C20th GRAPHIC DESIGN

Art Movements of the 20th Century

2008-08-12T03:27:00.000-07:00

Graffiti Art by Laeten Taylor

2008-07-18T00:37:00.000-07:00

Graffiti art is the name for lettering or images scratched,scrawled or painted ,marked in any manner on other peoples property and is regarded as unsightly or an unwanted form of vandalism which is punishable by law but on the other hand it can be used to bring messages about social affairs to the fore or relaying problems onto the surface while hiding your identity Some people regard graffiti as an art form ,worthy of being displayed in an art gallery but some can be unsightly and damaging.Ofen,people are employed to do graffiti for social or decorative reasons for the community . Modern graffiti is mostly spray painted unless commissioned. some street artists have found fame and recognition ,work by Banksy recently sold on the internet for $400 000.

Graffiti has existed since ancient times ,referred to inscription on figure drawings or scratched in rocks found on walls of ancient sepulchers or ruins, the romans carved on monuments The source of graffiti is from the safiatic language pro-Arabic dating from the 1st century it is not only greek and roman but also the Mayan site in Tikain Guatemala.Viking graffiti still exists in rome there are many more examples. Graffiti has ofen been entwined with the hiphop culture along with djing and break dancing there are many instances of notable graffiti this century it has also been associated with the punk rock movement beginning in the 1970s

the word comes froma greek term "graphein" [to write ] it is plural of the word graffito.

http//.www.abc.net.au/overnights/stories/s2152139.htm

http://www.graffiti.org/faq/stowers.htm/http://www.

http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=on&q=graffitiart&btng=google+search&meta=

http://enwikipedia.org/wiki/graffiti#history

http://www.graffiti.org/

http://atdp.berkeley.edu/studentpages/cflores/historygraffiti.html

Griffiti Art by Laeten Taylor

2008-07-18T00:33:00.000-07:00

1970s & 1980s by laeten taylor

2008-07-17T22:36:00.001-07:00

Alan Fletcher is one of the most influential figures in post war British graphic design the fusion of european tradition with n Americas emerging pop culture in the formulation of his distinct approach made him a pioneer of independent graphic design and Britaian during the late 50s and 60s as a founding partner of pentagram in 1970sFletcher helped establishe some of the most memorable graphic scheme of the era.Nobily the identities of Reuter and The Victoria Museum made him a mark on book design as a creative director of Phaideon. Born in Kenya in 1931 to a British family came to live with his grand parents when he was five during the war went to boarding school at Horsham by all his peers was to have a career in the army or the bank but opted to go to art school after many schools and turbulances he won a scholarship to yale and was taught by paul rand and the artist Josef Albers .He won a commission to design a cover for Leo Leanni Art Director of fortune magazine he went back to london with his wife poala In 1963 Fletcher and several of his peers set up a design and Art Directors Assc known as D & AD.
David Carson typographer and graphic designer became an influential in the 1980s for experimental typeface design his work featured in surfing skateboarding magazines He broke all the rules of design & typography a process made easy with the desk top publishing programs such as pace maker quark press, and illustrator he experimented by overlapping and distorting fonts intwining these with striking images.
Peter Saville born in Manchester in 1955 Ever since the late 70s has been a pivital figure in graphic design culture in fashion and art as well as music his work combine an elegance with a remarkable ability to identify images to epitomise the moment

These three designers of the 70s and 80s are in general design are brighter they look more commercial and starting to draw people in to consumerism ,a little whacky ,great contrast all different, colours being combined,unlike the 50s,and 60s Imaginative design and more modern Typography is used less than in the earlier designs but more than now

http://www.designmuseum.org/design/alan_fletcher
http://www.designmuseum.org/design/peter_saville

2008-07-17T22:36:00.000-07:00

50s & 60s by laeten taylor

2008-07-17T20:06:00.000-07:00

Saul Bass graphic designer
After apprenticships with Manhatten design films bass worked as a free lance grahpic designer or commercial artist as they were called chafing at the contrast imposed on him in new york he moved to L A in 1946 freelancing for four years and he opened his own studio in 1950 he was mostly working in advertising till Preminger invited him to design a poster for his 1954 movie Carmon Jones he designed commission for two 1955 movies the man with the golden arm established him as as god of film title design the next ten years made his way by creating animated mini movies assisted by his second wife Elaine Bass created brilliant titles for other directors from alley cat to walk on the wild side in 1961 Bass retired from commercial graphic design in 1974 devising successful corperate identities for united airlines minolta bell telephone system and warner communications paul bass was a cinema legend he won three oscars 1958 forged a new collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock by designing a title for" vertigo " works with buff straub and hensman on design of his home
in 1984 creates a poster for L A s Olympic games Saul Bass died in 1996

Bass used very strong colours and typography giving an impact statement ,almost aggressive, sharp and you can see the work is by the same designer he has a great style often there is only one or two ranges of colour in one piece he uses a lot of typography in different sizes to create depth and expression and to catch ones eye, black and white is widely used for outstanding design and contrast one can see why all these directors plied for his work, posters in these eras sold the movie and are collectors items the movie posters of today have minimal typography compared,

http://www.impawards:com/designers/saul_bass.html
http:/www.imdb.com/name/nm0000866/
http://www:designmuseum.org/design/saul/bass
http://grainedit.com/2007/10/25/take-1-saul-bass-and-add-1-ball-of-film/
http://peet.wordpress.com/2007/01/

1930 & 1940 by laeten taylor

2008-07-16T04:58:00.000-07:00

GRAPHICS OF THE 1930S & 40S
The wall street crash influenced styles beginning 1930s hemlines dropped to the ankle the great depression had a big effect on peoples lives Art deco was design smart sleek and modern Bakelite jewellery became fashionable platform shoes appeared in 1935 and as in the 20s handbags were heavily beaded Paul Rand the leading designer of the time, best known for his corporate logos he designed for IBM Westinghouse the American broadcasting company he illustrated children’s books he was an author and a professor and he advanced the cause of modernism to graphic art and was influential in bringing in typography the rejection of old layout treatments to the US. In 1935 he opened his own studio where he developed his vision and graphic style He contributed to changing the cluttered look of advertising that had held fast from the turn of the century he died in 1996 his advertising was infamous having clients like Disney cigars department stores liquors and hundreds of book jackets.
The succession of art movements such as Fauvism, Dadaism, Futurism, and the Bauhaus fostered collaboration between artists and writers, illustrators and periodicals, art and industry. In the 1930s art publications experimented with typography and layout. Two notable examples are E. Teriade’s Surrealist magazine Minotaure and Verve, in which Teriade juxtaposed historical images, contemporary art and literary essays

The work has a simple contempary style like of today even though the lay outs were build up by hand and more illustrated and they didn't have the technology but the work was amazing the colours were bright but look dull in appearence in comparison to graphic art.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/graphic_design#the_start_of_industrial_design
http://www.google.com.au/search?h/=en&q=paul+rand++graphic+designers+the+30s%6
http://main.w9bh.org/wgbh/ntw/fa/titles/paul324.html
http://www.helium.com/items/711566-biography-paul-rand-father-of-modern-graphicdesign
http://www.answers.com/topic/paul_rand?cat=entertaiment
http//images.google.com.au/imgres?imugurl=http://www.3.fitnyc.edu/museum/artful_line/images/direct

kodak: POST 1 laeten taylor

2008-07-04T23:51:00.000-07:00

History of Kodak
1931 Tennessee Eastman began marketing its first cellulose acetate yarn in the textile field Kodak introduced kodalith film and plates which replaced the collodian wet plates used in graphic arts
Kodak bought the Negal camera company in Stuttgartt Germany which became Kodak ,s equipment factory for manufacturing for decades
In 1935 kodachrome film was introduced and became the first commercially successful amateur colour film inially offered in 16 mmformat motion pictures 35mmslide and 8mmhome movies
In 1942 kodacolour the worlds first true colour film for prints was announced
Introduced in 1950 colour print film won Eastman an Academy award forcolour negativewhichhelp popularise colour movies for theatre and television
1976 The bayer pattern colour filter {CFA} invented by Eastman,s researcher Bryce Bayer The order in which dyes are placed on an image sensor photosite is still in use today
1986 Kodak scientists invented the worlds first megapixel capable of recording 1.4million pixels capable of producing a photo quality print 5x7
Introduced improved imulsion technology with its Eastman EXR colour negative film products in 1989 these gave cinamatographers significant creature flexibility providing more under exposure latitude truer colour in fluorescent light and greater sharpness
2002 Kodak vision 2 motion picture films were launched ,designed to work with both film and digital post production systems thus providing less grain improved detail in shadows and increased neutralality in tone and colourKodak,s cinesite unit is engaged in in digital special effects ,it is also developing a high quality digital solution
Eastman,s virtually monopoly of of colour film and camera Kodak design logo from 1987 to 2006

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/corp/historyOfKodak/historyIntro.jhtml?pq-path=2217/2687
http://www.movie-camera.it/images/Cine%20KodakSpecialII.jpg
http://www.kodak.com/US/images/en/motion/news/kodakTheatre1.jpg

Paula Scher: POST 5 laeten taylor

2008-07-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

PAULA SCHER
For three decades Paula Scher has been at the forefront of Graphic Art. She was born in Washington D C in 1948 studied at the Tyler School in Philadelphia and began her career as an art director in 1970s and 80s when her typography became highly influential
Areas of distinction
Identity designs, packing design, publication design, environmental graphics Dr of fine Arts. Honoris Causa from the Corooran School of Art she also holds a (BFA) from the Tyler School of Art and Design
Her clients include New Jersey Performing Arts Centre Target New York Times Magazine Detroit Symphony Orchestra
In 1991 she joined Pentagram as a partner
In 1996 won Beacon Award for the public Theatre for integrated corporate design she served on the board of the public theatre.
In 1998 Paula Scher was named to the Art Directories Club Hall of Fame and in 2000she received the Chrysler Award for innovation in design.
Served on the board of The American Institute of Graphic Arts and in 2001recieved the highest honour the (AIGA) medal she is a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale her work is represented in a collection in the museum of modern art, and the Cooper Hewitt National design museum New York The library of Congress Washington DC the Museum Fur Gestatung Zurich .The Denver Art Museum. Bibliotheque Nationale de France
Book written in 2002 called Make It Bigger and many articles on design subjects for the AIGA Journal
Paula has developed identity and a branding system, promotional materials she creates images that speak to contempary audiences with emotional impact and appeal
This talented lady has entered into the American vernacular and these are some of her works.
The work is strong and bold the map of New York reminds me of aboriginal art.it would take a long to produce I like how she uses letters ,typography to create depth some of them are quite busy but organized but some are simple and effective Some of her work has a pop art feel to it .

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-paulascher
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Scher
http://www.pentagram.com/en/partners/paula-scher.php
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-paulascher
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7M7U8rP_K8
________

Leilani ; David Carson

2008-06-26T18:28:00.000-07:00

David Carson is an American graphic designer. He is best known for his innovative magazine design, and use of experimental typography and his time as art director for the magazine Ray Gun. Carson was perhaps the most influential graphic designer of the nineties. In particular, his widely-imitated aesthetic defined the so-called "grunge" era.

