Extra Credit Assignment

The Digital Revolution

            With the upcoming of the 21^st century, graphic design was under major construction. With this Digital technology revolution, artists and designers could use technology to enhance or create art. This new tool had rapid growth after the popularity of the Internet hit the world.  Though in the beginning many artists resisted the change to technology, many embraced the new found control and simplistic design process that using digital technology had.  Designers now had a new way to change the form, color, shape and space in an image or design.

            Designer April Greiman was an artist who chose to take on the challenge being the first to master digital art.  Her designs stuck out since she used layering and overlapping in many of her work.  She worked with video, print and tactile patterns. Greiman was one of the first designers to execute a piece only using the computer. Not to mention she was the first woman in the field of graphic design to achieve such success on the computer. Her designs have completely changed what we thought graphic design was capable of.  

         Though there were many designers during the time that changed graphic design, April Grieman proved to the world that her computer-generated images were just as strong as any other design. She knew how effectively communicate ideas and designs with text and images layered together. Now we are able to build on the path she has created for all of graphic design.

Greiman 1987

Greiman 1984

Greiman 1986

Homework #12

Corporate Identity and Visual Systems

            During the 1950’s businesses realized the importance that design had in business. With a clean and eye-catching logo, buyers were more likely to use that business over one with an unsuccessful logo. With the development of many large corporations, graphic design was now being used to help create an image for that company. Though visual marks have been around for centuries, this was the first time that these marks went beyond just trademarks and designs. For the first time, companies were able to have a consolidated design that could be displayed for all consumers.

            Though there are thousands of logo’s, one particular design I can say is my favorite is the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) logo. The companies iconic design features a black and white panda. When the WWF was being created in 1961, the company wanted to use an animal in their design. WWF realized that they needed a strong and recognizable design that would break language barriers. The choice to work with a panda in the design was most appealing because it is thought of as a rather friendly and peaceful creature. Many throughout the world adore the panda’s big furry body, and lovable black-patched eyes. Environmentalist and artist Gerald Watterson was first to produce the beginning sketches. After having a rough idea of what WWF wanted the logo to look like, Sir Peter Scott, a founder of the company, created the first logo. The iconic design went through many stages before it reached success. It was not until 1986 that the design looked like what we see today. Now we see a much more geometric design of the panda. Though the panda is cute, the logo shows a strong animal looking for the consumer’s attention to help fight extinction. What attracts me most to this design, are the implied lines throughout the logo. I like that the viewer has to fill in the lines to complete the design themselves. Overall, I feel this is a strong and eye-catching design that truly represents environmental conservation.

 Chi Chi, the panda behind the design

 Gerald Watterson's beginning sketches

 Sir Peter Scott's logo development 

The logo we see today...

Homework #11

The New York School

            During the 1940’s in America, there was a new wave of designers from Europe leaving their mark in graphic design. Many of these designs were more modern and allowed a sense of freedom that previous graphics did not have. During this time in New York City, artists feed off of each other’s ideas and designs. New York City became a meeting place that allowed ideas and new designs to flow. This phase of design lasted from the 1940’s to the 1970’s, yet continued until the late 90’s. Graphic design changed drastically over the course of the New York School’s 60-year reign.

            Leo Lionni was born May 5, 1910 in Amsterdam. Growing up he was surrounded by art. His mother was an Opera singer and his father worked in the diamond district. At a young age he had a passion for art. In his younger years he focused on painting and was best known for the futuristic style he worked in. As a young adult he left his degree in economics to begin studying and working in advertising design, realizing he would much rather pursue his art. So he moved to America to reach his goals of becoming a successful artist. In 1939 he was working full-time in advertising and worked for Ford and Chrysler Plymouth. By 1949 he was the art director for Fortune magazine. Lionni stood out with his contemporary use of photography in his designs. In his later years, he began to work with collage and used it to create illustration for children’s books. Lionni used many types of design in his art and was never confined by one particular medium. 

            Otto Storch was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1913. He studied art at New York University and worked as a photographic retoucher for Dell Publishing out of college. Yet, he realized that he was not keen of the subject matter; he began taking night classes during the 1950’s with Alexy Brodovitch, the art director of Harper’s Bazaar magazine. Storch began to focus on photography, fashion and illustration. Soon he quit his job at Dell to become a freelance designer. In later years, he joined the McCall’s Corporation as an art director for Better Living magazine. Storch worked mainly with photography in many of his designs. He had an amazing knack for merging text and photography. Some of his graphic designs even include warping or bending of the text to better incorporate it into his photographs. He worked with advertisement along with editorial pieces. Storch’s design style was unmatched by other artists, and he broke the mold for designs that were created during the time period.

             Both Otto Storch and Leo Lionni created iconic advertisements and designs. Each artist had a skill of working behind the camera and using their photographs to conceive an image that grabbed the viewer’s attention. These New York School artists altered American design by creating images that expressed modern and freedom. The works of each of the artists has gone down in history of some of the most important graphics today.

