new

gra

phic d

esign

By Tom Davidson

A

brief & Act

Ion P

lan

You are to submit design proposals for a new graphic design publication entitled “New Graphic Design”. The first issue will focus on Form follows function - an exploration of Modernism and Post Modernism. Firstly, Research into Modernism and Post Modernism, generating a body of work that explores the origins and philosophy of the movements. Your visual work should be an expression of the movement and not a pastiche. You should aim to convey the essential nature of the movement. You will need to understand the social, industrial and political concerns which influence both movements. Secondly, You are to submit designs for a broad sheet, which should be based on your personal and

original visual research. You should produce A Masthead, Cover design, And Inner pages. Size - A3 Portrait Cover, A3 Portriat Inner. Requirements Are a Body of original visual research based upon Modernism and Post Modernism, Evidence of thumbnail visual and design layouts, Evidence of grid, layout, type and image selection and experimentation. My initial response to this brief will be to research into modernism and post-modernism and how it had an impact on graphic design. I will retrieve some books that are associated with the subject matter and evaluate what I have found out from them, exploring their philosophies of the different movements and looking at the social, industrial and political concerns of both movements. I will look at different artists that were involved in the movements and sum up

their methods and design choices in order to inspire my development of my own designs. I will experiment with different typographical elements, layout, including practice and development of both single and double page spreads for the publication. The proposals I submit will not be a direct copy of modernist and post-modernist design, but influenced by the movements in a variety of design related aspects. I will include evidence of multiple solutions and design refinement, using my research of modernism and post-modernism to enhance the article of form follows function. The article will contain various findings that I attain throughout this project. and overall will be a combination of editorial design and an exploration of the modern and post-modern art movements.

what they contributed to design during the 20th century. This research will inform the content of my broad sheet. I may also include content from my manifesto which i did for the contextual module, as this was inspired by modernist/post-modernist manifestos, so may be relevant. The previous project I did (Artist Typeface) could also be included as part of the content, as the typeface I created was inspired by Russian artist Kazimir Malevich, one who embraced modernism. In total i will be generating a body of research to include in the publication I eventually create. The second part of this project will consist of layout, design and optionality experimentation which will influence the layout for the broad sheet publication. I will look at how modernists and post-modernists have approached broad sheet design and extract

Part IResearch

Min

d Map

Moo

d Bo

ard

Mod

ernism

Modernism is a term used to embrace a diverse range of art movements and ideas that emerged during the first half of the 20th Century and profoundly influenced the subsequent development of art, architecture and design. There was also a widespread utopian belief that mechanization and technology, if properly used, could produce a better less divided society.The definition of modernism is simply, modern thought and practice. Modernism ranged from as early as the late 19th century and lasted til the late 20th, where post-modernism took over modernist ideals. Some things that influenced modernism were the development of the industrial revolution, the rapid growth of cities and societies, followed by the horrors of world war I. The modernist movement also marked the emergence of avant-garde art, which was used to describe modernist art until the term “modernism” arose. Avant-garde art is works of art that are experimental, innovative and attempts to push boundaries.

Different Art Movements that existed during the 20th century shaped graphic design into what is is today. The Industrial revolution, leading to the birth of large modernised cities, followed then by the horror of World War I, were among the factors that shaped Modernism. Technology played a huge role in the shaping of Modernism. Modernism art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1960s. It was labelled as “Art for Art’s sake” and took on the role of “form following function”. Art Nouveau (1890 - 1910) French for “new art”, was most popular in Europe. Magazines like Jugend helped publicise the style in Germany as a graphic art form. Bieres de la Meuse by Czech artist Alphonse Mucha is a prime example of Art Nouveau. It is a piece of organic design, the bold text acting as a key indicator of the Art Nouveau style - the introduction of text within an image is something that the movement brought into Art & Design.

Art

Nou

vea

u

Cubism (1907 - 1914) was a movement that aimed to create new methods of representation.

There was a shift in philosophy from realism/romanticism to find new

ways of illustration and visualisation, and cubism was the result of this.