His work does not follow "traditional" graphic design standards. Carson is emotionally attached to his creations. Carson's work is considered explorative of thoughts and ideas that become "lost" in the subconscious. Every piece is saturated, but Carson still manages to communicate both the idea and the feeling behind his design.

“I never learned all the rules, all the things you’re not supposed to do,”

Carson's work is familiar among the generation that grew up with Raygun Magazine and its progeny such as huH and xceler8, and in general, the visually savvy MTV generation. His Raygun layouts feature more daredevil design stunts like dripped ink and lines of type that extend across two pages. Once he had two separate articles run together simultaneously, and a Beastie Boys cover was left blank except for the two inches at the top that wouldn't be obscured by other magazines at the newsstand.

Carson has been one of the greatest influences on modern graphic design in the last twenty five years. He took photography and type and manipulated and twisted them together and on some level confusing the message but in reality he was drawing the eyes of the viewer deeper within the composition.

http://media-2.web.britannica.com
http://darmano.typepad.com
http://www.designingwithtype.com
http://pantagruel.typepad.com

Kurt- Stefan Sagmeister

2008-06-26T04:56:00.000-07:00

Stefan Sagmeister was born in 1962 Bregenz Austria and studied graphic design at the university of applied arts Vienna in 1987 he then moved to New York to complete a fullbright scholarship at the Pratt institute.
He currently lives and works in New York out of his design studio Sagmeister Inc. and is also a Teacher of visual art.

He has designed work over the years for the likes of David Byrne and Talking Heads, Lou Reed, Aerosmith, Pat Metheny and the Rolling Stones to name a few, I really like the approach he takes to design as it seems very organic and uncomplicated.

I also think that good design is all about the great idea in the first place, something that Stefan Sagmeister seems to be constantly achieving in his work.

I also watched an interview of his where he explained that about 7 years ago he came to a point in his carrier where he just thought I’m going to take 1 year off, take on no clients, and just do experiments, I find this methodology just brilliant he later said that it really paid off in the end as all the new ideas he had were so fresh.

Stefan Sagmeister is a Graphic Designer but I really look at his work more like visual Art, I think he is also a great ambassador for this profession as the way he speaks and discusses design work with such passion and emotion is really stimulating.

Biblography
http://www.stealingeyeballs.net/sagmeister/
http://www.sagmeister.com/
http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/sagmeister.html
http://www.kottke.org/05/09/stefan-sagmeister
http://thingsihavelearnedinmylife.com/about

2008-06-24T03:09:00.001-07:00

Jamie’s DVD response:

James Victor

James Victore has made a name for himself through his graphic design and his artworks. His works are bold and try’s to convey a message to its audience. He forces his graphics into the public to convey his smart and witty remark on an issue. His passion shows in the bold and powerful messages.

With his work he has won many awards, these being both international and national. He works in New York City and he uses his surrounding environment to get inspiration for his works.

His work focuses on more so the message than focus to detail in some of his works. Some times the works with the least amount can have one of the greatest impacts. The use of line, reflects to the audience a feeling as though the idea is on the run, or going against common rules. The scratchy use of line really is effective in these works.

With his use of line it is most effective as he uses not a lot of color, though when he does use it, he is able to really put across his point by having a point of focus. His work does though focus a lot on shape, especially when he uses silhouette. His work has an almost graffiti feel to it, feeling as though it has a lot of inspiration from the city. His work work is very comical with its messages, images and themes. Though all in all his work does it’s purpose and gets it’s message through to the audience.

Bibliography:

http://www.jamesvictore.com/

http://www.hillmancurtis.com/hc_web/film_video/source/james.html

http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEPMagazine/Article/28623

http://www.apple.com/pro/color/palettes/victore.html

http://www.design.cmu.edu/show_news.php?id=119&m=200703

70s DC Comics - Tane

2008-06-23T19:45:00.004-07:00

(following informative passage from http://static.wikipedia.org/new/wikipedia/en/articles/d/c/_/DC_Comics_9a75.html - I couldn’t have explained the facts better.)

DC Comics is an American comic book and related media company. A subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainment (part of Time Warner) since 1969, DC is one of the world's largest English language publishers of comic books. DC Comics produces material featuring a large number of well-known characters, including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and their teammates in the Justice League, who are among the medium's most popular and influential.
DC Comics' books are distributed to the bookstore market by Random House, and to the comics shop specialty market by Diamond Comics Distributors.

DC had extremely recognisable traits back in the seventies. Sensational action and iconic characters made DC a huge player in the industry, alongside Marvel. DC comics are now highly collectible.
The old DC comics sport milky inking, a few colour palette and clichéd villains. However there was always a quality sense of depth perception and body proportion was well drawn. The comics usually stick to a rigid discipline of standard comic-book size and structure. There was little tonal shading apart from block blacks to represent direction of light.

I like DC covers because they are so old-world cheesy – ‘Get that kid, he saw us kill those people.’
Ridiculous, gratuitous action fed the kids of the 70s. Maybe that’s why we are all so dysfunctional today.

LINKS…
http://www.geocities.com/joelcrowservo/comics.html
forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=71325
pwbeat.publishersweekly.com/ blog/2007/03/19/70s-comics-non-monumental/
www.comicon.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php/ ubb/get_topic/f/36/t/006561/p/1.html
http://static.wikipedia.org/new/wikipedia/en/articles/d/c/_/DC_Comics_9a75.html

Kurt-70s-80s Adrian Frutiger

2008-06-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

Adrian Frutiger is a Swiss type-designer, who has been responsible for some of the most well-known and widely used typefaces of the 20th century.
Typefaces like Egyptienne (1956), Univers (1957), OCR, (1968) and the famous Frutiger designed in 1975.

Born March 24, 1928 in Interlaken Switzerland, at the tender age of 16 he was an apprentice printer for 4 years and then between 1949 and 1951 he studied at the Kunstgewerbeschüle (school of applied arts) in Zürich.

He was soon after recruited by Charles Peignot from the Paris foundry Deberny Et Peignot where he designed several typefaces such as President, (his first commercial release in 1954), Phoebus and Ondine, it was here that Frutiger was also to convert already extant typefaces for the new phototypesetting Lumitype equipment.

In the Early 70’s Frutiger was commissioned by the Paris Public Transport Authority to redesign the Paris Metro signage he came up with a variation of Univers especially for the dark underground system.

The success of this type face prompted the Charles de Gaulle Airport to commission Frutiger yet another typeface for there “way finding signage” the result was a combination of Univers and the organic influence of Gill Sans by Eric Gill and Edward Johnston, originally named Roissy it was later renamed Frutiger.

In 1984 he designed Versailles and in 1988 Frutiger completed Avenir (future in French) this was influenced by Paul Renners Futura, he then later in 1991 Finished Vectora influenced by Morris Fuller Benetons type faces Franklin Gothic and News Gothic.

In 2003 he Designed watch faces for a limited edition line of wristwatches for the Swiss company Ventura.
The Outstanding carer of Frutiger has seen him Develop typefaces through the hot metal, phototypesetting and digital typesetting eras.

Currently Frutiger Lives near Bern in Switzerland and is designing for Big Box Caran d’Ache of Switzerland.

Bibliograpy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Frutiger
http://nuxfux.wordpress.com/?s=Adrian+Frutiger
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frutiger
http://typophile.com/node/12118
http://www.linotype.com/720/adrianfrutiger.html
http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/artist?id=190
http://nuxfux.wordpress.com/?s=Frutiger

JADE:Victore

2008-06-23T18:17:00.000-07:00

James Victore is an independent graphic designer whose clients include Moët & Chandon, Target, Amnesty International, the Shakespeare Project, The New York Times, MTV, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum and Portfolio Center. He has been awarded an Emmy for television animation, a Gold Medal from the Broadcast Designers Association, the Grand Prix from the Brno Biennele (Czech Republic) and Gold and Silver Medals from the New York Art Director’s Club. Victore’s posters are in the permanent collections of the Palais du Louvre, the Library of Congress and the Museum für Gestaltung among others.

He teaches graphic design at the School of Visual Arts in New York City and is a member of the AGI.

Raised on a military base in northern New York State, Victore spent his childhood entertaining himself by drawing and making up little games. This process of making something he finds interesting has driven most of Victore’s career. He dropped out of two different colleges, including SVA where he now teaches, after a year or two before becoming an apprentice to noted book-jacket designer Paul Bacon. It was with Bacon that Victore found his voice as a designer and began to take charge of his own education and career.

http://www.jamesvictore.com/

http://www.apple.com/pro/color/palettes/victore.html

http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/people/we_asked_james_victore_some_questions_and_he_gave_good_answer_27602.asp

http://www.design.cmu.edu/show_news.php?id=119&m=200703

http://supermarkethq.com/product/857

Jamie 1970’s to 1980’s: Guns N Roses

2008-06-23T18:04:00.000-07:00

Jamie 1970’s to 1980’s: Guns N Roses

Guns N Roses formed the band in Los Angeles, in 1985. The original musicians consisted of players, Duff McKagen, Izzy Stradlin, Steven Adler, Slash and Axl Rose. The band begin from the merging of two bands, LA Guns and Hollywood Rose. Eventually they had Guns N Roses original line up and they set out in 1985 on there self dubbed “Hell Tour”.

After creating a hype about themselves they were found by a Geffen Record A&R man, Tom Zutaut, after a show. Guns N Roses signed with Geffen and then released their debu album ‘Live ?!*@ Like A Suicide was released. This album began their journey on the music band wagon.

After the hype about the first album, Guns N Roses,

set out on recording their most famous album ‘Appetite for Destruction’. This was released on July 21 1987. This album contained some of their greatest hits. With the lease of the album there was a lot of controversy with the original cover. The cover artwork was the suggestion of singer axle rose; also the painting also became the name of the album. The artwork was ‘Appetite for Destruction’ by artist Robert Williams. The scene is of a mechanical monster that is about to attack a knife wielding robot rapist. This cover started a lot of controversy with the women liberate group, complaining that the cover was offensive. That album had to be placed in a brown paper bag in the music shops if they were going to be displayed.

Eventually the cover was revised from a biker tattoo artist; it was of the five band member’s heads in a skeleton form. Axl later went on to get it tattooed on his for arm. The album became an instant hit and stayed at number 1 of the billboard charts and to date has sold over 26 million copies.

Bibliography:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns_N'_Roses

http://www.geffen.com/gunsnroses

http://www.mygnr.com/

http://music.guardian.co.uk/pop/story/0,,2287145,00.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA

Tane- Stephan Sagmeister

2008-06-23T17:58:00.001-07:00

. "The main reason for all this fluff is that most designers don't believe in anything," asserts Sagmeister. "When your conscience is so flexible, how can you do strong design?"

Born 1962 in Bregenz in the Austrian Alps, Sagmeister studied engineering after high school, but switched to graphic design after working on illustrations and lay-outs for Alphorn, a left-wing magazine. The first of his D-I-Y graphic exercises was a poster publicising Alphorn’s Anarchy issue for which he persuaded fellow students to lie down in the playground in the shape of the letter A and photographed them from the school roof.
Now a graphic design icon, Sagmeister’s work encompasses humour and sensationalism but in such an unsettling way that it’s nearly offensive, mixing sexuality with wit and a spot of the sinister. Sagmeister’s technique is often simple to the point of banality, like slashing D-I-Y text into his own skin for the AIGA Detroit poster.