 Otto Storch 1961

Otto Storch 1961

 Otto Storch 1968

 Otto Storch 1960

Otto Storch 1961

Lio Lionni 1949

 Lio Lionni 1953

Lio Lionni 1953

Lio Lionni 1960

Lio Lionni 1989

Homework #10

The Modern Movement in America and the International Typographic Style: Immigrants to America and War Years

            When we think of the Modern art movement, we imagine the 1930’s with very traditional illustrations.  Yet the movement was breaking ground many years before the 1930’s, with typefaces, book designs and editorial designs for business and fashion magazines. During the early 1900’s new typefaces were being designed and new ways to layout information was being created. Graphic designs during this time could be found with uncommon title-page arrangements and two-column book formats. And with typefaces like Futura, Kabel, Caledonia and Electra, fonts were now taking a design of their own. These graphic styles helped form a movement that has altered the way we design in the 21^st Century.

            During the late 1930’s migration was at an all-time high. The influx of immigrants to the United States also brought new designers with new ideas.  Many artists from European countries like Germany had to migrate in order to continue work as a designer. Artists like Georg Salter, had been barred from employment in Germany and immigrated to New York.  During 1922-1934, Salter produced hundreds of book designs and specialized in creating book jackets. Due to his sensitivity to type and literary expression, he had an amazing capability of creating a design for the cover of books.  Salter specialized in pen-and-ink drawings, panoramic watercolors, calligraphy and photomontage. His amazing combination of calligraphy and illustration had the ability to entice any reader. Each of his cover designs held a different energy that almost told the story that was inside book.

Erte, was a Russian-born immigrant who was a set designer and designer for Harper’s Bazaar magazine. Erte designed in a very art deco manner, which combined cubism with exotic decorativeness and fashion. Later in his career he even designed fashion for movies. Yet his graphic designs and illustrations set him above the rest. Many of his magazine covers displayed a sophisticated and feminine image. With new rich and eye-catching designs, a desire to capture the reader’s attention had been ignited. Artists like Alexey Brodovitch began to use photography in their graphic designs. Brodovitch designed covers for Harper’s Bazaar magazine as well as Erte. Yet Brodovitch had a way of cropping and juxtaposing images together. Along with his amazing use of text and images, he used white space and open pages. This brought a new freedom to magazine cover designs during this time.
       The war years, which began in 1941, brought a massive change to graphic designs during the era. Designers were creating informational training material, posters and even cartoons. The U.S. Office of War In formation asked designers to help create many of these works through commissions. Artist Jean Carlu, helped the U.S. by creating posters using visual and verbal elements about labor and production. These strong designs usually had one key illustration with text.  Since the goal of these posters was to stir emotion in the American citizen, designs were usually simplistic and minimal, yet held a strong emotional presence. With the use of dramatic contrasts of color, these simple graphic symbols became very powerful.  Artists like Herbert Bayer, created intense graphic designs with his use of simple, straightforward headlines, along with a chilling image. Designs like this brought a sense of urgency to helping the cause. Many artists used this sense of urgency and fear in their designs. Other artists like Ben Shahn, created a startling poster design that effectively displayed the war, by using direct words and images. During this time graphic design went in a direction it had not yet traveled. In the United States, designs and artworks were now being used to instill a sense of fear and necessity, which had not yet been touched by designs.

George Salter, 1935

Erte, 1925

Alexey Brodovitch, 1956

            

Jean Carlu, 1942

Herbert Bayer, 1942

Ben Shahn, 1942

Pautsch typeface

Pautsch Typeface

During class we had the opportunity to create a typeface that represents ourselves. Using our initials, we were to design a type any way we pleased. At the start of this project, I found that I had become stuck and didn't know what to create. I figured the best way to get past this block was to just draw and let my ideas flow freely. Being a designer has taught me to research before starting a design. But in this case I was unable to do so. I found this to be a good thing because I could truly let my artistic mind come through. There were some ideas that I created that did not flow in the way I wanted to. Some of my designs worked, while others didn't. So when faced with a typeface that didn't work, I combined it with another to try to create something that might work! In the end I chose a design that was bold yet delicate. After finishing it, I was very happy with the design and could even see it used with color or maybe used on an Easter product. I would be interested in trying to design the lowercase letters for this typeface. Overall this was an amazing learning experience that has helped me learn how to work with creating something that works, out of something that may not.

Homework #9

The Bauhaus and the New Typography

            During the final years of the Bauhaus, artists like Paul Klee, Wassily Kandinsky, and Josef Albers, breathed a new life into the art being designed at the time. Before the Nazi party shut down the Bauhaus in 1932, these professors changed the way we look at art today.

            Paul Klee was a German-Swiss painter, born December 18, 1879 in Switzerland. He was surrounded by music when growing up. Both his parents were music teachers and encouraged him to pursue it, yet he was more interested in visual arts. Though he is most well known for his successful color theory, while studying at Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, he failed his color theory classes. Klee taught at the Bauhaus from 1921-1931, as a master of stained glass, mural paintings, and bookbinding. His sense of humor, background with music, and moods influenced much of his work during his career. Upon leaving the Bauhaus, he and Kandinsky traveled to the United States to lecture and exhibit their artworks. Klee demonstrated an amazing use of color and expressionism, which inspired thousands of artists around the world.

