Modernism/ Post Modernism in Graphic Design

Modernism

http://www.flickr.com/photos/grainspace/2256808843/in/photostream/ 

 Swiss modern graphic design for the chemical industry, design by max schmid - basel 1956 for geigy from the book publicity and graphic design in the chemical industry. 1967. 

I believe that this is modern as there is a clear grid system, the columns at the top align to the titles at the bottom. The type is very structures and it is in Helvetica, the typeface to use in a modern piece. The colours are very simple and there is a clear logical hierarchy.

            

http://www.almostmodern.com/manifest

I would say that this is also modern clear type and layout have been experimented with yet again you can recognise a grid like system. Again there are only two colours. The typeface again is sans-serif which means it has no extra details which is typically modern. There are no illustrations, its all type, which is a new concept in design.

http://www.almostmodern.com/the-people-united-will-never-be-defeated

http://www.almostmodern.com/the-people-united-will-never-be-defeated

(February 24th - 2010  The People united will never be Defeated We were invited to provide printed matter for the politically slanted exhibition ‘The people united will never be defeated’. Our initial proposal concerned use of characteristics taken from the flag of Chile, as the title of the exhibition was derived from a Chilean freedom song. This was decided to be too dominant, however. The star displayed is a ‘remnant’ of our proposal. La estrella solitaria (‘The lone star’) is the name of the star incorporated in the Chilean flag. A2 poster folded to an A5 invite.Printed by De Nieuwe Grafische, Rotterdam.)

Again there is no imagery except the star. There is also a grid system this is evident in the body copy. One colour only has been used. The typefaces are sans-serif. And there is a clear left to right hierarchy, title,main copy on the left , body copy on the right.

http://plastolux.com/modern-graphic-design-ccrz.html

This piece is modern as the imagery is photographed, and this was a new medium that was adopted by modernists, because it was new and harnessed new technologies. There is a very minimalistic white colour scheme and yet again the type is Helvetica ( sans-serif ). Aswell as this I think a grid has been used to layout the type. Also a hierarchy again is evident as the titles are larger than the name at the bottom right hand corner, which in a western civilisation is the last area on the page your eyes would read.

The Graphic Artist and his Design Problems, 1968, J Muller- Brockman

This is purely typographical there is no imagery, a modern way of designing . A simple minimal colour scheme, the colours are also neutral and they aren't garish. All the type is aligned left and it is evident a grid system has been used. 

• Sans-Serif Type e.g. aksidenz grotesque now adapted and known as Helvetica.
• Purely Typographical Pieces
• Use of a grid system
• Photography as the imagery
• Minimal colour schemes
• Neutral Colours
• Hierarchy's

Post Modernism

Neville Brody, The Face spread, From 1981 to 1986

Bright colours that clash, colours going over the type making it less readable. Paint has been used in an obvious way to create the background. Neville Brody is known for being a key figure in the post modernism era. His designs always reflected the post modern aesthetic which was anti everything before it.

http://en.etapes.com/niessen-and-de-vries-the-dutch-post-modern-studio, 2006

Again bright colours have been used in an almost garish way. The imagery is hand-drawn illustration. Its unclear of what it is communicating and it looks chaotic and doesn't follow a particular grid system.

Eye, 1962, a self-published broadsheet based on Hollis’s travels in post-revolutionary Cuba.

Again quite chaotic, lots going on, the type is very small and nearly illegible, there is also no clear hierarchy.I think that the photographs themselves aren't full images, some of them are cropped and this was a semi-new technique too.

  

2003 – Massey University (History of Graphic Design)

I would say in this piece there is no clear grid system , type has been laid over other type and so it is unreadable and it has no function, one of the main contrasting points of modernism and post modernism. Also the type has been put in to strange positions e.g sideways, and so it is unconventional and anti-grid. Again no real clear hierarchy or order.   

ID Magazine

This piece is clearly post modern. The colours are bright and clashing, you could say that they are garish. They range chaotically and almost collage like. The strap line type is clearly detailed and hand drawn. The pose of the model is also quite shocking and this is typical of the post modern era, which is known for being punk and therefore anti-establishment.

• Bright, 'Garish' colours
• Illustration, hand drawn
• chaotic layouts, no use of a grid system
• Type laid over other type - plays with legibility and function
• A mixture of typefaces.
• Unclear hierarchy