. On closer inspection, you will notice that it's in
fact not a mirrored image at all. The female on top is smiling while the bottom
has more a smirk. The umbrellas are also an indication that it's not a mirror
as the top female is holding the umbrella that is on the bottom and vice versa.
It's a very subtle but playful image.
Alexey Brodovitch
Harper's Bazaar Spread, 1938
Alexey became an influential art director in America during
the 1930s. He worked with Cassandre,
which Alexey hired for a creative series cover for Harper's Bazaar. Alexey also
ended up working on some double page spreads which were considered very
compelling. In the above images, you can see he used the images and texts to
resemble each other. On the left, you would have the model in a pose, very
strong composition. On the right, you would find text that captures the essence
of the photo through the text's positioning and format. It was as if Alexey
were trying to capture the elements of the photo and is showing it through pure
text alone.
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