SDCC Graphic Design History

Midterm Style Splitting

2012-02-09T10:31:00.000-08:00

Print this out and study it for the midterm. You will be tested on the following styles in alphabetical order:

A Arts and Crafts
B Art Nouveau
C Cubism
D Dada
E Expressionism
F Futurism
G Surrealism
H Ukiyo-E
I Victorian
J Vienna Secession

There are clues that can help you split some of the styles of graphic design and modern art. Look closely at an image and use the style characteristics as well as other clues like language to differentiate one style from another.

The Victorian era is easy to recognize as the renderings are naturalistic [they look photographic] printed with chromolithography. You won't see the abstraction or stylization of image. It will look like it is in full color and often you will see a border that has all kinds of ornament in it. The passion for ephemera includes images of sweetness, nostalgia, children, butterflies, wildflowers, flags. If there is any typography the language would be English and the font selection decorative. Perhaps there are people in the image and they might be in Victorian attire.

Arts and Crafts couldn't be more different than Victorian. Often it is in black and white, one color or just a few unlike the full range of hues found in Victorian graphics. Leaves and flowers are highly stylized and abstracted and are often used to form elaborate borders. Horror Vacuii, a crowding of design elements in the field often results in very little white space. The affinity for historicism or use of past styles is evident especially when the imagery is medieval figures. As a private press movement you can also recognize if an image looks like a book. The fonts are more classical and not decorative as in Victorian graphics but they also liked to use initial caps. The language is English.

Ukiyo-e reveals itself through Japanese themes as a result of isolationism. You might see geisha girls, kabuki theatre, nature or scenes from everyday Japanese life such as women weaving. The method used was woodcuts and looking at these images you have a sense that you are frozen in time at floating objects in a floating world. If typography is present it would be in Japanese.

Art Nouveau might possibly get mixed up with Arts and Crafts but careful observation makes the difference evident. Both styles use stylized natural forms of birds, flowers and leaves. Art Nouveau had international popularity and languages might include French, German, Spanish and English. If there is typography and it is written in any language other than English it is a good clue that the image might be Art Nouveau. Look for the whiplash curve for bimorphic, curvilinear lines. Women look exotic as if they are removed from contemporary time and place. The use of a range of colors also helps you to seperate this style from English Arts and Crafts.

Tall, thin compositions and elongated figures and typography are an important part of Vienna Secession imagery. Stylization is used and flat, unmodulated color is an important indicator of the style. Typography is hand drawn and stylized, often very difficult to read but a strong visual match for the imagery. Possible languages might include English with references to Scotland, German and Austrian. Early works sometimes resemble stained glass windows with geometric spatial divisions conveying spiritual and mystical ideas. Highly stylized roses are a common motif.

In modern art, Cubism is most easily identified by the faceting of surfaces. It is like you are looking at the facets of a diamond and this is a result of simultaneity where the subject is viewed from several angles at once, the subject remaining stationary while the viewer or artist moves around the subject. Monochromatic palettes are seen in analytical cubism and geometric shapes. This style originated in France.

Futurism was born in Italy and often you will see futurist poetry or text in an image that might be written in Italian. They like to write the word futurista in their works. Free, uncontrolled typography and the use of onomatopoeia where words are used whose sounds suggest a sense or emotion. An example of this might be scrabrrrrrraanng or esplosione in a Marinetti poem. In figurative works the viewer remains staionary and the subject moves, the subject is represented in multiple positions at once. In graphic works letters suggest sounds from different sources heard at once. Graphic illustrations such as Depero would include the machine aesthetic such as robots, automatons or elements suggesting industry. Strong diagonal lines imply dynamism and futurists worshipped speed, technology, and war.

Dada can be identified by photomontage, absurdity, humor or social criticism. Ready made materials and found objects often find their way into the works. Random chance plays its part and Dadaists criticized the decadence of European society and a world they thought had gone mad with war. German is the primary language and you might see pieces that mock Hitler, or the Mona Lisa.

As there are two schools of Expressionism that originated in Germany it can sometimes be difficult to identify it. Die Brücke was known for bold contour drawing that expressed a deep sense of social crisis and empathy for the poor. Woodcuts and exaggerated distorted color, drawing and proportions are present. In Der Blaue Reiter you see thick paint and in the works of Kandinsky and Klee you see a search for a spiritual reality through color, form and line.

Surrealists works are sometimes confused with Dada. Does it look like a dream or a nightmare you might have had last night?
Dream imagery and personal symbolism are evident in these works. You can find illogical juxtapositions of elements and the familiar in an unfamiliar setting. Originating in Spain the images are often bizarre and unexpected and this makes it difficult to distinguish them from Dada. If the social criticism is missing and it is more like a dream then you are looking at surrealism.

Welcome to Graphic Design History this Spring 2012

2011-01-19T09:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks for checking out our class blog. I've posted a variety of videos and imagery that I think might interest you and further your appreciation of design styles. Make sure to click on older posts to read more.