By depicting multiple viewpoints, and distorting spacial relationships, the cubist movement attempted to represent three dimensional form.

Cubism

The Movement was developed by Artists Pablo Picasso and Georges Braques. Above is a classic example of a cubist painting, Factory, Horta de ebbo by pablo picasso (Painted in 1909). It was one of the first types of abstract art that emerged during the beginning of the 20th century, in response to society moving at an uncontrollable speed. The aims of the artists involved in the cubist movement was to create a new way of seeing which reflected the then modern age. The limitations of perspective were seen as a Challenge by the Cubists. The idea that a picture drawn in perspective only works from one viewpoint restricted

their options.

As the image was drawn from a fixed position, the result was captured much like a photograph, but the Cubists wanted to make pictures that went ‘outside the box’ and beyond the average human beings perspective. They wanted to introduce the idea of something called ‘relativity’ - how the artist selected aspects from the subject, combining observations and memories into the one concentrated image.

Futurism originated it Italy in 1909, and was emphasising themes that were associated with the future or ideologies about the future in those times. Common ideals depicted in futurist paintings were violence, speed, technology and industry. At the time it was a phenomenon, and although some of the paintings were bright and vibrant, Futurism had it’s dark side. It is still used as inspiration today.

The Leader of the movement was the italian writer and poet marinetti. In their paintings they concentrated on urban subjects which were depicted through fragmentation and distorted shape, very similar to cubism however the subject matter was entirely different, consisting of strong lines, repeated shapes and often the inclusion of typography.

The Futurist movement integrated itself into society through the publication of their manifesto in a french newspaper. The manifesto contained points of action for the young artists to take on; most of them encouraged them to leave behind the museum-approach art and to embrace new culture of modern technology, speed and machinery.

Futur

ism

Bauh

aus

Bauhaus (1919 - 1933) was the most influential design school to have existed in the 20th Century. It taught crafts and design but was famous for the approach to design that it publicized and taught. It’s difference in style inspired artists and designers around the world to approach their way of thinking differently. Bauhaus design is typically highlights straight edges, and smooth, slim forms.

Amongst it’s staff and students were some of the leading pioneers of modernism, in all areas of the arts. their work has been influential throughout europe and the United States for many years. The school intended to represent a new, fresh start at the end of the horrors of world war I. They extended the thinking of leading figures in creative arts. Abstract ideals of texture, volume, form, space, colour, transparency and extention become visual motifs.

At the time, the school regarded graphic design as industrial, which expressed the school’s obsession with functionality. Students were expected to use sans serif typefaces, primary colours, photography, photomontage and specific paper sizes in order to create a continuous image throughout the school. They followed the motto “form follows function.”

Dada

Dada (1918 - 1923) is most famous for it’s assemblage and ready mades. Other techniques in the Dada movement include collage and photomontage. In his Dada Manifesto, Richard Huelsenbeck said “Dada is the international expression of our times, the great rebellion of artistic movements.” It was seen as not art, but anti-art -

“For us, art is not an end in itself but it is an opportunity for the true perception and criticism of the times we live in.” Hugo Ball.

Surr

ealism

Surrealism evolved from the Dada movement. A lot of established artists

and writers were against surrealism, as it went against traditional art forms

and displayed “Anti-social” attitudes. It was influenced a great deal by

psychoanalytical theories, such as those devised by Sigmund Freud. It

particularly referenced his ideas about dreams and the unconscious, and

from looking at surrealist paintings it is clear to see why.

Using Freudian approach for inspiration, the Surrealists created surprising, unexpected paintings . They did not altogether ignore

visual and traditional forms of art, they still regarded highly of artists such as Picasso

and Duchamp, mostly because of their analytic and provocotive style. The Surrealist paintings were typically dreamlike, filled with mysterious

objects and familiar items that have been oddly changed or altered in some way or another

that would not be seen in real life. The objects are painted realisticallyin terms of lighting

and shadow, but the way they are arranged or distorted makes the appear beyond real.