To Stefan Sagmeister inspiration is found in unconventional places from which other people hide. Where other designers are satisfied with creating an image that is pleasing at first glance, Sagmeister holds a mirror up to people, challenging them to look deeper, in a sustained gaze.

He has received a Grammy Award in 2005 in Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package category for art directing Once in a Lifetime box set by Talking Heads.

I admire Sagmeisters style because it resonates so well with mine- the humorous satire bordering on the creepy sinister core.
He is like one of our crusaders, putting more sharp humour into art, which art desperately horribly needs.

I have no idea how to class his style, however. it looks like he uses a lot of classical painting skill, but i believe he has taken pop art and surrealism into a stranger world of his own, a sort

of adult Dr. Seuss. His work is so diverse that i dont think i can start to generalise on his use of line, point, etc. but i can tell you that he likes to use the ol' Vinci chiaroscuro (use of light and shade) thang. His style is enigmatic and charismatic. He pushes the envelope almost into the furnace. I'm proud to have his name on the graphic design side of the art family.

LINKS….
www.sagmeister.com/
www.chrysler.com/design/design_influences/ design_awards/2001/ssagmeister.html
n.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Sagmeister
www.ted.com/index.php/talks/view/id/50
www.designboom.com/eng/interview/sagmeister.html

JADE: KALMAN

2008-06-23T17:50:00.000-07:00

Tibor Kalman (July 6, 1949–May 2, 1999) was an influential American graphic designer of Hungarian origin, and was best known for the groundbreaking work he created with his New York design firm, M&Co, and his brief yet influential editorship of Colors magazine. Throughout his 30-year career, Kalman brought his restless intellectual curiosity and subversive wit to everything he worked on -- from album covers for the Talking Heads to the redevelopment of Times Square. Kalman incorporated visual elements other designers had never associated with successful design, and used his work to promote his radical politics. The influence of his experiments in typography and images can be seen everywhere, from music videos to the design of magazines such as Wired and Ray Gun.

In the 1970s Kalman worked at a small New York City bookstore that eventually became Barnes & Noble. He later became the supervisor of their in-house design department. In 1979 Kalman, Carol Bokuniewicz, and Liz Trovato started theTibor Kalman (July 6, 1949–May 2, 1999) was an influential American graphic designer of Hungarian origin, well-known for his work as editor-in-chief of Colors magazine.

Kalman also worked as creative director of Interview magazine in the early 1990s.

Kalman became founding editor-in-chief of the Benetton-sponsored Colors magazine in 1990. In 1993, Kalman closed M&Co and moved to Rome, to work exclusively on the magazine. Kalman remained the main creative force behind Colors, until the onset of non-Hodgkins lymphoma forced him to leave in 1995, and return to New York.

Govinda - DVD Response Paula Scher

2008-06-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Paula Scher is an influential and successful graphic designer whose high profile jobs have included designing the City Bank Logo, working for The New York Times Magazine, Target and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. Her range of work includes identity design, packaging design, publication design and environmental graphics.Paula Scher studied at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia before working as a graphic designer designing record covers in the 70’s.Taking inspiration from many sources, Scher creates dynamic, contemporary designs that give a voice to the companies she works for. Classic and pop iconography, literature, music and film have all influenced her strongly. Scher works mostly with type to create her bold designs. She uses her typographic skills to create illustrative elements using type blended with simple drawings, creating simple yet effective graphic designs.Although her designs are simple and minimalist, they convey the messages so accurately and strongly creating unique and timeless works. Scher’s use of bold, simple colours complements her designs and assist in making them effective.
Paula Scher is also a painter and her works are exhibited all over the world. A series of large scale paintings of world maps, all covered in detailed, hand drawn labels and information, have won her much praise as an expressive and beautiful artist.

http://www.mayastendhalgallery.com/paulaScherPage.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Scher
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-paulascher
http://noisydecentgraphics.typepad.com/design/2006/09/paula_scher.html
http://www.pentagram.com/en/partners/paula-scher.php

Abby - Stefan Sagmeister

2008-06-23T17:24:00.000-07:00

Stefan Sagmeister

Stefan Sagmeister is one of the world’s most important contemporary designers. He was born in Austria and now works in New York with the American International Graphic Association and world famous musicians.

The photo above is really interesting due to the font placement on the flowers. This draws your eye in towards the flower petals. The contrast between the black and white is eye-catching.

Sagmeister combines materials and messages which cleverly fit together. His Always message is original and appropriate saying Always on the white flowers but the viewer may think about how the writing will look when the flowers wilt and die.

The My Life words look to be made from grass wound around wire. The grass and leaves represent natural life, but this could be short lived as they grow brown, wilt and fall off. Sagmeister has been quoted saying, ’I have to live now’.

The light and dark contrast beautifully with the real lights in the background. The symmetrical leaves at the bottom frames the message of My Life.

The Blue faced book cover shows Sagmeister with a highly digitalised patchy bright blue face making him look like a reptile. This working on his own body is common with Sagmeister, the most famous time when he has groves scratched into his body which then showed up as writing.

Sagmeister got his inspiration and influences from everyday life. He saw a schoolgirl on a train reading a text book through a red plastic filter. He then placed his CD cover inside a red-tinted plastic case copying the view the girl would have had.

His work is always different and unusual which makes it startling to his audience.

Bibliography:

http://joanamonteiro-work.blogspot.com/2007/02/stefan-sagmeister.html

http://www.thedrawbridge.org.uk/issue_4/post_16/

http://www.dexigner.com/design_news/stefan-sagmeister-s-exhibition-at-gallery-superspace-belgrade.html

http://www.creativereview.co.uk/crblog/things-i-have-learned-in-my-life-so-far/

http://www.designmuseum.org/design/stefan-sagmeister

Abby - Life Magazine 1970's & 1980's

2008-06-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

Life Magazine

Life Magazine is a famous American magazine which began in the 1930s. From 1978 it became a monthly. It had a new logo which was larger with the lettering closer together (tracking). It kept the trademark red rectangle with the white type.

Life magazines present a wide range of photos from Miss Piggy and the Muppets to the real animal world to famous people of our time. On all of the covers, feature stories are listed, but the eye-catching element is the graphic.

The close up feature of the above photos gives the subject great importance. Life magazine was one of the first magazines to tell a story in still images, which we now call the photo-essay. The Rare Zoo Babies article would get a strong emotional response from most people.

A great picture is not merely seen, it demands

an emotional response.

The fonts used reflect the feature article photo (strong, bold font in Violent Showdown... in contrast to the interesting leaning typography and the older style white lettering in White House Bride).In Life magazines some of the most famous photos have been shown taken by the greatest photographers of the 20th century. Photographers like Alfred Eisenstaedt, Margert Bourke-White, Andreas Feininger and John Dominis have all worked for Life.

Bibliography:

http://www.Life.com/

http://www.Life.com/Life/cover_search/results/1,26376,,00.html?coverkeyword=Enter+Keywords&startMonth=1&startYear=1970&endMonth=12&endYear=1989&x=55&y=6

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/issue/?magname=Life&magdate=1-1970

http://www.mum.org/crigby.htm

http://www.lindbergh-aviation.de/kataloge/Katalog_03_Raumfahrt.html

http://www.photocollect.com/bio.php?id=170

http://www. magazines.things-and-other-stuff.com/life-magazine.html

http://www.originallifemagazines.com/history.htm

http://www.life.com/Life/aboutlife/lifefaqs01.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_magazine#As_a_monthly.2C_1978-2000

http://www.life.com/Life/about

JOSH - Neville Brody - 1980

2008-06-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

NEVILLE BRODY, English graphic designer, typographer and art director.
He was one of the founding members of FontWorks in London and designed a number of notable typefaces for them. He was also partly responsible for instigating the FUSE project an influential fusion between a magazine, graphics design and typeface design. Each pack includes a publication with articles relating to typography and surrounding subjects, four brand new fonts that are unique and revolutionary in some shape or form and four posters designed by the type designer usually using little more than their included font.
Initially working in record cover design, Brody made his name largely through his revolutionary work as Art Director for The Face magazine. Other international magazine and newspaper directions have included City Limits, Lei, Per Lui, Actuel and Arena, together with the radical new look for two leading British newspapers The Gardian and the Observer Brody has consistently pushed the boundaries of visual communication in all media through his experimental and challenging work, and continues to extend the visual languages we use through his exploratory creative expression. In 1988Thames & Hudson published the first of two volumes about his work, which became the world's best selling graphic design book.
Neville Brody continues to work as a graphic designer launching his own design practice, Research Studios, in London in 1994. With more to open in San Francisco, Paris, Berlin and New York. The company is best known for its ability to create new visual languages for a variety of applications ranging from publishing to film. It also creates innovative packaging and website design for clients such as Kenzo, Homechoice, and Paramount Studios.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.linotype.com/669/nevillebrody.html
http://www.designobserver.com/archives/entry.html?id=102
http://www.researchstudios.com/home/006-neville-brody/NEVILLE_home.php

Govinda - 70's & 80's Swiss Poster Design

2008-06-23T05:11:00.000-07:00

Swiss Poster Design

The 1970’s saw a boom in a revolutionary new style of graphic designed based heavily on typography. The style became known simply as the International Typographic Style. New technological advancements in printing enabled this style to flourish not only in Switzerland but all over the world. Mathematical grids and order and unity were the predominant aspects which created a simple, structured and harmonious design. Bold, san serif type fonts like Helvetica were very popular. Photography began to replace drawn illustrations allowing a wide new range of design opportunities and solutions.
This clear and cohesive style was perfect for the new post war global market place which was calling for universal designs that could speak to people of all languages.

This ‘international style’ began to lose popularity in the early 80’s as people began to criticize it for being too cold and formal. Revolutionary designers such as Weingart, Siegfried Odermatt and Rosmarie Tissi began experimenting greatly and explored many different styles which bent and broke the rules of the International Typographic Style. With new printing technology being introduced, a new revolutionary style was eminent. Thus postmodern design was born. This loosely labelled style that encompasses many styles is still being used today.

http://www.troxlerart.ch/pages/photos.php
http://www.internationalposter.com/search-results.aspx?defaultview=browse&title=Swiss+-+Eighties+to+Present&country=SW%5e80%2c90%2c2000&page=6
http://www.postershow.com/swiss_poster/poster_history.htm

Rosalind - James Victore

2008-06-22T22:25:00.000-07:00

Experiments aimed at drawing out the beauty and mystery of images that are anything but typical. That is the essence of a James Victore design: strong graphic concepts, visual wit, and bold, often aggressive imagery. In his own words, "A beautiful image that fulfils the client's desires for a design is not enough to satisfy me...I want something that is humorous and timely, something with a human touch."

James is a master communicator who deems himself on having the responsibility to inspire social change. A lot of his stuff attracts attention controversially both in subject and form, though he objects to using shock value, as he explains his choice of imagery always stems from the attempt to find some truth within the subject matter. By whittling away complex ideas down to some small kernel of truth, he tries to then fill that small point full of poetry, humour, sex-appeal, and whatever it takes to get his point across so others get to feel it.

“When I work I try to surprise myself and make myself laugh. If I do a good job of that it seems others laugh too. I’m not an activist, but maybe I’m a dreamer. I still believe that design can change the world.”