Looking forward to a great semester and our journey through style.

Don't forget to check out the San Diego City College Graphic Design Program blog to find out about design related events in San Diego. Become a follower and grow your design knowledge and contacts.

http://sdccgraphicdesign.blogspot.com/

Keep a bibliography for your journal

2010-06-18T17:21:00.000-07:00

Remember to keep a running bibliography of all the sites you use for each style in your journal. At the end of class you will need to compile and submit them in the 8 by 8 format. I've included a sample.

Victorian Era

2010-06-18T17:18:00.001-07:00

Learning to identify styles of design is a process of looking for visual clues. Imagine you are from another planet with no pre-conceived notions and try to really see images.

Victorians were positive optimists who had solid moral and religious beliefs. They wanted to express the spirit of their time and the result was aesthetic confusion. The combined Gothic style and Moorish ornament and their design reflected idealized beauty, nostalgia, sweetness and sentimentality. Popular scrap art bit images included children, butterflies, flowers and puppies and Victorians collected them.

Characteristics of Victorian design:
Chromolithography-an innovative method of printing that achieved compelling naturalism or realism
Naturalistic renderings-they wanted images to look as they did in nature, like a photograph
Decorative type
Lots of ornament-they were fond of borders with lots of stuff in them
Ephemera-these were art bits they cut out from cards and would often scrapbook

Take a look at the poster from the Cleveland and Hendricks Presidential campaign by S.S. Frizzall and you will see chromolithographic printing designed to make their portraits look like natural or real. The Our Navy booklet page by Shumacher & Ettlinger shows the decorative type popular in the Victorian era. If the type looks like it belongs on a circus wagon then you are looking at Victorian fonts.
This love of ornament often found it's way into elaborate borders as pictured in Our Navy and the Presidential poster. I've included an image by Louis Prang-the father of the Christmas card [too bad he didn't get royalties for that idea] that shows a range of ephemera printed with chromolithography. Using this method printers could also make images on tin as seen in the packaging for a wide range of products. This would be considered a great idea today as the containers were reusable and thus did not end up in a landfill but given a second life.

Images: S.S. Frizzall/ Shumacher & Ettliner/ Louis Prang

Arts & Crafts

2010-06-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

The Arts and Crafts Movement was a strong reaction to the poor quality of mass produced goods in the Victorian era. They detested the social, moral and visual confusion and believed design and craft needed to be reunited. William Morris who led the movement called for a fitness of purpose, truth to the nature of materials and means of production.

You can identify this style by:
Stylized natural forms [leaves, flowers]
Horror vacuii-a crowding of design elements in the field
Historicism-a use of past styles especially medieval figure
Private press movement-often things look like a book
Black and white-is a popular palette or one color such a red on white
Typography changes from decorative [Victorian] to a revival of classical fonts

This photo is of William Morris who was the oldest son of a wealthy wine importer and grew up in the beautiful English countryside filled with mansions and ancient churches. Originally he was going to be a pastor and he read medieval history, poetry and stories then began to write poetry and philosophical text. He went to work at an architectural office, then pursued painting as his family had lots of money. He established Kelmscott Press and here in the logotype you see the stylization of leaves and plants. Unlike the Victorians who wanted naturalism, this stylization and simplification helps to identify the era. This epoch was committed to create beautiful, limited edition, handmade books from private presses. There is very little white space but the picture plane is filled, even crowded by type and imagery-this is horror vacuii. A common palette is black and white [no chromolithography] or perhaps one color printing. Notice how the type they chose was no longer decorative but more classical and simple.

images/ William Morris/ Arthur H. Mackmurdo/Lucien and Esther Pissarro

Ukiyo-e

2010-06-18T17:16:00.000-07:00

Ukiyo-e is an art movement of Japan from 1603-1867 and this period was a time of stability, economic expansion and a thriving cultural art scene. The shogun who was a military governor was worried about Christian missionaries and European colonial expansion and so he adopted a policy of national seclusion. Japanese people couldn't travel abroad, trade was restricted and these decrees affected Japanese art. The word ukiyo-e means pictures of the floating world.

This style is very easy to identify by:
Floating objects in a floating world-entertainment districts of Edo [modern Tokyo] were called the floating world
Sense that we are frozen in time
Japanese themes-such as geisha girls, kabuki theatre and nature were a result of isolationism
Woodcuts

Look at the first image by Moronobu-Young man with two courtesans. The man appears to be floating above the floor-there is no drop shadow to ground him. In the images you see the Japanese themes-scenes from daily life. In Hiroshige's Evening Squall at Great Bridge near Atake and the snowy scene you have a sense that we are frozen in time-like we are viewing just a quick snapshot of a moment. The method used to make these images were Japanese woodblock prints. The sky patterns in the image of Mount Fuji and the women working thread mirrors the simplification in Art Nouveau graphics such as the flat color and silhouette work of Toulouse Lautrec. Japonisme happened in the late 19th century at there was a mania for all things Japonese. European artists were spellbound with the abstractions, simplifications and unconventional use of bold, black outlines.

images Mornonbu/Hiroshige/Hokusai

Art Nouveau

2010-06-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

Art Nouveau was a decorative style with international influence that affected many areas of design including graphics, architecture, furniture and product design and fashion. It was the transitional style that evolved away from the historicism that relied on past styles. It became the first wave of the modern movement.

