Blog Four 23th Feb

In today's class we addressed a variety of subject matter, all that lead back to the main theme of addressing the elements and movements that brought about twentieth century graphic design. We began by addressing the Plakastil movement, whose founder was Lucian Bernhard. I found it interesting that he was a self taught graphic artist whose techniques where outrageously experimental for his time. It shows that to progress in design and innovation one has to do a variety of unique experiments whether acceptable by society or not. Bernhard single handily set out the strategy for posters of the 20th century as well as having a understanding for the essence of the 20th century communication. Graphic Design was no longer limited to one medium of work and played and important role in national identity, through the use of propaganda posters. Another aspect of this lecture that i found interesting was the difference in elements of poster design in World War One. The Allies and Central Powers design aesthetics were greatly different. The Allies were into mythological figures and confronted individuals with patriotic emotion such as the iconic Uncle Sam posters, where as the Central Powers used symbolic images to convey the essence of the events as well as continuing the traditions of abstraction laid down by Bernhard. Another important topic that was discussed was dealing with typographic materiality and answering the question of where the typographic impluse came from. The emergance of this awareness arose from Futurism and Dadaism. It amazed me how many of our typographic fundamentals came from these periods such as the dna of how we make messages or using type expressively.

Blog Three 9th Feb 2009

Today's lecture encompassed the art movement, Art Nouveau. The period only lasted around twenty years however in was considered a vital movement because it was the initial art movement that transitioned into the twentieth century. Unlike in the early industrial revolution period, which brought the deterioration of the book in quality and in design in favor for mass production. The Art Nouveau period brought back the concern and need for design, focusing on quality and craft rather than design. It was considered the first international art movement because it did not just occur in one location or country, instead it grew from its creators in Britian. The movement brought back concern and focused on three key points: inventing their own forms instead of retaking from history, ornamental design blends into the structure instead of being added as a decorative after form, and designers becme involved in symbolic and philiosophic art concerns. There were many influences for Art Nouveau, ranging from Japanese design and Ukiyo-e to Pre- Raphaelite paintings and Illuminated maunscripts. However what i found most intriguing was the changed that occured through this period. The design went from more organic forms into geometric forms. Also new perspectives were discovered and flatness brought into forms. A great example of this is illustrated in the newer posters that became the first modern poster. Flatness was brought into the caberat girl icons that became the symbols for beauty. All these details that we learnt today are essential to mordern design because it lay down the fundementals such as basic geometric both in design and typography.

Blog Two 2nd Feb 2009

As we learned from the previous lecture type was evolving through the periods. Where we had left off was at the end of the transitional period and entering the modern style of the Rocco period that focused on the contrast on thick and thin strokes. However, from todays lecture we learned that it was the Industrial Revolution that radically changed and altered printing and type. It was in this period where many of the 'firsts' were created and invented. An example of the is the creation of paper making machines, however the most significant was the invention on mass communication. It is this invention that starts the ball rolling for the other evolutions in type and printing. It was mass production of products and the rise of the middle class that first brought around the need for mass communication. Companies were competing in the streets for advertisement of there companies, each making bigger posters to gain more attention. As a result larger and a variety of type was needed to distinguish each company from another. Books were also able to be mass produced, however there quality was less then low and the design wasnt taken into consideration. I found it interesting that type and illustration went hand in hand during this period. An illustrator needed to be a good type drafter to make it in the industry because it wasnt until the 20th century that photography was introduced into newspapers. Also editorial design emerged and the forefathers of such editorial publications are still around today, such as the Harper brothers' Bazaar. I find it fascinating how designers of that time had to be skilled in so many areas, however i feel that this was slightly detrimental becasue they werent able to focus on one component of design and produce quality rather than quanitiy. A good example of this is the mass production of book, as i had mentioned earlier. Being a designer today and knowing the history of were advertisng and design originated is very important becasue one can see all the basic fundamentals that were laid down and how successful they were that they are still in use today.