The paintings often consisted of optical illusions and lays out the surrealist view of reality. the surrealist desire to open the vistas of the arts through the close observation of the dream state and the free play of thought are expressed in a visually refined composition. Some common themes in surrealist paintings were juxtapositions and placing distant realities together, so that the connections between them were only apparent to the creator.

Neo

-Pla

sticism

Neo-Plasticism (1917 - 1931) was a very obscure type of art, yet very minimalistic. It’s composition consisted of white ground, upon which was painted a grid of vertical and horizontal black lines and three primary colours. Mondrian notably founded De Stijl (The Style), a journal of the De Stijl Group, in which he published his first essays defining his theory, for which he used the term neoplasticism.

AD

Rein

hardt

Ad Reinhardt was an american writer and painter, renowned for his abstract style paintings and minimalist approach to art, although I would argue that some of his paintings can appear quite complex in comparison to other minimalist artists. His paintings are solid toned composites of vibrant geometric shapes and collage. Most of his pieces consisted of circular and rectangular composed on small cut out paper collages. The hard edge forms of these works represent his keenness for abstract expressionism, and the geometric elements dominated by grid structures and variations of colour.

EL L

issitzky

Lissitzky is a Russian painter, typographer, architect and designer. He created a series of images which h he entitled “Prouns” which were said to be the interchange point between painting and architecture. The paintings are evidentally very construction based and geometric focused. The use of line in the work is also very prominent. He designed many posters and exhibitions for the soviet union. His work and ideas shown here contributed very much to the suprematist and constructivist movements of the early twentieth century.

Arm

in H

ofMann

Hofmann is described as one of the most influential personalities in Swiss graphic design history. He contributed largely to modernism graphics and helped to shape it into what it has bedome nowadays. His style is bold, clean and asymmetric in parts, he strongly uses sans serif type and limited colour schemes to create minimalistic but impactive design.

Hofmann believed that poster design was the most efficient and effective form of graphic communication. He spent a large portion of his career designing posters . His style of design prioritized communication above any other factor and design choice. Techniques included in his work were often photomontage, typesetting, experimental composition and of course

the heavily used sans serif fonts.

“As a human being he is simple and unassuming. As a teacher, he has few equals. As a practitioner, he ranks among the best. He is a rare bird, a daredevil driver, a mountain climber, a teacher par excellence, and a

guru. Yet it is difficult, really, to pin him down.” – Paul Rand

His designs always have a particular structure within them, and a specific use of colour and typeface. He believed that his posters were not intended to be included in museums or gallery exhibitions, but to exist within our society - in the streets, cities, the public eye. I personally think that the posters create a sense of ambiguity and evoke curiosity within those who see it. He emphasizes the subjects in his designs with the intention of reducing them to their essential elements, for example the large grainy photo of the face and hands. As a modernist artist he belonged to a period of time that, in terms of design, was primarily seeking a new way to communicate visually with the ever growing society and the complex technological advances.

Pioneers o

f M

ODERN G

RAPHIC D

ESIGN

This book is a perfect retrospective of designers and design movements from the 20th century, looking at artists from both modernist and post-modernist movements. It offers an insightful look at visual communication as a complex part of 20th century history, and gives prolific information on some of the most important figures in the development of modern visual language. The book is split into various sections including Design Experimentation, Late Modern and Post-Modern Artists, and Mid-Century Modern Artists. Each designer’s section begins with an overview of the designer’s life, followed by discussions and visual examples of their major influences and published works; this includes innovative poster designs, typeface creations and depending on the artist - revolutionary wartime propaganda – as this had a major impact on design in the 20th century. Anyone who is curious about modernist and post-modernist design will find themselves greatly inspired by this publication. It focuses on areas of significant artistic collectives such as the Bauhaus school, and how it intended on impacting on the design scene through maximum expression with minimum means. The ‘Mid-century Modern’ section documents the work of around 30 designers or types of design that extended the boundaries of graphic design in the mid 20th century by devising new approaches to marketing and advertising. The book showcases their work in a way that indicates their strong set of principles about how they design and what contributes to their function.

