Graphic Design Throughout History
Graphic design has been shaped primarily by social, cultural, political, and technological circumstances throughout history. Because of this, we can observe a number of distinct periods of time in the world of graphic design. Some of these include the Industrial Expansion, Art Nouveau, Aestheticism, Modernism, Constructivism, and Advertising Design. Often, the delivery of designs was based on what ‘technology’ was available during a given period of time. For example, designs in the Industrial Expansion were delivered on a new machine patented in the late 1800s, whereas hieroglyphs in ancient Egypt were created to record history. Each of these ‘eras’ are represented well by the work that was born out of each, acting as a time capsule taking the viewer back to a specific movement.
Art Nouveau
The Art Nouveau movement was directly inspired by the previous Arts and Crafts and Aestheticism movements, in which explored beauty of the past and viewed design as a form of art and representation of life, rather than for commerce and industry. These three movements encompass the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s and utilized many images of birds, vines, and subjects having to do with nature. The work of this movement is also very reminiscent of works from the Middle Ages. While this isn’t my favorite movement of design to look at, I really appreciate the material and inspiration; I appreciate the ways in which designers represented these ideas of the past and of nature. I also was surprised to find out that the General Electric logo was created during this movement. I think it’s a little ironic that the company itself is heavily involved in a number of industrial sectors, yet the logo is very ‘organic’ and was created during a movement which focused on beauty and nature; two very different ideas associated with the same company.
More Resources
- An Essay on the History of Art Nouveau
- The Art Nouveau Movement
- Art Nouveau Architecture Around the World
Cubism
The Cubism movement lasted from about 1900 to 1920, and is represented well by the work of the famous artist Pablo Picasso. Cubism is regarded as one of the most influential movements of the the twentieth century. One of Picasso’s most famous works, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon displays confusion in both space and perspective, and shows the women in a semi-abstract view. This work was published around the time that Einstein presented his theory of relativity. I personally really like the work from this movement, because it deals with freedom in the interpretation of space, time, and reality. I like that it also has a bit of abstraction infused into the movement, and I love how weird, yet appealing the work of this movement can be.
More Resources
- An Essay on the History of Cubism
- Pablo Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon
- Cubism in Graphic Design
Abstraction
The beginnings of abstraction came about during the late 1800’s. The movement can be described as an era in which the subjects of the work were ‘distilled’ or altered in a way that confused the viewers sense of space, shape, and perspective. Detailed and ‘real’ images were often reduced down to the most basic shapes and elements. I find the work during this movement to be really chaotic but very visually appealing, and I love the works that include a lot of color. I think the color can speak louder than the subject of the work because there’s more going on than the simple shapes and elements of the design, and I think it’s interesting that an artist can achieve that.
More Resources
- The Importance of Abstraction in Design
- Abstract Art
- Famous Abstract Artworks From the Last 100 Years
Swiss International
The Swiss International style came about in the 1950s and is characterized by works by designers Josef Muller-Brockmann and Armin Hofmann. Works during this movement utilize the Helvetica typeface, and really geometric and simple designs. I think this is one of my favorite movements in art because the designs are so simple, yet impactful. Designs from this movement are very graphic and bold, and they grab the viewers attention, which is important because this style was often used for advertising.
More Resources
- What is Swiss Design?
- Josef Muller-Brockmann
- Swiss Style: The Principles, the Typefaces, and the Designers
In general, each movement of design is influenced by what is happening in the world during that time period: the cultural circumstances, political environments, and the technology available. Each movement deals with different subject matters and inspirations, and many movements are inspired from previous movements. I think that the ‘great’ designs during each of these movements are those that encapsulate exactly what the movement was all about; what elements or subjects were being highlighted, what the function of art/design was during the time period, and what social/political/cultural movements were occurring during the time period.