James clarifies the idea of personal vision and perspective, he reminds us of the importance of communication in the existence of different groups within society.

Bibliography

http://www.jamesvictore.com/
http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEPMagazine/Article/28623
http://www.apple.com/pro/color/palettes/victore.html
http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/people/we_asked_james_victore_some_questions_and_he_gave_good_answer_27602.asp
http://www.design.cmu.edu/show_news.php?id=119&m=200703
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/heroes-victore
http://www.dwr.com/product/james-victore-surfboard.do
http://www.designthinkers.com/dthinkers/jamesvictore.html
http://www.dnp.co.jp/gallery/ddd/dki/d64/d64ki_e.html
http://www.alrdesign.com/blog/2007/10/design-rebel-james-victore.html
http://www.graphicdefine.org/issue4/thinklikeadesigner

ROGAN : SNIFFIN' GLUE

2008-06-22T19:48:00.000-07:00

Sniffin’ Glue was a punk rock fanzine created by Mark Perry, which ran for 14 issues between 1976 and 1977. This ‘zine’, which is derived from the word magazine, became the most accurate record available of the early years of punk rock, some of the most exiting times in music history.
The magazine was completely DIY, which was typical of the punk attitude. It was created in a cut and paste style, with headlines and titles usually just written with a felt tipped pen. Grammar was very poor and spelling mistakes were ever present, which in my opinion added to the charm and punk rock aesthetic. Black and white only with raw photographs from gigs being pasted in with accompanying text usually written on a typewriter also attached in a ransom note format. Its haphazard production gave it a real urgency and the way in which it was produced was certainly relevant for that time in musical history.

Sniffin’ Glue is a far cry from the glossy paged advertisement riddled music magazines available today and it will go down in history for that reason. The ‘zine’ has firmly cemented itself a place not only in the history of punk rock but in the history of music media.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.ijamming.net/Music/SniffinGluebook.html

http://www.markperry.freeuk.com/new_page_2.htm

http://www.markperry.freeuk.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sniffin'_Glue

http://www.towerblock.co.uk/this%20week%20in%201976%20july.htm

http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/21cc/counterculture/doityourself/punkfanzines/punkfanzines.html

GEMMA: Post 5 - DVD - James Victore

2008-06-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

James Victore

James Victoreis an independent graphic designer. He has done design work for large company names such as Target, Amnesty International, the Shakespeare Project, The New York Times, MTV, and many others.

Victore’s work is straight to the point, no stuffing around. Hs designs are more than often colorful and self explanatory, as he used a combination of typography and visual objects and elements in order to portray his concept and vision.

When he stared out as a boy the computer was very new and he did not expect to be exposed to it for some time. He was always making his first projects with his hand as he still would do with some today which is evident though his love of making things with his hands and working with wood. ”I also think that the larger audience out there responds to work when they can see that a real human being made it.”

James always works with the vision that he is trying to make something new, trying to invent. “I don’t make any distinction between “beautiful” and “ugly” which always keeps me pushing to get somewhere new and surprise myself. I work very hard to surprise myself and to make myself laugh, the “Wait-til-they-get-a-load-of-this” kind of laugh.”

His outstanding personality is most definitely reflected in his work. Always looking for something new, his works represent his hilariously overwhelming ideas but at the same time, drawing his own personal conclusions to issues and concepts he finds interesting. A taste for his attitude can be suggested when he stated that “Swearing for me is like punctuation.”

He works very hard in the studio to have fun. I guess you could say that his objective with every job is to try to take it where no one else would ever go. He aims to not only invent and surprise himself through his design work but also hopefully, just as much the audience.

He believes that there are some jobs you do for God and some others that you do for money. James approaches every job as if it was for God, but when it turns into a money job, he gets it done. “The trick is to find brave clients who you like and who trust you and have lots and lots and lots of money.”

Bibliography

http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEPMagazine/Article/28623
http://www.hillmancurtis.com/hc_web/film_video/source/james.html
http://www.apple.com/pro/color/palettes/victore.html
http://www.underconsideration.com/speakup/interviews/victore.html
http://www.jamesvictore.com/FL7.html

Paolo - 70`s 80`s Batman logo evolution

2008-06-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

The Batman logo that you can see below have been used until 1986. In that period some artists had fun doing odd additions to the bat shape, or distorting or shattering the logo for particular covers, and occasionally the bat shape was dropped altogether, as on issue 400, below.

In 1987 a special event in issues 404 to 407 called for a new logo version of the Batman logo created by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli.

That bat shape was only used for the four issue storyline, though it would resurface later on another title. With issue 408, the new BATMAN lettering designed by Tod Klein was used alone except for the tagline “THE NEW ADVENTURES”

At any rate the Year One issues sold like hotcakes, and the Batman editorial staff realized they were on to something. They quickly started developing new short story arcs, hoping to capture the same audience. The first one to come out was this one:

This time the logo and story title were combined into a rectangle, and the cover art was designed around it, a departure from the usual process, but since it was only for four issues, not hard to do. A logo area of this size and shape is rather an awkward fit for a comics cover, but a good artist, in this case Mike Zeck, can make the dead areas at the top work for him with a little planning.
For the first time the word BATMAN has been created with type, specifically the font Belwe Bold here. It’s artfully composed by DC staffer Keith “Kez” Wilson, in charge of cover design at the time. I believe he also created the story title and the whole logo box. The splattery word BEAST gives good contrast to the staid BATMAN, and I think it works quite well. Belwe is what’s called a slab-serif font, meaning that the little caps at the ends of the letter strokes (like at the upper right corner of the N) are squared-off slabs, rather than coming to a point as in many other serif fonts. The use of a larger beginning and ending letter, with a small line below the others, is a pleasing design.

Bookmarks:
gumdrop.typepad.com
en.wikipedia.org
comicbooks.about.com
www.essortment.com

Paolo- STEPHAN SAGMEISTER

2008-06-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

Stephan Sagmeister is a very creative artist in terms of word placement, color usage, and type faces. His work is generally based around, or in front of, a well-edited photograph. I like how Sagmeister has a particular style that's reflected through much of his work. His process and ideas are so unique, which is probably why he has become so well known. Hearing him speak is pretty entertaining, he is truly an individual and does what he believes in. In his website I really like not only the designs but even the section in which he gives advices to students. Sagmeister's work is notoriously bleeding edge in most circles, but not in the same aggressive, overbearing, layered, 3D style we've come to expect form ultra-modern designers. Typically, ultra-modernists trends fade quickly because their style is bound to a fleeting aesthetic. What Sagmeister has done goes beyond an aesthetic which makes his work even more meaning full and interesting.

Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far, an interactive exhibition by Stefan Sagmeister, opens at Deitch Projects on January 31, 2008. The exhibition will include works that have a life of their own, transforming throughout the exhibition as viewers engage with them. Things I Have Learned In My Life So Far is timed to coincide with the release of a new book of the same title, which surveys Sagmeister’s illustrious career.

bookmarks

http://www.sagmeister.com/
http://www.chrysler.com/
http://www.laughordeath.com/
http://www.laughordeath.com/
http://www.amazon.com/

Hillman Curtis – (7)

2008-06-19T03:04:00.000-07:00

Hillman Curtis is an American new media designer, author, and filmmaker who has his own digital design firm in New York City called hillmancurtis.com. Previously, he was design director for Macromedia and Adobe. He has written many books on new media design theories he worked on and Hillman’s largest clients include Yahoo!, RollingStone.com, British Airways, MTV, and Intel.

Curtis follows precise point-like steps in creating every new project. These steps inform each other, to create a linear progression and help to create a diverse range of designs. There are:

Listen
Unite
Theme
Concept
Eat the Audience
Filter
Justify

He often said that shape is an integral part of our visual landscape and we should use shape patterns, and color contrasting combinations, to tell a story in what we are designing. He also uses a montage of images that relied on repetition, varied scale and angles, and overlays. The use of designer white space, and big titles were an instrumental part of his design theories to create a perfect balance.

Inspired in part by the affordability and accessibility of digital video, he began to experiment with short digital films in an effort to reinvigorate his creative spirit and express himself both personally and professionally.

His film influences are directors like Allen and Peter Weir and his design influences are people like Saul Bass and Stefan Sagmeister. His photography influences are Richard Avedon and Diane Arbus.
We are commercial artists, with a responsibility to the brand and the product we have agreed to help promote. We try to keep in mind the equal responsibility we have as artists, to do what artists have always done; respond to, reflect upon and hopefully, influence the world.

Bibliography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillman_Curtis

http://www.consolationchamps.com/content/hillman_curtis_mtiv.html

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Flash-Web-Design/Hillman-Curtis/e/9780735710986

http://www.hillmancurtis.com/hc_web/links.shtml

http://www.sitepoint.com/article/curtis-hillmancurtis-com/2

http://www.adobe.com/designcenter/dialogbox/favedesigner/

http://www.adobe.com/uk/web/gallery/curtis/index.html

http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/academic/product/0,3110,0321278917,00.html

http://www.clusterflock.org/2008/05/clusterflock-interviews-hillman-curtis.html

http://www.aboutus.org/HillmanCurtis.com

LEE: Stefan Sagmeister

2008-06-18T00:40:00.000-07:00

Stefan Sagmeister was born in Austria in 1962 and currently live sin New York, he has his own design firm named Sagmeister .inc.

Sagmeister has done a variety of album cover designs including that of the rolling stones and Lou Reed. Sagmeister is very serious about his work but his humour is always present in his works.

One of his works that I like the best was a poster where on the top half shows Sagmeister almost naked on a lounge, the bottom half shows Sagmeister surrounded by empty food wrappers and fatty food from which he ate, looking rather plump on the couch. He presented this to an audience in the Hillman Curtis designer series and then proceeded to joke about him putting on 20 pounds in weight.

This I believe shows his dedication to his work if he is willing to do that to himself for a piece of art.

This “self harm” aspect of his work is also shown in one of his most major pieces, where he got one of his students to carve the words and pictures onto his torso with a blade of sorts and it was then photographed. This gained Sagmeister notoriety as the man who self harms in the name of craft.

Sources:

http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/view/id/53

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stefan_Sagmeister

LEE: 1970's-1980's, Matthew Carter

2008-06-16T19:03:00.000-07:00

Matthew Carter is a typeface designer, born in London, 1937.

Carter’s extensive time spent in the field of type design has seen him witness the change from using physical metal cuts to print design and print type, to the use of digital imagery and computer programs used for type design today.

In 1981 carter and his colleague mike parker launched bitstream inc. Which is now one of the worlds largest suppliers of digital type.

Later on carter left bitstream to start up yet another type foundry named carter and cone.

Matthew carter focuses primarily on improving legibility of fonts for easier reading. Two of his most famous fonts are Georgia and verdana which were both created for easy reading on a computer screen.

Some of carters other fonts include:

-Charter

-Tahoma

-ITC Galland

-Gando

-Elephant

Carter has also contributed in the design of the ever popular Helvetica font, and has won numerous awards for his type design.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Carter

Google Image search for Matthew Carter

Brain

ROGAN: JAMES VICTORE

2008-06-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

James Victores strong, bold and unforgiving design is unparalleled in the design community. His ability to communicate controversial ideas and even ideas that some may consider unpatriotic has fast made him force to be reckoned with in the design world. He has become somewhat of a rock-star grabbing great notoriety for his edgy design and strong and opinionated ideas.