JEremy AYnSLEY

Within the book there is a complete balance between visual and written information. Aynsley reviews and documents the work of post-modern pioneers such as Muriel Cooper, Dan Friedman and Jamie Reid – artists that were strictly functional in the area of graphic design and determined to make their voices heard effectively. These masters of design embraced both print and digital media as an artistic means of assigning ideas and information and, as a result, managed to break free from modernist tradition. In my opinion, the book is one of the most useful publications to be produced on modern graphic design, as it contains relevant information in easy to devise sections on modernism and post-modernism. The main theme of the book is how graphic designers played a fundamental position in contemporary society; its influence felt everywhere ranging from the poster to the web page. Design is referenced from the most influential designers worldwide, from initial leaders of the field including Max Bill to David Carson, and innovators of digital technology such as Muriel Cooper. The book also mentions the studios and movements that had key responsibilities in the expansion of modern graphic design history. The type of design involved includes early film posters, punk rock record covers and the groundbreaking magazine covers of the 80s and 90s. Features on the key design schools such as the Bauhaus and the Cranbrook Academy of Art make this publication useful, interesting and inspiring whilst being informative and creative in its approach.

The S

truggle

for u

topia

VictoR Margolin

This book contains a series of essays regarding the development of three influential modernist artists around the time when modernism was at it’s peak and was responsible for revolutionary social change. The artists talked about in the book are Alexander Rodchenko, El Lissitzky and Laszlo Maholy-Nagy. The book talks about how there were lots of theoretical disputes between the artists and that their work consisted of controversy. However, a simple connection between the artist’s belief or intention and the way it is presented to us on canvas or print remains as debatable, which is why there are still discussions concerning the meanings of their abstract pieces of work nowadays.

Post

Mod

ernism

Post Modernism -Design movement that evolved in the mid 60’s as a critical response to the dominance and perceived sterility of Modernism. Embracing art, architecture and design. It re-established interest in ornament, symbolism and visual wit. Unconstrained by dogma, post-modern designers rejected modernism’s obsession with progress and challenged the fundamental tenets of order and discipline espoused by the Bauhaus. There are several characteristics which apply to art that is postmodern; these include bricolage (something constructed out of whatever materials are available), the use of typography prominently as the central artistic element, collage, simplification. Past styles and themes are often re appropriated in a modern-day attempt, and there is a decline of the barrier between fine and high arts and low art and pop culture.

Inter

national

Style

The term international style refers to a type of design that bases its approach on legibility and simplicity of layout. They typically used bold, vibrant colours, heavy sans serif fonts and often include some aspect of geometry. The movement became extremely popular through successful work of Swiss designers in the early 1920’s but became an international style of art increasingly after the 1950’s due to it being reproduced all over the world. The movement aimed to communicate through user-friendly platforms such as posters, stamps and street signs, and because of this they had to put major consideration into their content so that it delivered the message they intended to put across. The works produced by the movement have a very well defined and specific structure,. Their minimalistic methods were about minimalizing the unecessary.

Edit

h Ba

umann

Edith Baumann is a modern artist who takes on a very post-modern approach in her work. The paintings she does are very formal and structured, as well as consistent. In her manifesto, she states: “In 1993, I first experienced the magic of the Pantheon in Rome. It was inspiring, awesome. This experience has continued to impact everything I paint. I’m trying to tap into something that is larger than me but includes me: wholeness within wholeness. Pattern gets repeated in nature and creates a connection...a connection to all things; collective patterning. In my most recent paintings, the Jazz Series, I’ve brought many elements from my earlier work together: repetition of the same mark, randomness and structure, the circle and pattern.” I think Baumann’s work was good to look at because of the columns and grid systems she uses in her work; these ideas can be considered in my work when i start to design my own layout for the publication.

