Introduction
When most people think of Graphic Design, they tend to assume that it hasn’t been around a long time because most people assume that it’s a result of technology. They actually couldn’t be more wrong. Graphic Design started a long time ago with the ancient Egyptians. It was so cool to read through this chapter and learn about all of the different designs that were popular throughout history. It was interesting doing from designs that inspired Pablo Picasso to modern designs that are popular today. Below are some of my favorite eras of design!
Dada
Dada is a beautiful design that came around World War One between 1914-1918. This war was the first where we had a lot of modern technology involved like poisonous gas and machine guns. As a history nerd, I loved learning about Graphic Design during this time because the World Wars played such a big part in history. Artists would use Dada to show how the world had gone crazy over the years with all of the war and destruction. One important thing that a Dada artist said was that in any form of regular art, Dada would follow the opposite rules. I like the idea of not following the rules because when creating art, it should be something that allows the artist to be free and I think Dada can do that. Many artists that use Dada have the ultimate goal of breaking away from traditional styles and allowing Dada to become a new style that people loved. Click here to read an article about Dada design in the United Kingdom. To learn more about the history of Dada click here. To learn more about what Dada is and how it is used click here.
Surrealism
Surrealism is another really cool design that caught my attention and it occurred at the end of the Dada era in 1924. Surrealism is based on pictures, and the intent of Surrealism is to surprise or shock the audience so they can get a reaction out of people. I think this is a very cool way to get a design to the public or just to send a message. I like these designs because I feel that we see Surrealism all of the time in our lives and we don’t realize it. My favorite thing about this type of design is that it is on purpose to make people react. When Surrealism first started to emerge, it was very controversial but I think it is one of the best designs ever! The neat thing about Surrealism is that it is a very broad category, so it is easily adaptable. For some great facts and history about Surrealism, click here. Click this link to view an incredible image gallery that is dedicated to Surrealism. Click here for a great article about Surrealism.
De Stijl
De Stijl has to be my favorite era of all of them! This design uses straight lines, primary colors and right angles all throughout. This design was founded around the same time as Dada and Surrealism in the year 1917 but is a much different style of design. The purpose of De Stijl is to have it be geometrical and have some order so it can grab the audience’s attention. I love how modern this design looks. I have always loved this style of design and I think that De Stijl is timeless. I also love how it uses balance to make everything look like it is neat and was made with a purpose. Click here to read up more about De Stijl. Click this link to watch a neat video of the past 100 years of De Stijl. Click here to view a De Stijl image gallery.
Futurism
Futurism is a design style that took inspiration from science rather than a more traditional approach and was created in the 1910s. This style has been easily connected with science fiction due to its unique and eye-catching designs. Futurism combines both motion lined and striking shapes to create it’s designs and breaks away from vertical and horizontal. This section of graphic design really caught my eye because I am a lover of science fiction books, so this design style caught my attention instantly. These designs are able to get the audience thinking and wondering about what message the artist is trying to send. This style is very unique and I think it is one that will be around for a long time. Click here to learn more about Futurism. Click here to watch a cool video about Futurism. Click here to see images of some of the most popular works of Futurism art.
Conclusion
Graphic Design is a very cool and very important part of our society. It is all around us and a lot of people tend to take it for granted. I think especially with these four styles that it shows how creative and inspiring graphic design and art in general can be. I have learned a lot learning about how different styles of art were created and seeing how they inspired famous artists. Graphic Design is a powerful thing and I think that it is so cool to learn about how much it has changed and evolved over time. I cannot wait to see what the future has in store for Graphic Design.
