OUGD 401 - Study Task 4

Modernism:

This design by El Lissitzky is one of the most iconic pieces of modernist graphic design ever made.  The simple block shapes are signifiers, representing the Bolshevik invasion of the White Palace. It is a very successful design as it clearly states what Lissitzky is trying to say and remains to this day one of the most recognisable pieces of artwork.

The use of negative space space within this design is very apparent and typical of the modernist style of working. The message of the poster is very clear and concise, communication being more important than aesthetics. It is again another successful design that effectively displays the information needed in a clear and efficient manner.

As seen in the previous image, this design uses a lot of negative space and bold, block colours. The clean line work and simple shapes, representing tablets, are more typical features of modernist design. I feel that this design is successful as it suits the content aesthetically whilst also communicating its message very clearly.

This subway map, designed by Massimo Vignelli, is another example of typical modernist graphic design. It shows the simplest representation of the the map in order to be the clearest and easiest to use. In this design, which is very successful hence its use today, communication is key. 'Form follows function'

Neue Grafik, Issue No. 1. New Graphic Design, Graphisme Actuel, August, 1958

Carlo Vivarelli (1919–1986)

Sharing similar traits to many of the design above, this modernist piece of graphic design successfully utilises negative space in order to be clear and concise. Another feature of modernist design is the use of different languages in order to communicate the message to as many people as possible in the simplest manner.

Post-Modernism:

Andy Warhol is one of the most well known artists. He uses bright colours and repeated images, often from popular culture, in order to create pieces of design. The design has a grungy like appearance which is the opposite of the clean, clear design from the modernist period. However, I still feel that this image is successful as it is aesthetically pleasing and is a very famous piece of art.

This design by David Carson, just like the rest of his work, is illegible and not readable. The communication within this work is definitely not as key or as important as in modernist graphic design. It has a very chaotic composition that makes the overall design very confusing and overwhelming. In my opinion this design isn't very successful as it makes it very hard for the viewer to understand what he is trying to communicate.

Wet: The Magazine of Gourmet Bathing no.20. Design by April Greiman in collaboration with Jayme Odgers, Sept/Nov 1979

This is another design that uses bright colours and a chaotic composition. Once again, this design is more focused on aesthetic quality and not communication. However, I do feel that this image is slightly more successful than the previous one, as with it only containing minimal text it is much easier to understand.

Here aesthetic quality is again favoured to communication, this time however I feel in a much more aesthetically pleasing way. This is what I think makes this piece more successful, its communication is still quite clear whilst the aesthetics of the piece have been clearly considered.

Within this design, it is very hard to understand the message or read the text behind the imagery at the front. This shows that obviously the aesthetics are more important to this design than the communication of the message. I do think that this design is successful though, mainly due to my fondness of the aesthetics and the colours used within the design.