Wim

Cro

uwel

Crouwel is a Dutch graphic designer and is one that has been renowned as one of the 20th Century’s leading designers. He created bold and dynamic designs that reflected the zeitgeist of the ever changing computer age during the 1960s. He founded the design collective called Total Design and exhibitions, many of which were for the Stedelijk Museum located in Amsterdam. His work has a very modern feel to it, with his use of grids, line and shape. His work spans approximately 60 years but here I have shown some of the work which is considered post-modern.

On what he thinks makes good graphic design, Crouwel says: “It must be an eye-catching, original and straightforward visualization of a given subject. And some experimentation is never bad. You have to try to do things that haven’t been done before; take ideas you have to the boundaries and look for unexpected things. It doesn’t always happen, but every now and then you’re lucky enough to catch

something.”

EMil R

uder

Ruder, a Swiss designer, collaborated with Armin Hofmann to establish the Basel School of Design which contributed largely to the style known as Swiss graphic design. He believed that the purpose of typography was to communicate through writing and strongly emphasized the use of sans serif fonts as a continuous design choice. Within his designs, Ruder was fascinated with asymmetry, which he used to organise his layouts and typography, paying great detail to the shapes he used and the balance of negative space. Ruder engaged with endless typographical solutions and grid systems which contributed to the balance and harmonic layouts that we can see in his work here.

“Typography has one plain duty before it and that is to convey information in writing.” – Emil Ruder

The

Art

Of

the

Manifes

to What is a Manifesto?

A public declaration of motives and aims, or the depiction of views of a particular artist or Art movement. It is not instructions on what to think or how to feel, more a statement to communicate the answers to people’s questions that come into contact with your art and are curious. A good manifesto will help people to appreciate your art. A manifesto should provide the answers to the following questions: Why do you make your Art? What inspires you to make it? What does it signify or represent? What does it mean to you?

I researched into three manifestos and analyzed three particular ones that I found interesting - The Suprematist Manifesto by Kazimir Malevich, The Conditional Design Manifesto (a modern day manifesto) and the Founding and Manifesto of Futurism by Marinetti. This analysis will become content of the publication I create for this brief. I then went on to write my own manifesto; it includes how I work and my aims that I wish to achieve through my work. The design that came from this manifesto is also shown.

“I’m a young, aspiring designer. When I enter the design process, I am forward thinking and good at acting on instinct, which I believe is crucial for any designer trying to get a message across with their work. I feel applying this to my work can help with the ever-competitive design industry. My work reflects my personality. My work is distinctive. I am my work. I like to draw inspiration from music, books, films, quotes, every day life, and make it into something interesting, something desirable, and something to make you think. If I have made you reflect upon seeing my work, then I have done my job.”

I am f

or a

des

ign t

hat...

After analyzing various manifestos and creating my own, we researched into some of the things that define a manifesto as a way of improving ours.

Elements that are required in a manifesto:

- A statement of intent- The laying out of goals- Allusiveness- Suggestions- To be declarative- The setting out of what wants to be achieved - Ideals- Beliefs- Individuality- Ideologies- Output- How you engage with the world- Philosophy- Inspiration- Rules (What rules are aspired to?)- Why’s and wherefores- Opinions- Motives- Artistic Context- Ethos- Characteristic of culture

We then listened to the manifesto ‘I am for an art’ written by Claes Oldenberg and went on to write our own shorter version, inspired by the work of Oldenberg. I included ten aspirations in mine.

I am for a design that allows me to be as creative as possible.

I am for a design that will teach me new things.

I am for a design that give me entirely new experiences.

I am for a design that will give me the oppurtunity to travel.

I am for a design that will prepare me for the working world.

I am for a design that informs a new way of thinking.

I am for a design that improves people’s way of seeing.

I am for a design that will communicate innovative ideas.

I am for a design that will inspire.

I am for a design that will give me a sense of pride.

Part IIPublication

Mod

ernism E

ditor

ial

Here I have researched and collected a series of images that are what I consider good example of modernist editorial layout, for example book covers, layouts and magazine spreads and such that I can use for inspiration for my layouts that I will create for my publication.

I particularly like these editorials; not only the layout and functionality of the designs but the use of vibrant colours are also something to be noted. The book covers appear to be very experimental with the use of abstract shapes and typography.

