Post 4 - Ivy Markham

Hollis 97-129 | The Designer and the Art Director

Alexey Brodovitch revolutionized editorial design during his time as the art director at Harper’s Bazaar. The book shows some examples of how he used typography to compliment and accentuate the photography of the spread. In looking up more, I was drawn by the spread below. This one focuses more on photography than type. The curve of the harp on the left gives a very sculptural look, and frames the woman and her dress. The perspective of the bass and the woman standing on the type on the right, along with the white space above her is a very visually appealing composition.


Brodovitch, A. (1951). Harper's Bazaar [Editorial two-page spread]. Retrieved fromhttps://www.britannica.com/biography/Alexey-Brodovitch (4 February 2020).

The image below from the book is a clever advertisement by Gene Frederico. The book says that his aim was to convince companies to buy advertising space in the magazine Woman’s Day, by showing that a woman is a consumer on her own. The contrast of the solid black background with the large white sans serif type and incorporation of the photography with type in the wheels of the bike creates a very successful piece of design. It’s also interesting to note that agencies had to be convinced that a woman was a credible target of advertising.
Federico, G. (1951). Woman’s Day [Advertisements]. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.ch/pin/28921622586367850/ (4 February 2020).

Push Pin Studios is a very iconic design studio, with many unique and bold designs. The one I, and most people, think of right away is the iconic Bob Dylan poster. However, I wanted to find one I’ve never seen before and came across the print below. It has striking similarities to the Dylan poster, with a large block of black, portion full of bright colors, and bold caps sans serif type. What really drew me to this was the detail of the shoe in the leather, laces, and trim. The way it comes over the bottom edge of the tan background along with the shadow also adds a cool three-dimensional effect. I also enjoy the contrast in scale of the tiny type along the bottom.
Push Pin Studios (1980). Change of address announcement [Poster]. Retrieved from https://archives.sva.edu/blog/post/foot-fetish (4 February 2020).

Comments

  1. MatthewFebruary 5, 2020 at 1:36 PM

    Yeah, I also found the Go Out Women's Day advertisements from the book to be really interesting from a design as well as a social perspective. I always find the ways in which advertising spaces are advertised, just because of the inherent "meta"-ness about them. I think this example does a good job of getting its message across, while also feeling chic and classy. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. HarryKFebruary 5, 2020 at 1:46 PM

    I really like the the O's are the bike wheels. It adds a playfulness to the piece. To me, it also seems to add an almost glow to the ad. Because the woman and the rest of the bicycle are mostly various grays, the bold white of the tires really pops out at you. I also wonder what the woman and the child are looking up at. Both their heads are lilted up. just curious.

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  3. Gabrielle StephaniFebruary 5, 2020 at 3:32 PM

    I really like that you pointed out the fact that companies had to be convinced that incorporating a woman into a design can sell a product. I find it a very important moment within design history because it represents issues that continue to happen within present day. I am not usually a fan of a solid black background, but it seems to work pretty well for that piece.

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