According to Remington in his book American Modernism: Graphic Design 1920 to 1960:
Modernism as a rejection of the traditional Victorian values (p. 16)
“…Influenced by the European avant-garde movement of the 1920s and 30s” (p.31)
The syntax (or the visual language and aesthetic) of Modernism was described by Remington to contain the following:
Process values
· To reject traditional forms and decorative elements
· To seek a solution that was simple and direct
· To be concerned with the process by which the designer worked
· To use systematic methods rather than intuitive ones
· To use rational, objective approaches to solving of a graphic problem
· To think about relationships in form and content
Formal visual values
· To use geometric shapes: the circle, the triangle and the square
· To use primary colours
Typography
· To use sans serif typefaces
· To show contrast in typographical material
· To base work on pragmatic issues of printing, paper sizes, photo engraving, standardization
Imagery
· The use of photographs and photomontage rather than drawings of illustrations
· The use of silhouetted photographs with white backgrounds
· The use of maps and diagrams
· The use of graphic symbols and icons
Organization
· The use of asymmetric page layout
· The use of a grid or clearly delineated page-organising method
· To apply a planned visual hierarchy in the manner in which the graphic elements were integrated
· To know and apply perceptual laws (i.e. keeping elements grouped)
· To apply continuity in page flow
Milestones and Key Figures
Here are the milestones of the movement according to various online and offline sources:
The design of the first font (1903) by Frederick W. Goudy (Remington 2003, p. 13)
Art Noveau (1884-1914) (artsy.net 2016) and Art Deco (1920-1940) (thecultureconcept.com 2013). These two movements focused heavily on commercial art and advertising.
The Russian Revolution of 1917 brought about Soviet Propaganda graphics (wallpaper.com 2018)
DIN standards (Deutsche Industrie Norm) established in 1917 by the German Institute of Standardization in Berlin (Gomez-Palacio and Vit 2009, p. 377)
The term ‘graphic design’ coined in 1922 by William Addison Dwiggins (Remington 2003, p. 41)
Creation of the ‘Universal’ typeface by Herbert Bayer in 1925 (Crouch 1999, p. 100)
The influence of Bauhaus (1919-1933) (theartstory.org n.d.)
The New Typography Movement (1920s-1930s) evident in Soviet Russian, German, Dutch, and Czechoslovakian graphics (tate.org.uk n.d.)
Emigration of European designers to the US (1930s) during WWI (Remington 2003, p. 52)
The movement’s influential people and groups were:
Alexander Rodchenko (known from Russian Constructivism) – he experimented a lot with different mediums, he declared the ‘death of painting’ in 1921 with his exhibition that featured three monochrome paintings (moma.org n.d.)
Die Brücke “The Bridge” (Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schimdt-Rottluff, Otto Mueller and Max Pechstein – their group sought to bridge the past and present; ‘Their art confronted feelings of alienation from the modern world by reaching back to pre-academic forms of expression including woodcut prints, carved wooden sculptures, and "primitive" modes of painting. This quest for authentic emotion led to an expressive style characterized by heightened color and a direct, simplified approach to form.’(theartstory.org n.d.)
The Bauhaus School (Albers, Walter Gropius, Herbert Bayer, Lazslo Moholy-Nagy and Marcel Breuer) – ‘The Bauhaus is often seen as the paradigm of Modernist design…it is often seen as the cradle and focus of Modernism.’ (Crouch 1999, p. 68)
A.M. Cassandre (Art Deco) – famous for his posters and ads (designishistory.com n.d.)
Lester Beall– Eclecticism and surrealism (Remington 2003, p. 66)
Paul Rand – editorial design influenced by Bayer and Brodovitch (Remington 2003, p.62)
Bradbury Thompson – relationship between text and image, focused on typography (famousgraphicdesigners.org n.d.)
My insights
Based on my research, what can be said about the graphic design Modernist movement is that it was very much influenced by all the other creative fields present (art, architecture, film, etc.) and vice versa (e.g. design’s influence in furniture design or film design). There is however a clear distinction between art and design. According to designer William Golden:
‘a graphic designer is employed for a certain sum of money, by someone who wants something in print to somebody. The man with something to say comes to the designer in the belief that the designer with his special skills will say it more effectively for him’ (Remington 2003, p. 32).
According to the Dschool (Singh 2018):
The designer’s job isn’t to invent something new, but to communicate something that already exists, for a purpose.’ Singh (2018) aptly puts it, ‘The design is there to fill a need. Art fills no need except its own internal need to exist and challenge the viewer.
Modernism’s influence on graphic design is still very evident today for the main reason that it is essentially the foundation of graphic design as a formal discipline. The modernist syntax presents designers with time-tested solutions and techniques while at the same time allowing them to inject creativity and innovation into formal grids. The modernist graphic design approach continues to present itself as a cultural chameleon, still ever-changing and evolving with the spirit of the times.
References:
A.M. Cassandre, n.d., viewed 23 July 2019, <http://www.designishistory.com/1920/am-cassandre/>.
Art & Artists: Alexander Rodchenko, n.d.,viewed 23 July 2019, < https://www.moma.org/artists/4975>
Bauhaus, n.d., viewed 23 July 2019, <https://www.theartstory.org/movement-bauhaus.htm>.
Bradbury Thompson, n.d., viewed 23 July 2019, <https://www.famousgraphicdesigners.org/bradbury-thompson>.
Crouch, C 1999, Modernism in art, design & architecture, St. Martin’s Press Inc, New York.
Die Brücke, n.d., viewed 23 July 2019, https://www.theartstory.org/movement-die-brucke.htm>.
Gomez-Palacio, B & Vit, A 2009, Graphic Design, Referenced: A Visual Guide to the Language, Applications, and History of Graphic Design, Rockport Publishers, Massachusetts.
Keh, P 2018, The Soviet propaganda graphics that shaped the Russian Revolution, viewed 18 July 2019, <https://www.wallpaper.com/art/soviet-propaganda-graphic-design-wolfsonian>.
Le Bourdais, P 2016, Art History 101: What is Art Noveau? viewed 20 July 2019, <https://www.artsy.net/series/art-history-101/artsy-editorial-art-nouveau>.
McDowal, C 2013, Art Deco – A Revolution Of Design & Style For The Modern Age, viewed 18 July 2019, <https://www.thecultureconcept.com/art-deco-a-revolution-of-design-style-for-the-modern-age>.
Remington, R 2003, American Modernism: Graphic Design 1920 to 1960, Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London.
Singh, A 2018, Difference between Art and Design, viewed 23 July 2019, < https://medium.com/dschool/what-is-the-difference-between-art-and-design-d3af93ea8543
>.
Stock-Allen, N 2011 The New Typography, viewed 20 July 2019, <http://www.designhistory.org/Avant_Garde_pages/DieNeueType.html>.
The New Typography, n.d., viewed <https://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1013>.
Lester Beall cover image source:
Comments