Characteristics include:
Stylized natural forms-leaves, flowers [watch out it sounds like Arts & Crafts]
Whiplash curve-bimorphic lines, curvilinear
Exotic females-removed from contemporary time and place

Imagery: Jules Cheret/Alphonse Mucha/Toulouse Lautrec

Please make sure to click older posts to review the other styles we have covered this semester.

Vienna Secession Style

2009-06-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

American architect Frank Lloyd Wright was a huge inspiration to artists and designer in late 19th century Europe. I love the documentary by Ken Burns on Wright as it clearly shows his genius, his ego and a life story fit for the tabloids. Four students at the Glasgow School of Art-Charles Rennie Mackintosh, J Herbert McNair, and sisters Margaret and Frances Macdonald created a groundbreaking style bringing together geometry, symbolism and mystical ideas.
You can recognize this work as it has elongated figures and tall, thin compositions. The type is also elongated, hand drawn and highly stylized-often difficult to read. You can see the influence of these fonts when you see the psychadelic posters out of San Francisco. Their pieces had flat, unmodulated color with geometric shapes. Some of these vertical compositions resemble stain glass windows for their geometry and black outlines designating the spaces. In their work you can see symbolic and mystical ideas in the imagery. This movement took hold in Vienna and seccessionists included Gustav Klimt, Alfred Roller and Koloman Moser. One of the best ways to make your design movement take off is to create a zine. The Arts & Crafts movement had Hobby Horse and Ver Sacrum was the zine of the Seccession and was known for it's use of white space, unique printing methods and visual style.
Images: Koloman Moser, Margaret Macdonald, Koloman Moser, Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Influence of Modern Art

2009-06-27T11:33:00.002-07:00

Cubism was the invention of Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque who were joined by Fernand Leger and Juan Gris. This new way of seeing challenged the traditions of pictorial art.
Cubism
Monochromatic palette [analytical cubism]
Faceting of surfaces
Geometric shapes
Simultaneity [the subject is viewed from several angles at once, the subject remains stationary and the viewer moves]
BLOG IMAGE: PABLO PICASSO

The futurists led by Italian poet Filippo Marinetti worshiped war, speed, machines, robots and their work included both poetry and graphic illustrations such as the work of Fortunato Depero. Other artists included Guillaume Apollinaire and Lewis Carroll.
FUTURISM [poetry]
Free typography
Onomatopoeia [use of words whose sounds from different sources heard at once]
Simultaneity: [In graphic works-letters suggest sounds from different sources heard at once]/[In figurative works-the viewer remains stationary and the subject moves, the subject is viewed in multiple positions at once]
FUTURISM [graphic illustrations]
Geometric patterns
Onomatopoeia [use of words whose sounds suggest a sense/emotion]
Machine aesthetic [automatons, or elements suggesting industry]
Strong diagonal lines to suggest dynamism
BLOG IMAGE: F. MARINETTI

Dada originated in Zurich, Switzerland and the name was developed by randomly opening a French dictionary to the word Dada which meant a child's hobby horse. They rejected tradition, European decadence and raged against the carnage of World War I. Noted artists included Marcel Duchamp, Hugo Ball, Tristan Tzara, Jean Arp, John Heartfield, and Hannah Höch.
DADA
Shock, protest, nonsense, random chance
Ready made materials
Absurdity, humor and social criticism
Photomontage
No faith in technology, religion and moral codes
BLOG IMAGE: J HEARTFIELD

Surrealism is easy to identify. If it looks like a dream or nightmare you might have had then you are most likely in the right category. Based in Spain and in contrast to Dada artist had an almost poetic faith in mankind. Concepts of intuition and the unconscious realm as examined by Freud inspired their works. They practiced automatic writing-searching for truth. This style is in the work of Salvador Dali, René Magritte, Max Ernst and Giorgio de Chirico.
SURREALISM
Dream imagery
Personal symbolism
Illogical juxtapositions of elements
Familiar in an unfamiliar setting
BLOG IMAGE: S. DALI

Expressionism had two schools originating in Germany-Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter. The former was figurative with the latter abstract but both sought to convey emotions. Käthe Kollwitz, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky conveyed unexpressed feelings through their work.
EXPRESSIONISM
Bold contour drawing
Woodcuts
Deep sense of social crisis
Empathy for the poor
Thick paint
Exaggerated distorted color, drawing and proportions
BLOG IMAGES:K. KOLLOWITZ/W. KANDINSKY