           Wassily Kandinsky was born December 16, 1866 in Moscow. He is most known for being a painter and art theorist. Yet, he did not start drawing until the age of 30. During most of his younger years, he was studying law and economics in Moscow. Kandinsky realized that his passion was art and he began to study it. Soon he became a great enough artist to teach at the Bauhaus. From 1922-1932 he instructed the basic art class as well as the advanced color theory for students. His watercolor paintings bring a light and joyful feel to anyone who views them. Almost 100 years later and Kandinsky’s work still looks fresh and new. ­

            Josef Albers was born March 19, 1888 in Germany. Growing up he immediately had an admiration for art. He began printmaking and even working with stained glass in his early years as an artist.  Albers initially enrolled in Bauhaus in 1920, yet he was asked to join the faculty in 1922. When Albers first began working at Bauhaus, he was a professor or “master” of stained glass. Albers was also a crafts master at the school from 1925-1932. He produced many designs at the Bauhaus, from paintings to stained glass to furniture. Though he was a younger art professor at the school, he was highly respected by his works and designs. Once the Bauhaus was shut down, he moved to the United States where he continued his teaching and art career. Josef Albers formed the basis for the most influential art programs in the world, and still left a legacy with his own designs and artwork.  

            Though these artists’ careers were cut short in the Bauhaus, they still left a gift for many generations to come. I know that I personally have been largely influenced by each of these artists in my own work. Each have an amazing way to capture color and emotions in each design. Their names will truly go down in history.

 Flower Myth, Paul Klee 1918

 Senecio, Paul Klee 1922

Red Balloon, Paul Klee 1922

Landscape with Two Poplars, Kandinsky 1912

Composition VIII, Kandinsky 1923

Kandinsky 1918

 Homage to the Square, Josef Albers 1962

Stained Glass, Josef Albers 1913 

Untitled Lithograph, Josef Albers 1942

Homework #8

Kasimir Malevich and Vilmos Huszar

            During the early 1920’s, Russia was facing a civil war. After the Red Army had overthrown Czar Nicholas II, the political trauma had left Russians in an exposed state. Yet rather than allowing the events to hinder their creativity, they used it as a propelling force to create new ideas. This is what sparked the Russian suprematism and constructivism movement. With strong cubism and futurism influence, the movement experimented in typography and designs that went against past art and design. Many of these artists used straightforward pictorial designs that portrayed the Red Army’s version of the political strife. 

            Artist Kasimir Malevich was born February 23, 1879 in the Kiev Governorate of Russian Empire, now known as Ukraine. He grew up among sugar-beet plantations and was the first of fourteen children, though only nine survived to adulthood.  At a young age his interest was art. He would embroider and paint anything he could get his hands on. As he grew up he studied art at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture from 1904 to 1910. His style was closely tied to Russian folk art in early years, yet began to work in “Cubo-Futuristic” styles in 1912.  He soon founded a painting style where basic structures and color dominated his works, which he called suprematism. Malevich created concrete elements in his art with color and shape. Most of his work focused around one visual form and allowed color to fall around it.  When asked to create propaganda art for the revolutionaries, Malevich declined. He believed that art was purely a spiritual activity and should not be apart of the societies needs.  I found myself most drawn to Malevich’s work because of his simplistic and bold designs. Though his paintings were created over a century ago, they still look fresh and modern. I found it amazing that he was able to rise from poverty to prosperity through his art. He truly was an amazing artist that has shaped the way we look at design today. 

Oil on Linen 1915

Oil on Canvas 1915

Oil on Canvas 1916

Oil on Canvas 1915

            The De Stijl movement was launched in 1917 in the Netherlands.  The artists, who worked in the style, used abstract geometric forms in their paintings. The movement itself used the universal laws of balance and harmony in art, in hopes of creating a model for a new social order. Many of the artists during this movement concentrated on purely abstract paintings composed of vertical and horizontal lines. 

         De Stijl artist Vilmos Huszar was born January 5, 1884 in Budapest. He immigrated to The Netherlands in 1905. Interestingly enough, not much is known about his life and even the whereabouts of many of his works are unknown. Many of his paintings and sculptures are only known through the photographs that appeared in De Stijl, or where taken by himself. Vilmos was a co-founder of the De Stijl magazine along with Theo Van Doesburg. He and Van Doesburg played a central figure in establishing the movement. Vilmos focused mainly on painting with an open grid of squares and rectangles. Yet he was more than just a painter, he designed interior color schemes and worked on furniture designs as well. In 1923 he left the De Stijl movement to focus more on his interior designs. Though later in life he concentrated on graphic design and painting.  I find Huszar’s work intriguing because of his basic structures and dynamic designs. Though each have a similar foundation, the designs vary greatly. He truly was an artist that knew how to grab the viewer’s attention, and he helped spark a movement that left its mark in art history. 

Oil on Canvas 1917 

Oil on Canvas 1925

 Oil on Canvas 1926

 Oil on Canvas 1922