Some may consider his design as ‘rough-and-ready’, being that a great majority of his work is created from coarse sketches. I admire this approach and believe it gives his work and ability to communicate certain ideas great depth. His work is raw and always begins with scribbling and then moves into the studio to refine ideas. His works are charged with meaning and although he doesn’t consider himself to be a political activist he is certainly not a fence sitter. His sharp and bold lines are a standout in his design they carry with them an element of anger and frustration with the world. His approach may be considered minimalist but it stands alone amongst a sea of mediocre typical design.

James Victore is a passionate and purposeful designer whose striking and visually appealing work will go down in design history. He now teaches design at the school of visual arts in New York City.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.jamesvictore.com/

http://www.stepinsidedesign.com/STEPMagazine/Article/28623

http://www.hillmancurtis.com/hc_web/film_video/source/james.html

http://www.apple.com/pro/color/palettes/victore.html

http://supermarkethq.com/product/857

http://www.design.cmu.edu/show_news.php?id=119&m=200703

http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/people/we_asked_james_victore_some_questions_and_he_gave_good_answer_27602.asp

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/heroes-victore

http://assets.stepinsidedesign.com/stepicons/14508.jpg

http://www.alrdesign.com/blog/uploaded_images/advertisers-711093.jpg

LEE: 1950's-1960's, OZ Magazine.

2008-06-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

OZ magazine was first published on April fools day, 1963 in Sydney. The magazine was originally intended to be a satirical take on current affairs, and to this day remains a legend of underground publication. The first edition was made to parody the Sydney morning herald and told fake news about such things as the Sydney harbour bridge collapsing. The magazine caused much controversy and the editors faced jail-time after several obscenity charges.

In 1966 the magazine moved to London and continued publishing issues.

The covers of OZ magazine often featured rather controversial covers, one in particularly being the cover of issue 6 that depicted a photograph of the editors pretending to urinate into a wall fountain (sculpted by Tom Bass) which was mounted in Sydney, and had recently been unveiled by prime minister Menzies.

Other covers of OZ magazine featured brightly coloured and somewhat obscure images which was apparently trendy during that time period.

OZ magazine ceased publication in 1973.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oz_(magazine)
http://counterculture.wikia.com/wiki/OZ_magazine
google image search for oz magazine

Rosalind - Nathalie Du Pasquier

2008-06-16T18:02:00.000-07:00

Nathalie Du Pasquier was born in Bordeaux (France) in 1957. She settled in Italy in 1978 and her focus shifted toward design. In Milan a group gathered around the architect Ettore Sottsass in 1981, Natalie was one of them and the influential rule breaking design team Memphis was born. Memphis work is instantly recognised visually, outrageously daring and colourful shapes patterns and materials contrasting with the accepted structure of the time which drew on styles as diverse as Art Deco, Pop and Kitsch.
She designed many textiles, carpets, furniture and objects for Memphis, the floor coverings and fabrics worked particularly well with her flat geometric shapes and patterns. The motifs and colours in her early work were influenced by her travels in Africa and India. Her designs of flat spiky motifs, abstract designs and vibrant colours are reminiscent to the sixties.
When the group broke up in 1987, painting became her main activity.

Bibliography

http://www.nathaliedupasquier.com/bibliography.htm
http://designmatcher.com/nl/gallery_detail.php?galleryID=1198
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=343383
http://www.dressingourselves.com/inglese/inglese/autori/dupasquier.html
http://www.nathaliedupasquier.com/main_menu.htm
http://www.nathaliedupasquier.com/scroll_mckenna.htm
http://www.rubicongallery.ie/artists/nathaliedupasquier/index.html
http://www.designmuseum.org/design/memphis
http://www.dhub.org/object/54127,repeat
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/pdf/education/teachersnotes/mod_to_memphis.pdf

Abby - Horror Movie Poster 1950's

2008-06-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Horror Movie Poster

Below are a sample of horror movie posters from the United States of
America between 1950 and 1960. The posters containing weird eye-catching monsters were used to advertise and promote horror movies. The monsters often have big, sharp teeth, are often dark in colour and ugly and look frightening and evil. They dominate the centre of the poster and are usually very large. They always seem to be catching or holding a woman, who is helpless and has become the victim.
The name of the movie is important to promote so it is usually at the top in a red or black colour showing fear. The picture fills up the frame often with the shape of the monster and there is a lot of eye-catching colour, particularly with the title. The backgrounds are often dark showing evil. Some posters focus on the monster while others are quite busy, advertising more of the characters in the movie.

The historical influences for these posters often come from old stories and tales about frightening evil creatures. Movie posters before this time did not feature such scary monsters and were not as eye-catching.
The technological improvements were moving from black and white to colour which helped create texture which can be seen in the poster below.

Bibliography:

http://www.filmposters.com/catalog/results.asp?ProdCat=22&title=&DIRECTOR=&star=&PosterSize=&Decade=&country=&B1=***++Search++***#

http://www.movieposter.com/poster/b70-10251/Revenge_Of_The_Creature.html

http://picasaweb.google.com/weirdposters/PostersK/photo#5181578307243285778

http://picasaweb.google.com/weirdposters/PostersM/photo#5181364284727957426

http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1887893482?showViewpoints=1

http://www.movieposter.com/poster/b70-10210/Tarantula.html

http://www.movieposter.com/poster/b70-11768/I_Was_A_Teenage_Frankenstein.html

http://www.movieposter.com/poster/b70-11140/She_Creature.html

http://www.movieposter.com/poster/b70-16974/Son_Of_Dr_Jekyll.html

http://www.movieposter.com/poster/b70-10146/Attack_Of_The_Puppet_People.html

Gemma: 1970/80s - Emigre Magazine

2008-06-16T16:09:00.000-07:00

Emigre Magazine - Rudy VanderLans

Born in Holland, VanderLans attended the Royal Academy of Fine Art from 1974 to 1979. Initially deciding to become an illustrator, he enrolled in the graphic design department. After an apprenticeship at Crouwel's Total Design studio, he did corporate identity work at Vorm Vijf and Tel Design. He moved to California in 1981 when his application to the UC Berkeley graduate program was accepted, where he met Zuzana Licko. They were married in 1983 and neither set out to transform the face of modern design.

In 1984, VanderLans founded Emigre Magazine, a journal for experimental graphic design. The magazine was originally intended as a cultural journal to showcase artists, photographers, poets, and architects. Since there was no budget for typesetting, the text was primarily typewriter type that had been resized on a photocopier. Working with the newly invented Macintosh computer and a bitmap font tool, Licko began creating fonts for the magazine.
His work is bold, dynamic and modern, incorporating new fonts, designs and patterns applying it into new introductions of magazine layout Emigre magazine was published between 1984 and 2005. A total of 69 issues were produced, sometimes on a quarterly basis, but more often irregularly. Issues number one through to sixty-three were published and distributed by Emigre, Inc and Issues number sixty-four through sixty-nine were co-published and distributed by Princeton Architectural Press, New York.

In designing Emigré, VanderLans rejected standardized formats in favor of organic grid structures that reflected his enthusiasm toward the contents. Computerized page composition gave him the flexibility to reinvent the look of the magazine with every issue. Sometimes several articles would run through the pages concurrently, each text differentiated by font, size, leading, and column width, creating an impression of eavesdropping on several simultaneous conversations.

Bibliography
http://www.emigre.com/index.phpf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudy_VanderLans
http://www.identifont.com/show?1I8
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-zuzanalickoandrudyvanderlans

Govinda - 50's and 60's Milton Glaser

2008-06-16T04:28:00.000-07:00

Milton Glaser is a prominent graphic designer and illustrator who, in 1954, founded Push Pin Studio in New York. His work combined a fascination with the graphic simplicity and directness of comic books with a sophisticated understanding of modern art, especially of Surrealism and Cubism. Typography was also a strong influence in his work.

Glaser got his inspiration from the world around him. Swiss rationalism and modernism were influential aspects that were prevalent in his designs.

Glaser’s involvement in Push Pin Studio gave him the opportunity to work in a wide range of jobs including record sleeves, books, posters, logos, font design and magazine formats. He used any medium or style to solve the problem at hand

Bold flat colours, clean lines and simple shapes were dominant in his designs. Clutter did not exist. Glaser used simplicity and originality to convey his message. One of his early works, the famed I love NY logo that he created for the New York State Department of Commerce, has become the most frequently imitated logo in history.

Milton Glaser brings a depth of understanding to his highly inventive and individualistic work. In 2004 he was selected for the lifetime achievement award of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum.

http://www.miltonglaser.com/pages/milton/mg_index.html
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-242774/graphic-design#845138.hook
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milton_Glaser
http://www.designboom.com/eng/interview/glaser.html

POST 5: STACY: Hillman Curtis Designer Series DVD

2008-06-16T03:19:00.000-07:00

After viewing the dvd make a 250 word post with 5 images and 5 links about the designer featured who impressed you the most.

Examine the design elements and principles i.e. point, line, shape, scale, texture, tone, colour, pattern, symbol, proportion, structure, symmetry, form, volume, space, etc
Examine the design principles i.e. balance, contrast or diversity, harmony or unity, rhythm, dominance or emphasis.
Examine the materials and techniques utilized by the style.
What are the historical influences?
Did this style influence other styles?
What advancements in technology were available for the production of these graphics?

pass criteria
Information research effectively
references/ Bibliography listed correctly
logical flow of ideas leading to a personal conclusion
Hand in on time due 24.06.08.

Apple ][c – (7)

2008-06-13T02:23:00.000-07:00

The Apple II (written as Apple ][ )was the first mass produced microcomputer for the home and also became the standard computer in the education system. The Apple ][c was designed to look more like a "elegantly styled home appliance than a piece of electronic equipment and was often compared as an "overgrown pocket calculator". Steve Jobs, looked for inspiration among household appliances at Macy's department store, before hiring Jerry Manock an industrial designer, to design the Apple ][c.

The Apple ][c was the first Apple computer to come in a rare, small, and portable platinum case with a tilt monitor that featured a 9" green monochrome flat panel display but you could also use with a colour monitor or TV as well. It also has a separate stand which holds the monitor over the case, instead of behind it. It could be transported around like a suitcase with the use of a handle. In the name Apple ][c, the “c” stands for compact.
The Apple ][c computer was the very first Snow White designed computer and accessories, changing from the original Apple beige-colour. Apple always badges its products with the logo and the model name of the computer to help reinforce its unique physical identity. They always had an inlaid silk-screened 3-dimensional Apple logo, diamond cut to the exact shape.

It has a membrane under the keyboard to help keep dirt and contamination from getting inside the system and also has shallow horizontal and vertical lines spaced 10 apart on the centre, which run along any and all of the surfaces of the product, to act as vents.

Apple unveiled the Apple ][c in April 1984 with an intense publicity extravaganza and its innovative design won it the Industrial Design Excellence Award six months after its unveiling.

