IS IT POSSIBLE TO DESCRIBE ANY ASPECT OF GRAPHIC DESIGN TODAY AS POSTMODERNIST?
To obtain a greater understanding of what defines post modernist graphic design you must begin by looking at the aspects that define modernist design, and where modernist designers acquire their inspiration.
Modernist design as a generalization is born from a Europe that is in a transitional period of social and cultural change. Largely the vehicle for this social and cultural change was that of revolution and industrialization with in Europe.
Around the turn of the 19th century the French were the first to embrace the ideal of modernist design, and everything that came with it. It was the optimistic, fresh approach of this period that inspired work such as this shown below.
This a poster by Toulouse-Lautrec made in the 1890’s. It shows the first movement away from fine art, with use of typography and simple design layout. The typography suggests early modernism, with its san serif typeface and text manipulation. The colors used also suggest early modernism, with synthetic colours, suggesting an early movement away from painting. These aspects are typical throughout the modernist age of design. This poster is typical of early French modernism, advertising a cabaret show, an aspect of life that came about due to the social changes of modernism.
Perhaps the first movement with in modernism that rejected all old ideologies and marked progression through out Europe was Futurism. This quote from Futurism’s founder backs this up.
“There can be no nostalgia, no pessimism, there is no turning back”
This quote really shows a turning point in the mind set of the design community of the time, it was the aim of Marinetti and the futurists to renew and revitalize all aspects of human life, through design. An example of Marinetti’s work is shown below.
This is a perfect but simple example of Marinetti’s work that demonstrates his futurist styles. Innovative text manipulation, and layout amplify this works futurist definition.
The next big movement within modernism came in the 1920’s in Russia, with constructivism. Like the futurist movement the constructivists were focused on changing the lifestyles of the average person. The constructivist movement developed from the Russian revolution. Specifically this movement was based hugely around propaganda, enforcing change on the Russian people. Perhaps the most obvious aspects of the work from this period was its simplicity in layout and that it was largely image based. This was due to the low literacy rates of the time. The colours used were also eye catching and bold. A prime example of this period is shown below.
Photomontage was a new technique that was typical of modernity. The san serif type also highlights this. Perhaps the main theory/belief that came from the constructivists was that all design should be free from ornament; a series of coded signs. This is a huge aspect in determining the difference between Modernist and Postmodernist design.
Perhaps the most influential group of designers throughout Modernism were designers that attended the Bauhaus. The Bauhaus enabled students to be multi disciplinary, and aimed at producing design for mass production with functionality. It is this functionality that set the strap line for the entirety of modernism ‘form follows function’. The Bauhaus also had a philosophy of universality, another important aspect in defining modernism.
One of the most notable names to take the principles of Bauhausian design was Paul Rand, who from 1930 took the principles to the mass markets, in advertising and corporate design. His work is shown below.
This a prime example of modernist beliefs in the mass market, with the typeface used and the simplicity in design. The quote below shows Rand’s belief in simplicity.
“Design is so simple, that's why it is so complicated”
Another group of hugely influential modernist designers hailed from Switzerland in the 1950’s, by the 70’s they had created the most prominent graphic style in the world. It was known as the international typographic style. And took modernist ideologies of clear and objective design to its limits. With gridded designs, unified structure and sans serif typefaces. A prime example of this is shown below.
This is a prime example of simplicity, advertising an event by using simple imagery and only the information required, a great example of the form following the function.
To develop this essay we now have to look what really defines post modernism, and compare graphic work produced today to both theories. It’s important to remember the true aspects of Modernist design. Specifically remembering the quote. “Form follows function”
As this quote really embodies everything that is modernist. From the social change in the early 19th century that was the birth of Modernism, to the structure and functionality of late Swiss modernism.
The Postmodern era is said to have began in the 80’s, closely linked with the digital age of design. On a broad scale Postmodernism is the rejection of orthodox modernist simplicity and purity. It rejects the modernist ideals of form following function, and has greater emphasis on what the piece of design physically looks like.