PostModernism E

dit

oria

l

Here are some prime examples of post-modern editorial I chose to look att some that contained photography as well as I think this is something I could possibly incorporate within my publication, although not necessarily model photography. The typography seems to be notably simple, which is something that these post-modern publications are typical of featuring; heavy, bold sans serif fonts that are used more for functionality and getting a message across; ie the title of the publication, rather than for being exclusively unique, although in some cases the typography here can be experiemental. I think this works quite well for these particular layouts and is something that I will take into consideration when I look at designing mastheads for my publication.

These images here are particularly magazine based to gain further insight into what sort of design I will create for my publication. I think one thing that particularly stands out is how vibrant they are. The use of colour really makes the overall layout much more interesting and eye catching. Use of strong, vibrant colours is something I will definitely incorporate into my magazine publication.

The experimental layouts here are also quite interesting. The Bauen + Wohnen editorial has experimental typography and has tinted the photograph the same colour as the background to make the work appear more contemporary. The type has been placed in the background behind the content copy and is a part of the design whilst still giving indication of what the title of the article is.

Notable masthead layouts and ideas.

Cover

Ide

as

I have started to generate some thumbnail sketches and roughs of how I initially thought of laying out my front cover design. As you can see I used a lot of geometry within the sketches and played around with different layouts of the typography to show how I intend on experimenting with masthead designs.

n e w g r a p h i c d e s i g n

new.graphic.design

N E WG R A P H I C D E S I G N

new graphic design

NGDnew graphic design

NewGraphicDesignMast

head

NewGraphicDesign.After generating a few thumbnails for ideas regarding the layout of my front cover design, I have experimented here with some mastheads. I played around with various typefaces, using the bold, italic and light settings to see what looked best. I also incorporated line and shape into some of the mastheads to make them more interesting to look at and more related to the theme. One major design choice I made was to use purely sans serif fonts, as the post-modern design, particularly the swiss international style that I researched, was focused around purely using sans serif fonts.

New Graphic Design.NewGraphicDesign.new graphic design.newgraphicdesignNEW GRAPHIC DESIGN NEWGRAPHICDESIGN

newgraphicdesign.Mast

head

Out of the mastheads that I experimented with I chose to use the helvetica which was condensed and has the underline. I chose to do further experiments with the lettering by using all uppercase lettering, looking at spacing and the use of a period at the end. I came to the conclusion which is shown in the mock-up here. I decided to use all lower case letters and alternate the colour of each word as I have chosen not to include spacing in the masthead, so the colour differentiation helps to emphasize the different words in the masthead title. I also chose to make the underline a subtle red as I think this helps to refine the title. I will continue to experiment with the masthead design to help sharpen up the overall look of my publication front cover.

newgraphicdesign. newgraphicdesign. newgraphicdesign. newgraphicdesign.

newgraphicdesign. newgraphicdesign. newgraphicdesign.

Here are a series of thumbnails I did to gain an insight into what colour I want to use for the background of the front cover should I want to use a solid colour. The thumbnails also give an idea of which colours look good with the masthead and compliment it, and what colours I could use for the imagery based on the front cover.

newgraphicdesign.

formfllows

n.functi

Cover

Des

ign

This is an initial experiment done on the front cover, using typography as experimentation to create a small composite style cover. Using colour as a basis for the experiment I simply laid out the lettering as shown and incorporated shape to make it more interesting. This form is inspired by the modernist approach where everything is is structured, laid out and presented in a very neat and refined manner, as well as the simplicity of the background and colour scheme. Although I quite like this idea I think I could create a much more visually interesting layout for the front cover using photography, as many magazine covers, including design publications, thrive off photography as the basis for the cover design. I will look at some graphic designers who have used photography in their work and attempt to draw inspiration from this in my proceeding ideas.

Interesting photography ideas used for magazine covers.