Bibliography:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II

http://applemuseum.bott.org/sections/computers/IIc.html

http://oldcomputers.net/appleiic.html

http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=69

http://www.landsnail.com/apple/local/design/apple2.html

http://apple2history.org/history/ah01.html

http://www.scanmac.dk/macsalg/apple_IIc/apple_IIc.html

http://www.scripophily.net/apcoinca.html

http://www.veign.com/blog/archives/2007_12_01_veign_archive.html

http://dwerf.wordpress.com/2007/06/03/apples-predictions-for-2010/

JOSH - Jan Lencia - 50's

2008-06-11T00:53:00.000-07:00

JAN LENICA

In 1954 he was appointed assistant to Henryk Tomaszewski at the Warsaw Academy of Fine Arts. He was preoccupied with satirical drawing from 1945, regularly contributing to the satirical journal "Szpilki" as well as with book illustration, and started to make posters in 1950. In 1974 he lectured on poster art at Harvard University in Cambridge, USA.
His fame/recognition and international acclaim was earned by his poster art in which he was considered one of the world’s finest artists.
His early, abstract drawings were shown at the Modern Art Exhibition in Krakow in 1948.
Altogether Lenica made over 200 posters. Among his finest works is WOZZECK which was made in 1964 to Alban Berg's opera and won the Grand Prix at the POSTER BIENNIAL IN WARSAW
Searching for his own form of artistic expression, he took an early interest in theatre and film poster. At the time of the Socialist Realism this allowed him considerable artistic freedom, releasing him from the obligation to follow the academic conventions imposed on other fine arts. In the early 1950s he was among the young graphic artists who created the famed "Polish school of poster".
three stages can be distinguished in the development of his artistic poster language. Firstly, in 1950-6, was influenced by realism. The works more illustrative and conveyed the climate of the announced films or theatre plays. Secondly, formal search. The artist introduced different, experimental means of expression, such as collages of old drawings and paper cutouts.
Around 1962 he started to make posters for the Warsaw Opera and embarked on the third stage of his poster design to develop his own, characteristic "handwriting". Lenica's posters are in fact gouache, watercolour, tempera paintings on paper. He created his own, individual and distinct artistic language which used a capricious, flowing, wavy line betraying fascination with Art Nouveau and a simplified, detail-free form. There is no room for decorativeness or ornament in his posters. "Poster art seems closest to jazz: it is all about being able to play somebody else's theme in one’s own way" (Jan Lenica).
Lenica preferred to use two-dimensional forms, the space of his posters having neither background nor perspective. There was irony and absurdity in them, the artist creating a brand new, grotesque reality; he was also a master of poetic metaphor. Most of his posters resemble paintings; many were made in the gouache technique. The people in his posters seem to speak or cry out to the viewer; Lenica himself used to say that "a poster must sing".

http://www.csw.art.pl/new/2000/lenica_e.html
http://www.posterpage.ch/reviews/re60leni/re60leni.htm
http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/poster/poster.html

Leilani : TANAKA, ikko

2008-06-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

Graphic design, by its very nature, demands that its practitioners be prescient. As a driving force of minimalism, Tanaka is a master of rendering the complex simply. Tanaka retains a Japanese elegance and simplicity through a strict adherence to basic geometric form.

It is the poster that forms the focal point of his work, mostly these are for cultural events, theater and dance performances (with Japanese Noh theater playing a particular role), concerts and art exhibitions etc. As well as for type manufacturers and fashion designers, and even depicting social and environmental topics. His stylistic range undulates between unconstrained gestural strokes of the brush and geometrical stringency, bright colors and laconism in black and white.

Bold aesthetics from the world of tea ceremonies.

His most famous poster, for the dance troupe Nihon Buyo and reused for various purposes, features a uniquely abstract take on the geisha. Instead of the classic realistic rendering, typical to Japanese art, Tanaka created the head and shoulders out of stark geometric forms on a grid. Squares and rectangles make up the hair and face. This is typical of Japanese decorative simplicity but surprisingly novel in its reductive angularity. Tanaka's palette, a vibrant combination of pastels and primaries, was also a synthesis of old and new.

With nothing to prove, Tanaka was free to experiment with color and form. Black and white had been the dominant aesthetic: clean, cool, simple, refined. With his bold use of color, Tanaka expanded the possibilities of Japanese graphic design.

His ultimate mission - beauty.

http://www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/artist?id=1070
http://www.internationalposter.com/poster-details.aspx?id=JAL12593
http://www.die-neue-sammlung.de/z/muenchen/aus/2001/ita_i_en.htm
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E5D7113BF937A15752C0A9649C8B63&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
Ahttp://nezumi.dumousseau.free.fr/japon/japcontarta.htm
http://www.powerhousemuseum.com/collection/database/?irn=352206&search=japan&site_id=3
http://www.aski.org/kb2_00/kb200bauhaus.htm

2008-06-09T18:14:00.001-07:00

Tane Richardson – 50s and 60s –

Psychedelic Design

. The origin of the psychedelic graphic style is often traced back to Wes Wilson’s striking poster designs for Californian concerts. However, psychedelia was mostly a by-product of California’s hippie movement. Cultivated in the deeper recesses of the mind, often with the help of hallucinogenic drugs, the psychedelic style at its height found its way into clothes, music covers and styles, graphic design, even penetrating corporate design when Alexander Calder covered one of Braniff International’s aeroplanes with coloured swirls. The calling cards appeared – beads, bells, velvet pants, afros, bright military uniforms and flowers became the distinguishing characteristics of this standout style. Its aim was simple: mind-expansion through visual representation.

Psychedelic graphics mostly comprised of a collage of Day-Glo coloured images such as flowers and rainbows unified with swirling shapes and luminous colours. As it spread throughout America and Europe, psychedelia took noticeable elements from past movements such as Pop and Op Art and Art Nouveau. Combinations of vibrant colours and exuberant typefaces were distorted and warped until the images appeared to live within their own fluid movement. Images were basically visual interpretations of acid trips and drug-induced freakouts, with curly images reminiscent of marijuana and incense smoke. At the core, pychedelic designs were not meant to be viewed, but experienced. However, the style ended as quickly as it started in 1968, as people were plain tired of it. Personally I think it never left, and I hold it in high stead as the epitome of imagination in art.
Links
www.lysergia.com/LamaWorkshop/lamaEarlyPsychedelia.htm
www.psychedelia.org
www.nostalgiacentral.com/pop/psychedelia.html
www.artandculture.com/cgi-bin/ WebObjects/ACLive.woa/wa/movement?id=353
www.psychedelix.com/links.html

Kurt 50's-60's Roy Lichtenstein

2008-06-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

Roy Fox Lichtenstein born in Manhattan New York 27-10-08 and died aged 73 on the 29-09-97 was one of the most influential American Pop Artists along side Andy Wahl.

His childhood was quiet and uneventful and it wasn’t until his last years of high school where he began to draw and paint, later on graduating from the Ohio State University in Fine Arts although his studies were interrupted by a short stint in the Army.

From 1957 to 1960 his work could be described as Abstract Expressionist, he had touched on Geometric Abstraction and a form of Cubism.

In 1960 Lichtenstein became Assistant Professor at Douglas College at Rutgers University of New Jersey.
It was in 1961 when his son said “I bet you can’t paint as good as that’ while pointing to a Mickey Mouse cartoon.

Lichtenstein produced six painting almost identical to the cartoon strip with only slight variations to the colors and form it was at this point in time where he made the use of Ben-Day dots it was this style that would be the famous signature work of Roy Lichtenstein.

There is much to be said of Lichtenstein’s work as far as copyright and plagiarism goes the fact that his sketch books consisted of cartoon’s and comic’s simply cut and pasted and then his painting works where almost completely identical.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Lichtenstein
http://www.lichtensteinfoundation.org/
http://www.google.com/search?q=lichtenstein&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
http://216.194.97.43/outlawyr/tilt/review/review2-05.html
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/lichtenstein_roy.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benday_Dots
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/L/lichtenstein.html
http://www.artelino.com/articles/roy_lichtenstein.asp

Leilani: Takashi Kono

2008-06-09T17:01:00.000-07:00

In an era when the Japanese world of graphic design was shaken by the arrival of the uninhibited creative power of the US and Europe, Takashi Kono, an artist with the spirit of his Edo forebears, believed that what was of foreign origin was indeed "foreign," and he hoped for a rebirth of Japanese forms and colors in commercial art.

What he depicts are concisely abbreviated forms of nature: mountains, fields, flowers, animals, fish. But, with startling wit and forms and colors that stem from his left brainwaves removing the rusty shackles of "Fujiyama" and "geisha" stereotypes.

One example of his work of this time is "Sheltered Weaklings-Japan”. The black background signifies the international politics surrounding Japan in the early 1950s and Japan is represented by a school of fish docilely trailing an enormous shark (USA). The tiny fish have diminutive white bodies and red circles for eyes. In the top right corner, two red sharks (U.S.S.R and P.R.C.) are swim in the opposite direction. It appears that Kono, as a Japanese, had especially acute feelings towards the Cold War. He seems to have felt a certain self-hatred and boiling rage; the red eyes of the tiny fish fittingly hold its designer's emotions. Furthermore, by making the number of the fish thirteen, Kono seems to code even the death of Japan with the numerological meaning of that particular number. That he intended to signify death by using the number 13 (according to the Western superstition) is clandestinely corroborated by the title written in English, not Japanese, "Sheltered Weaklings-Japan."

http://arte.stile.it/articoli/2007/05/18/max-huber-takashi-kono.1312451.php

http://www.momat.go.jp/CG/KONO/index.html

http://www.dnp.co.jp/gallery/ggg/gki/g211/g211ki_e.html

Leilani: Mechanix Illustrated

2008-06-09T15:31:00.000-07:00

Mechanix Illustrated was an American magazine founded in the first half of the 20th Century to compete against Popular Science and Popular Mechanics. Billed as "The How-To-Do Magazine," Mechanix Illustrated aimed to guide readers through various projects from home improvements and advice on repairs to "build-your-own (sports car, telescope, helicopter, etc)." The magazine has gone through many changes, being called at different times throughout its life, Home Mechanix, Modern Mechanics and Inventions, Modern Mechanix and Inventions, Modern Mechanix and finally Mechanix Illustrated.

The Mechanix Illustrated covers have through this time been one of the most drawing assets of the magazine. Showy, colourful and each time featuring some new glitzy machine, whether it be real or sprung from the minds of the creators. They have featured everything from the futuristic flying car, the flying saucer that flies you to work, to the helicopter and pocket TV. Besides the pictures there is not much else on the covers besides a brightly coloured background and strong blocked lettering that states the magazines name. These magazines were a preview into the future, or what they thought the future would be like, for the people of the 1930s and 40s. Though some of the predictions are way off, others bear a striking resemblance to the household items we might use today.

http://blog.modernmechanix.com/category/nautical/page/5/
http://www.rss2go.net/topic/mechanix_illustrated/page/2

post 4 from stacy:1970 and 1980's

2008-06-09T04:19:00.000-07:00

Punk, mark perry, 'sniffin' glue',i- D, jamie reid- suburban press, saatchi and saatchi, helmut newton, beogram 4000 turntable bang and olufson, totem stereo ,sony walkman, sony trinitron tv, valentine portable typewriter, 'vanity fair', 'cosmopolitan',andy warhol's 'sticky fingers', roger dean's 'yes' covers, hipgnosis, the clash 'london calling', kit kat, reginald mount, verner panton textiles, polaroid sx-70, apple 11c computer, bell centennial font 1978, matthew carter, swiss posters and typography and many others are the icons of the 1970s.