Wolfgang Weingart was a seminal figure in the development of the “new wave” that in time came to be called postmodernist. Weingart was a Swiss designer highly trained in international typographic style. Weingart began to reject the regulations and objectives of modernist design. Saying it suppressed his creative urges. The quote below proves this.
“It seemed that everything that made me curious, was forbidden”
Weingart was determined not to be constrained by the Swiss typographic styles, and began to experiment by manipulating the type and using alternative layouts.
Here you can see the embryonic stages of Postmodernism; weingart was beginning to push the boundaries of legibility, through text manipulation and rejection of Swiss modernist layouts. The manipulation gives a sense of spontaneity, something that Postmodernist designers aim for.
Postmodernist designers believed that there should be no boundaries between high-end culture and popular culture, abolishing boundaries between socio economic groups. By exploring many different styles and movements in one piece of work, designers could try to abolish this boundary. Giving the piece diversity from the old to the new. The quote below proves this.
“Generally post modern artists like to mix the highbrow and the populist, the alienating and accessible, and the ‘sample’ elements different styles and eras…
Now you can reinvent yourself endlessly, gaily pick ‘n’ mixing your way through the gaudy fragments of a shattered culture”
An Example of the “pick n mix styles” and the breaking down of the set modernist grids and styles is shown below.
The designer Reid, used a variety of different materials on this cd cover. Again putting across his idea’s and his spontaneity, its almost a crude piece of design, that gave inspiration in the 80’s to thousands of amateur designers, making design possible for the masses, destroying a social boundary, typical of this period of postmodernism, and postmodernism as a whole.
Another way to distinguish postmodernist design would be to look at design composition as a whole. Modernist design believed in the simplicity and effectiveness of structured layout. Postmodernism often has a full composition, and is very ornamental in its portrayal. Its expectable in postmodernism to almost confuse onlookers. A great movement within postmodernism that proves this, is that of deconstruction. Cranbrook Academy was perhaps the epicenter for the deconstructionist movement; this movement was designed to question legibility, and is without a direct attack on modernist theories. There is no set layout, or set spacing within typography and image. The onlooker has to work to discover the meaning of piece, if there is one at all. This is the direct opposite to modernism. A great example of this is shown below.
You can see the difficulty in legibility and the confusion created in the composition, typical of postmodernist works.
It’s not time to begin analysing the recently created Graphic Design, create a conclusion to the question “is any aspect of graphic design post modern?” When analyzing the question, its important to take in the use of the word “any” suggesting we only need to find a few definite examples of modern graphics to confirm that there is indeed postmodernism with in Graphic Design today.
“Postmodernism was a passing fad, the best thing about it, is that it is dead.”
This is a quote from Massimo Vignelli, he believes strongly that postmodernism was never a period at all, and just a fad or false idea. To me this shows the upmost naivety, as there has been such a distinctive shift in graphic design, from the 60’s onwards, especially if you refer to typographic pieces. The 60’s Swiss designers focused entirely on what was clear and legible, with set structures and layouts. If you compare to the digital age we are in today you will see the use of type as image and ornament. This Virgin mobile advertising campaign demonstrates this well. I believe the digital age, has given designers ability to be more creative. Thus postmodernism and its ideologies were simply a natural progression in the history of design due to age of technology.
One of the main features of postmodernism as explained earlier, is that postmodernism takes aspects from other eras and periods of design, and combines them together. It is this combination of styles that could lead to conclusion that indeed postmodernism is dead. Jonathan Barnbrook, rejects the idea that his work is post modern. Saying,
“Belief in the socialist construct of modernism is housed perfectly in the contemporary language of postmodernist forms”
However there is no doubt that Barnbrook’s work includes some influences of postmodernism and modernism alike. With compositions not of simplicity, but of complexity and typefaces that would never have been used in a modernist age out of principle. Not to mention his projects are largely for the mass market, specifically for clients in advertising and art who would seem to represent the kind of values he rejects. The image below is a prime example of Work that gives suggestion of postmodernism, with little typographic structure, and a incoherent layout.
This leads me to conclude that perhaps it is impossible for modern designers to escape the ideologies of postmodernism, and that indeed postmodernism is apparent within graphic design today.
