Post 1 - Sam Weible
I've always wondered where art historians mark the beginning of graphic design as we know it, when it separated itself from fine art. Similarly, I've also been curious about what it is that separates graphic design from art. Is it the medium, or the production process? The first pages of this week's reading satisfied my questions, suggesting that graphic design emerged as its own form of art and communication toward the end of the nineteenth century with the revelations in poster design and mass production. Its answer to the difference between design and art was also something that stood out to me: graphic design is made with the purpose to be understood and reproduced, whereas art's meaning can (and often is) more ambiguous and generally exists only in one copy.
Hollis mentions that, "The single figure and minimal text has persisted as the most frequently used combination of word and image." This is something I completely agree with, and am impressed by. It's always interesting to me to watch trends and systems persevere over long periods of time, especially those that exist in a profession that is constantly evolving.
Jules Cheret, for instance, spearheaded this single-figure-minimal-text design trend in the 1860s. Designs that follow this trend combine the featured image and text in a way that makes the entire poster cohesive, clearly providing the information trying to be communicated (in this case, an advertisement for cigarettes) without disrupting the aesthetics of the poster. The text and image don't feel separate from one another, it's all one piece and it has one message.
Cheret, J. (1889). [Job Papier A Cigarettes]. https://www.houzz.com/products/job-papier-a-cigarettes-poster-print-by-jules-cheret-prvw-vr~70059648. 21 January 2020.
This style was adopted for the mass-produced London Underground posters, a campaign that began at the turn of the century and continued well into the 1940s. While this print, "Brightest London", physically separates the text from the image, the visual themes throughout the poster (such as the white border and color usage) gives the poster that unified look.
Taylor, H. (1924). [Brightest London]. https://londonist.com/london/transport/best-london-underground-posters. 21 January 2020.
For an exhibit a few years ago, the Field Museum employed this design trend in its advertisement. While its positioning varies from the posters produced a hundred years ago, the relationship between the poster's image and text remain the same.
(2011). [Whales]. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/393290979937328932/?lp=true. 21 January 2020.
Hollis mentions that, "The single figure and minimal text has persisted as the most frequently used combination of word and image." This is something I completely agree with, and am impressed by. It's always interesting to me to watch trends and systems persevere over long periods of time, especially those that exist in a profession that is constantly evolving.
Jules Cheret, for instance, spearheaded this single-figure-minimal-text design trend in the 1860s. Designs that follow this trend combine the featured image and text in a way that makes the entire poster cohesive, clearly providing the information trying to be communicated (in this case, an advertisement for cigarettes) without disrupting the aesthetics of the poster. The text and image don't feel separate from one another, it's all one piece and it has one message.
Cheret, J. (1889). [Job Papier A Cigarettes]. https://www.houzz.com/products/job-papier-a-cigarettes-poster-print-by-jules-cheret-prvw-vr~70059648. 21 January 2020.
This style was adopted for the mass-produced London Underground posters, a campaign that began at the turn of the century and continued well into the 1940s. While this print, "Brightest London", physically separates the text from the image, the visual themes throughout the poster (such as the white border and color usage) gives the poster that unified look.
Taylor, H. (1924). [Brightest London]. https://londonist.com/london/transport/best-london-underground-posters. 21 January 2020.
For an exhibit a few years ago, the Field Museum employed this design trend in its advertisement. While its positioning varies from the posters produced a hundred years ago, the relationship between the poster's image and text remain the same.
(2011). [Whales]. https://www.pinterest.com/pin/393290979937328932/?lp=true. 21 January 2020.
I think it takes a certain amount of skill and creativity to design something while following Hollis' logic of a single figure and minimal text. Designing with this almost minimalist approach, designers have to convey their message with some select words and image(s) while still catching the eye of the reader/audience. Just by looking at brands and other professional logos today, you can see a nice level of cohesion with pictorial elements and type.
ReplyDeleteThe contemporary example from the field museum is very helpful in thinking about the lasting influence of these posters on the relationship between image and text. The whale in the field museum poster also sort of mimics some of the curved pose and proportions of the woman in the top poster as well. The negative space (orange color in this case) makes two nice shapes as well that sort of swirl together in balance.
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