Post-modern Graphic design
Post-modern reacted against the sterility of modernism.
Embracing art, architecture, fashion, graphic design, furniture, postmodernism
re-established interest in ornamentation, symbolism and visual wit. In other
words, this was a funny period of design. The constructivist poster also uses
the geometrical shapes. The punk movement often used found material to create
their band promotions. The loose, arbitrary collage approach would later
inspire postmodern artists.
An
influential designer was Wolfgang Weingart. He was a teacher at Switzerland’s
Basel school of Design. Weingart rejected the dogmatic typography of Tschichold
and Emil Ruder. Weingart took the grid and typeface Akzidenz-Grotesk from its
restrictive Swiss design and applied it to his designs. He created more
visually complex and more appealing designs. He created rectilinear stepped
blocks. Weingart embraced collage and experimented with sandwiching layers of
film, juxtaposing textures with images, overprinting of colours, wide
letterspacing and type in bars. Although he made a lot of experiments, he never
moved away from using his favourite type face – Helvetica.
In the
1984 Apple Macintosh launched the 1st personal computer. Apple
contributed to make key features that then became tools for graphic design like
the mouse, Adobe softwares and post script lasser printer. A graphic designer
that was one of the first that made use of these tools was April Greiman.
April Greiman
Greiman was a student of Wolfgang Weingart. She made use of
Swiss Modern mixed with Californian colouring and the new technology and of
multi layering effects. Greiman would often use the condensed version of
Helvetica, usually in italic and letter spaced. She designed for Esprit, Xerox,
Wet, Benetton, Optica and the 1984 Olympic Committee.
Other British designers who experimented in the New Wave were
Neville Brody, Peter Saville and Malcolm Garrett.
Neville Brody
Brody was an Art editor of magazine “The face” and worked for
the British labels Stiff records and fetish records. Brody incorporated
hand-drawn typefaces and custom graphic symbols into his page layouts.
Peter Saville
Peter Saville is the most influential rock graphic designer
within the British music industry. Saville was inspired by the current retro
chic of the 80’s; he recycled past images to make contrasts of today. He does
not only work for rock music but worked with Pentagram, ABC Television,
Christian Dior, Swatch, Mercedes Benz and Smart.
Malcolm Garrett
Malcolm
Garrett studied typography at Reading University from 1974-75 and graphic
design at Manchester Polytechnic from 1975-78. In 1977, he produced his first
professional work and made an immediate impact with his designs for Manchester
Punk rock group Buzzcocks. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Garrett was
rapidly identified, along with colleagues Peter Saville and Neville Brody, as
one of the most influential designers working for youth culture clients such as
the music business and style magazines. Later album covers included Simple
Minds and then collaborated with Jamie Reid.
Some
differences of the Swatch posters of the 80’s and 2000’s:
The poster of toady is simpler and the focal point of the
poster is the watch.
References:
- Eye Magazine | Feature | Reputations: Malcolm Garrett. 2014. Eye Magazine | Feature | Reputations: Malcolm Garrett. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.eyemagazine.com/feature/article/reputations-malcolm-garrett. [Accessed 31 December 2014].
- Graphic Design History | Postmodern. 2014. Graphic Design History | Postmodern. [ONLINE] Available at: http://gds.parkland.edu/gds/!lectures/history/1975/postmodern.html. [Accessed 31 December 2014].