1980's the time of space shuttle flights begin, high temp super conductors developed, glasnot policy implemented by gorbachev, sportswear, contemporary japanese design, androgyny, madonna, slogan t shirts, printed fabrics, wolfgang weingart, katherine mccoy, cranbrook school of art poster, 'emigre' magazine,zuzana licko, rudy vanderLans, 'the face'- neville brody, bartle bogle hegarty, canon cb10, classic apple computer, 'hommes', ikko tanaka 'noh', grapus- design collective, miehe, nigel rose, gert dumbar, gunter rambow, peret, pere torrent, toscani, united colors of benetton, nathalie du pasquier memphis textiles, susan collier and sarah campbell textiles, mickey mouse phone, Frutiger, Alexander Jordan, Garald Paris Clavel, Pierre Bernard, Alain Le Quernec, Tibor Kalman, new functionalism, octavo, contemporary japanese graphics
Discuss the characteristics and objectives ?
Examine the design elements and principles i.e. point, line, shape, scale, texture, tone, colour, pattern, symbol, proportion, structure, symmetry, form, volume, space, etc
Examine the design principles i.e. balance, contrast or diversity, harmony or unity, rhythm, dominance or emphasis.
Examine the materials and techniques utilized by the style.
What are the historical influences?
Did this style influence other styles?
What advancements in technology were available for the production of these graphics?

pass criteria
Information research effectively
references/ Bibliography listed correctly
logical flow of ideas leading to a personal conclusion
Hand in on time due 24.06.08.

BUICK automobiles – (7)

2008-06-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

There were many changes to Buick automobiles throughout the years, but the majority of changes occurred in the 1950’s and there was also creatively constructed advertisements that really captured the selling-point essence of these historic automobiles.

The years after the war were great for Buick styling, technical innovation and sales. In the design of the car they started blending and styling the emblem into the hood and grille but keeping the basic elements of the original crest. They also continued to work on modifying the overall sleek shape lines of the vehicle as symmetry was very important to the look of their cars. The interiors also featured a new symmetrical dash design.
Buick put almost as much emphasis on service as on sales, with their adverting by the use of clever graphic design. They sometimes made their cars look like they were flying into space to show their smoothness in acceleration and braking. They often had only one figure in the car as to show the accentuated room and space in the car to emphasise comfort. They also compared and put the car adds together with a hint of clothing or fashion to show that the cars were trendy.

So, as one can see there was a high emphasis placed on creating the "image" of technology, power and performance of the Buick motor car in the 1950’s.

Bibliography:

http://www.buickclub.org.au/Buick_Pages.php/SectionID/3

http://www.buickclub.org.au/Buick_Pages.php/SectionID/12

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buick_Roadmaster

http://journals.aol.com/outsider8413/CarsEnginesRacingAutoIndustryand/entries/2008/05/27/the-all-important-symmetry/666

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1959-1963-buick-invicta4.htm

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1950-1952-buick4.htm

http://www.cartype.com/page.cfm?id=270

http://images.google.com.au/imgres?imgurl=http://www.tocmp.com/pix/Buick/images/Dennis_Riffle/1950BuickFashion.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.tocmp.com/pix/Buick/index.htm&h=589&w=797&sz=58&hl=en&start=16&sig2=spWgXJ8qEzjvJFNTA5yZ5Q&um=1&tbnid=ETtJz2jEVV5kbM:&tbnh=106&tbnw=143&ei=8Xs7SKaFOqOGpwThwrGMBw&prev=/images%3Fq%3D1950%2Bbuick%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dcom.ubuntu:en-US:unofficial%26sa%3DG

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=735124

ALEC - Alan Fletcher

2008-06-04T22:51:00.000-07:00

“The most highly regarded graphic designer of his generation, and probably one of the most prolific.”

The Daily Telegraph

Alan Fletcher

Born in Nairobi in 1931 was prominent graphic designer Alan Fletcher. He studied at four cosmopolitan art schools in his early twenties including the Central School of Arts alongside the influences of Colin Forbes and Theo Crosby whilst under the teachings of Anthony Froshaug. In 1956 he transferred to the Yale School of Architecture and Design where he would Study under and draw influence from the bright colours and clean shapes of prominent graphic designer Paul Rand. During the next few years he immersed himself in his studies, absorbing as much American graphic design as he could.

Back in the depressing 40 watt gloom of London he formed the ironically successful design company Fletcher/Forbes/Gill. With clients such as Pirelli, Penguin Books, Reuters and a studio off Barker Street they became the most fashionable designers in London.

The changing world around him was reflected in his works with a shift away from the thin serif style typography of the 30s and 40s towards more thick and condensed typefaces. This was evident in his cover for Fortune Magazine. In other designs, Fletcher experimented with collage, bright, flat colours and bold clean shapes.

Fletcher’s poster for Pirelli exemplifies his bold and colourful work and a penchant for creative typography. It is a simple and elegant manipulation of text depicting a swerving car tyre. His use of dark blue against a light peach background conveys feelings of intelligence, stability, unity and confidence all of which are necessities when marketing a performance car tyre.

Another work which epitomises Fletcher’s style is the logo for the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is simple clean and effective. His choice of Bodoni font meant that he could manipulate the way each letter interacted with each other creating a logo and overall effect that fit its purpose so well it is still in use today!

Fletcher’s prolific portfolio spanned well into the 80s and 90s including the publications of the monogram ‘Beware Wet Paint’ in 94 and ‘The Art of Looking Sideways’ 2001 which will serve as a memento and inspiration to many young graphic designers including myself.

Bibliography:

http://www.designmuseum.org/design/alan-fletcher

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Fletcher_(graphic_designer)

http://desktoppub.about.com/cs/colorselection/p/blue.htm

http://images.google.com.au/images?gbv=2&hl=en&q=paul+rand

http://blog.pentagram.com/archives/AF_V&A_Sm.jpg

http://marcuslambert.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/fletcher.jpg

http://wemadethis.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/alanfletcher2.jpg

ROGAN : SPIDERMAN

2008-06-04T19:57:00.000-07:00

The fictional comic book character Spiderman, was originally created by writer Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko for Marvel Comics in the early sixties. However, the initial ‘Amazing Spiderman’ was not published until 1963, where it became the first comic book to feature a teenager as the ‘superhero’. Young people found they could relate to Spiderman and his woes and the character quickly became a cultural icon.

The early Marvel animation was remarkably well rendered, with fantastic use of hatching and tone for the shading. This Marvel style was very unique in this era, and there were stark contrasts between the Marvel style of animation and the style of its rival comic book producer DC, which created books such as Batman.

Spiderman comic books are coloured in such a way that gives the characters a dark mystique. Dark tones and shading is used very effectively and in one series of comics Spiderman even sported a black costume. The villains are quite frightening and names such as ‘Carnage’ and ‘Venom’ were given to the strikingly menacingly drawn foes.

Spiderman has truly become an American icon, and his story has since been made into a animated TV series and an incredibly successful film series. The animation behind the icon has also paved the way for the great majority of modern animation from Japanese anime to 3d animation.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spider-Man

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_The_Amazing_Spider-Man_comics

http://www.marvel.com/

http://www.comicvine.com/spider-man/1443/

http://www.spiderman.sonypictures.com/

http://www.spiderfan.org/comics/index.html

http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/spidermn/about.htm

http://www.allposters.com/-st/Spider-Man-Comic-Posters_c12774_.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Spider-Man-Complete-Comic-Collection/dp/B000HKIM7Q

http://www.samruby.com/

GEMMA - The Beatles Graphics

2008-06-02T18:12:00.000-07:00

The Beatles

The Beatles in the 1950’s and 60’s were very much so representational of the Graphic Design industry and progression at the time. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the British rock band and shows a unique style and interpretation of the band though the graphics used, most obviously though their album and poster artwork.
They Beatles changed the period known as the ‘Sixties’ as their influence is still being felt today. Their music, lifestyles, culture and clothing styles all changed because of this remarkable band that emerged out of Liverpool England in the early 1960s.

The album was released on 1 June 1967 in the United Kingdom and the following day in the United States. Various critics and publications often describe it as The Beatles’ most influential albums of all time. It was ranked the greatest album of all time by Rolling Stones in 2003.

Influenced by the early rock ‘n’ roll stars from America such as Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent they spent a considerable amount of time listening and copying the styles of these great 1950’s rock ‘n roll heroes. It’s fair to say that the music style adopted by the Beatles has its roots in 1950’s American rock ‘n’ roll.

The introduction of the colour TV as well as the progressions involved with photography gave an uplifting attitude towards the Graphics being incorporated into the Beatles media. Graphics used on their souvenirs and memorabilia such as badges, t-shirts, records, posters, lunchboxes and other popular merchandise are still being collected as what is seen with great value by Beetles

fans. It is most certain that the album graphics along with the song titles work together in aiding and supporting the concept being represented.

Bibliography

http://www.beatlebay.com/

The_Beatles.htm
http://community.livejournal.com/beatles_graphic
http://www.beatlesource.com/savage/1950s/50s/1950.htm
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles
http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sgt._Pepper's_Lonely_Hearts_Clu b_Band

http://www.jpgr.co.uk/pcs7027.htmlhttp://math.mercyhurst.edu/~griff/sgtpepper/sgt.html
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595610/1_sgt_peppers_lonely_hearts_club_band
http://www.beatles.com/sgtpeppe r/

Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

2008-06-02T18:09:00.000-07:00

Jamie, Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band: 1950’s to 1960’s:

The Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band was the eighth studio recorded edition in the Beatles montage of albums. The album was recorded over 129 days, and was released in 1967, on June the 1st. this record has been considered to be the greatest of all the Beatles albums.

The most captivating detail of the album was the cover. Created by Robert Fraser, a close friend of McCartney. The original

cover was of a psychodelic painting, though art director Robert Fraser pushed for a new one. He opted for large human sized cut-outs of famous stars, as to make a collage like effect. The icons were

chosen by the Beatles favourite person list. John was interested in

including such icons as , Ghandi, Jesus and also Hitler, though due to recent press and official statements the icons were decided to be left out. The art work featured over 70 famous

icons of the time. This style was original as it had not been done yet on a pop/rock album cover. Originally the Beatles wanted to have included, with the album, Sgt. Pepper memorabilia, such

as pins, pencils etc. though this proved to be too costly, so instead they decided to have cardboard cut-outs of, a moustache, a picture card of Sgt. Pepper, badges, stripes and a stand up of the band.

Many other quirky inclusions were attached to the album, such as the mysterious character Billy Sheers, who was introduced on the beginning of the album, and turns out to be Ringo Starr. Also the name appears again in

another song, written by John Lennon. Another weird inclusion was a very high pitched tone, (15kHz), not noticeable to adults, but by dogs and the teenage listeners. This was included by Lennon as to irritate the listeners dog. This was only included on the first 5000 presses.

This album became an instant hit, being given many awards, including best album cover, graphic artist. The album became #1 for 27 weeks on the UK Album Charts, and this album has been considered to be one of the most influential albums made.