I have started to incorporate some photography into my work which I intend to use for the front cover of the publication. Shown is a photo I took of the Hilton building in Manchester, a building that I admire becuase of it’s unique appearance and it’s contrast with it’s surrounding environment. The shapes included in the structure also remind me of a very modernist approach. I took the photo in black and white, enhanced the contrast and then experimented with the composition to create this layout idea shown here. This included various opaque coloured shapes which I fused into the photograph. I also rotated the photograph to make it appear more abstract.

form follows function.an exploration of modernism and post modernism.

form follows function.an exploration of modernism and post modernism.

n e w g r a p h i c d e s i g n

form follows function.an exploration of modernism and post modernism.

new.graphic.design

N E WG R A P H I C D E S I G N

form follows function.an exploration of modernism and post modernism.

new graphic design

an exploration of modernism and post modernism.

form follows function.

cover d

esign

form follows function.an exploration of modernism and post modernism.

NGDnew graphic design

NewGraphicDesign

Here I have experimented by making the original photograph

the whole background of the front cover and tried to view the

various mastheads I created before to see what looks good. I still feel the helvetica masthead

looks the most effective, because it fits in nicely with the

theme and is clear enough for repetitive use. I will continue to experiment with the cover

designs.

newgraphicdesign.

form follows function.an exploration of modernism and post modernism.

This is a mock-up of a front cover I did using the composite of the Hilton tower which included the various coloured shapes. I continued to use the helvetica masthead and showed the image in the context of the front cover including the title, issue number and subheading ‘form follows function’. With this experiment I chose not to use the photo as the whole background as had done previously, instead I arranged it in a grid like arrangement similar to some of the pieces done by the artists involved in the Swiss style.

form follows function. an exploration of modernism

and post modernism.

newgraphicdesign.issue 1 / april 2013

form follows function.

an exploration of modernism

and post modernism.

issue 1 april 2013

newgraphicdesign

On the previous page I have experimented with a new composition for the front cover of the publication. I used the same masthead as before as I think this is the most successful masthead out of the ones I created. I used the photograph which I experimented on which involved the coloured shapes because I think this one looks most interesting, and I used it as the full background. I then experimented with sub-heading of the magazine and placed it in different areas around the page. I think having it on the angle looked better as it fits in the dark area of the photograph perfectly. I also added a dark background behind the masthead to make it more legible. Here I have shown the cover with evidence of the grids used to order the objects within the publication cover.

newgraphicdesign

form follows function. an exploration of modernism and post-modernism

issue one

Using the abstract collage I made with the photograph of the Hilton, I created another alternate front cover. I kept the background clean to make some negative space within the composition, as the photocollage is quite complex I didn’t want the background to be distracting. Using photocollage also relates back to the Bauhaus movement as photocollage was one of their prominent means of producing imagery. Again I kept the masthead the same but moved around the sub-heading. I think this front cover works effectively as it is simply an abstract composition representing modernism and post-modernism through shape and form.

newgraphicdesign

newgraphicdesign

newgraphicdesign

newgraphicdesign

newgraphicdesign

I have experimented with various front cover designs using shape and form as my focus of each design. I used the same photo, shapes and masthead in each piece although I rearranged them to make each one unique. I also included a grainy texture in some of the covers to make them look more retro and old school esque, as although the publication is entitled ‘New Graphic Design’, the publication is an exploration of both modernism (an older type of design) and post-modernism (the new) so it is a combination of old and new. The new aspect of my design would be the photograph of the building and the way in which I experimented on it, as well as the sans serif fonts which obviously derived from the Swiss style.

Layou

t Ide

as

Here are some sketches showing my initial considerations for layout of the publication. The layout and publication will be what I focus on next.

The

Gri

d Sy

stem

Here I have researched into grid layouts for magazine and newspaper publications to gain insight into the kind of structure that my publication will take on. I have looked at examples of article layout and image placement within editorial documents from which I will take inspiration when designing my magazinne, which is the next stage of development in this project. I also looked at typical grid layouts (shown above).

Excellent examples of gridded magazine and newspaper layouts taken from http://www.counter-print.co.uk/

Layout ideas and evidence of grids.