Bibliography:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sgt_Peppers_Lonely_Hearts_Club_Band
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Fraser
http://www.norwegianwood.org/beatles/english/albumcovers9.html
http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595610/1_sgt_peppers_lonely_hearts_club_band
http://www.beatlesagain.com/btsgtppr.html

JADE: Wes Wilson

2008-06-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

Wes Wilson, the amazing 60's poster artist.

Wilson was born in 1937, in Sacramento, California. The family lived near Placerville, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. During his early childhood his parents separated, and he lived with his mother, a school-teacher whose employment ranged across Northern California, from the Sierra foothills to the Salinas Valley.

Robert Wesley Wilson came late to art, and through a side door. Before that he was a student of philosophy and religion, which was also unlikely. By his own account, except for schoolwork, he had done very little reading before age eighteen.

Wilson did have an interest technical things; he was attracted to the high-tech ideas and illustrations in the Popular Mechanics magazines of the 1940s and 50s, and had taken mechanical and architectural drawing classes in high school. In 1959 he obtained a summer job in an architect's office in San Francisco.

Wes’s posters were an incredible kaleidoscope of vibrant acid colors with highly creative hand-drawn lettering and illustration to promote gigs for bands like Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane and The Byrds.

“As I began to re-familiarize myself with the style of the posters, it didn't take long for me to establish that I was on territory I knew only too well. Influences such as the Art Nouveau movement, Victorian and Edwardian display lettering and a philosophy inspired by the great French poster designers of the late 1800s, who harmonized form, colour and typography, were styles that I studied avidly during my own typographic apprenticeship. These are the very same influences that helped Wes Wilson establish his poster design style that became his trademark.” - Colin Brignall

http://www.collectable-records.ru/images/post/wilson/

http://www.wes-wilson.com/

http://www.wes-wilson.com/bio.html

http://www.weswilson.com/

Rosalind-STANLEY MOUSE

2008-06-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

A true innovator in the realm of pop culture, artist Stanley Miller known as Mouse after illustrating numerous notebooks with his signature rodent sketch, forever changed the face of graphic design with his famous 60s posters and album cover art. Stanley Mouse is recognized as one of the “Big Five” American poster artists.
In 1964 Mouse migrated to San Francisco where he first met and worked with the artists associated with Family Dog, the organization producing dance concerts at the Avalon Ballroom. The Art Nouveau movement influenced Mouse’s psychedelic poster work; he experimented broadly with composition, lettering, symbolism, flashing colours, swirling visual patterns and imagery incorporating human and commercial images that resonated both the hippie culture and the ballroom dance concerts.
Some of his posters also took their inspiration from cultural dialogues involving Eastern images and traditions.
One Mouse poster takes the Buddhist koan concept to heart directly. Inside a classic Art Deco-style frame a series of unconnected images including yellow flowers, a shinning sun and an X-ray of a human hand. The goal, he said later, was for the images to work together in and allusive fashion to suggest meaning rather than provide it; “I called it my Haiku poem, because I saw it as a series of visual syllables.” This poster became known by fans and collectors as the “Cosmic Collage”.

http://www.usask.ca/relst/jrpc/art7-dayglokoans-print.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Mouse
http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Stanley-Mouse-Timeless-Posters_i391205_.htm
http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/ga/stanley-mouse/9578.html
http://www.gallerydirectart.com/dealer-gallery-of-fine-art-prints---posters-entertainment-fine-art-stanley-mouse.html
http://www.pooterland.com/index2/art/mouse_kelley/mouse_kelley.html
http://www.sfae.com/index.php?ID=42&action=gallery&status=show_artist
http://www.sfae.com/index.php?ID=42&action=gallery&status=show_artist
http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu/collections/exhibits/posters/objects/ae-noframe.html?/collections/exhibits/posters/objects/AE-tl55.1997.17_.html
http://www.collectorcafe.com/article_archive.asp?article=570&id=2063

Govinda - Graffiti Artists

2008-06-02T05:05:00.000-07:00

Graffiti Artists – social commentators, propaganda artists or vandals?

Graffiti art is becoming an increasingly popular medium for self expression in street culture today. The battle between artists and government entities/ land owners is growing as more and more art emerges in and around the city. But are these artists really vandals? Are they destroying the streets or are they simply expressing themselves using a more public and unconventional medium?

While some graffiti, such as tags, are easily judges as vandalism, the more creative and artistic pieces are a more complicated issue. It is still technically vandalism as it is illegally “destroying” another’s property, but some consider it to be urban art. The line is hazy between plain vandalism and art.

Many graffiti artists believe, just like any artist, that their work is a form of self expression. Whether they are speaking strongly about a topic, giving their view on world issues, or creating a visually stimulating artwork, these artists are passionate about their work.

It is impossible to generalize graffiti artist. Although their work is vandalism, and some individuals make their mark simply to vandalize, many artists are just trying to get their voice heard. They want the world to hear their message and they have found a cheap public way to exercise that. This does not however, give them the right to unleash their creativity on another’s property. The battle will continue.

http://www.108artworks.cjb.net/
http://www.graffiti.org/wany/w_wany_bologna07b.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graffiti
http://bombingscience.com/clock.htm
http://www.hudini.net/

Paolo : 50`s and 60`s - BOB KANE

2008-06-01T22:59:00.000-07:00

Bob Kane (born Robert Kahn, October 24, 1915– November 3, 1998) was an American comic book artist and writer credited as the creator of the DC comics superhero Batman

In early 1939, DC's success with the seminal superhero Superman in action comics prompted editors to scramble for more such heroes. In response, Bob Kane conceived "the Bat-Man". Kane said his influences for the character included actor Douglas Fairbanks movie portrayal of the swashbuckler Zorro , Leonardo Da Vinci's diagram of the ornithopter , a flying machine with huge bat-like wings; and the 1930 film The Bat Wishpers , based on Mary Rinehart`s mystery novel The Circular Staircase. Bill Finger joined Bob Kane's nascent studio in 1938. An aspiring writer and part-time shoe salesperson, he had met Kane at a party, and Kane later offered him a job ghost writing the strips Rusty and Clip Carson. He recalled that Kane“had an idea for a character called 'Batman', and he'd like me to see the drawings. I went over to Kane's, and he had drawn a character who looked very much like Superman with kind of ... tights, I believe, with boots ... no gloves, no gauntlets ... with a small domino mask, swinging on a rope. He had two stiff wings that were sticking out, looking like bat wings. And under it was a big sign ... BATMAN.

Kane would illustrate 'Batman' until the mid-1940s, and although his name appeared on the strip until 1964, the work was done mostly by other artists, initially Robinson, and later also Stan Kaye , Sheldon Moldoff , Dick Sprang , Jack Burnley , and Carmine infantino . As Batman evolved, a brooding, threatening quality was sustained in its predominantly black, night-time panels. The feature's quick success had led to several comic books, a newspaper strip version and two movie serials long before the campy TV version of the 1960s. 'Batman' has additionally appeared on virtually every form of merchandising known.
Bookmarks:
http://www.lambiek.net/
http://www.askart.com/
www.npr.org/templates/story
http://www.imdb.com/
http://www.youtube.com/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Kane

PAOLO- 30`s 40`s - JEAN CARLU

2008-05-28T23:18:00.000-07:00

Jean Carlu originally began training as an architect but turned to commercial art after an accident in which he lost his right arm. During the 1920’s and 1930’s he was a leading figure in French poster design. Along with A. M. Cassandre and Paul Colin, Carlu translated the influence of Cubism into symbolic and architectonic imagery.Carlu sought to create a symbolic language in which color, line, and content would represent emotional values. His work thus achieved a distinctive, streamlined economy of form, rarely incorporating narrative or illustrative elements. In 1937, he was chairman of the Graphic Publicity Section of the Paris International Exhibition. He came to the United States to organize an exhibition at the New York World’s Fair, for the French Information Service. He remained here when Paris was captured by the Germans. It was during his time in the US the he designed one of his most famous posters - “America’s Answer! Production” This poster won him a New York Art Directors medal as well as being voted poster of the year. He also designed work for Container Corporation of America and Pan American Airways. In 1953, he returned to France and continued his work as a poster designer and consultant for many companies, including Air France and Firestone France. He was the International President of AGI from 1945 to 1956 and retired in 1974.

Bookmarks:

http://www.postershow.com/
http://www.allposters.com/
users.design.ucla.edu
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/
http://www.drleslie.com/
http://www.rogallery.com/
http://www.art.com/
americanart.si.edu
http://www.designrelated.com/
www.imagekind.com

Govinda: 30's & 40's Italian Travel Brochures

2008-05-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

Italy was one of the leading countries in generating and propagating the design styles of the thirties. Italy and other central European countries produced the best graphic design in that period influenced, no doubt, by the Bauhaus and Italian Futurism. Art Deco, a popular international design movement of the time, was also influential.

A good example of Italian design is the countries travel brochures which deeply reflect the styles of the day. Bold colour, geometric shapes and lines and a simple, minimalistic look where all used by the tourism companies in their advertising. The designs where uncluttered and space was embraced.
These travel brochures depicted scenes of beautiful beach, landscapes and happy, beautiful women to attract people’s attention. The colours were rich and the designs modern. Solid shapes were filled with solid colour creating a collage effect similar to that of Matisse’s work.
But as WWII broke out, the travel industry all but diminished, bringing an end to these brochures. Many of the art styles of the day also ended.

http://www.travelbrochuregraphics.com/Top_Level_Pages/Italy/Italy_Main.htm
http://www.barclaygallery.com/fortune2.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Deco
http://www.vogue.co.uk/magazine/issue.aspx/Archive/Year,1939/Search,Year/
http://www.graphicdesignforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=32151&page=2
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/italy/rome/history
http://invisibletown.blogspot.com/2006/12/italian-design-1930s-style.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giorgio_de_Chirico
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/italy/rome/history
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080513154409AAuNv32

ALEC:1930s and 1940s - Harry Sternberg

2008-05-26T19:20:00.000-07:00

Harry Sterberg

The great depression left America wounded both morally and financially. As a result of this President Franklin Roosevelt implemented a series of programs and promises labelled the New Deal. Its objective was largely to alleviate pressure on the economy created by the great depression and to boost the moral of the American people especially the labourers and workers.

The Treasury Department, under the New Deal commissioned artists to create murals and sculptures for postal facilities across America. They were selected by way of competition, which led to some of the most talented artists working for the New Deal.

One of those artists was Harry Sternberg. In 1935 he was appointed technical advisor of the Graphic Art Division, Federal Art Project (FAP) were he became politically active in union and socialist causes. The following year he spent time studying the conditions of workers in steel mills and coal mines which was more than enough inspiration for many of his works.

Sterberg’s murals depicted workers in heroic posses and labouring in unison toward the completion of a public project. They were often very busy with vector lines dissecting the mural creating energy and life. This feeling was enhanced by his quick brush stokes and use of positive and negative space. The works were sometimes overcrowded but for the most part achieved harmony and balance through a contrast between light and dark colours and tones.

To me Sternberg was one of the great contibuters to the New Deal due to his studies within the steel mill and coal mining communities. He was at the forefront of social commentary portraying the culture and character of Blue collar America as one of unity and strength.

LINKS

http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/8990.php

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Sternberg

ROGAN: BEN SHAHN

2008-05-26T18:48:00.001-07:00

Ben Shahn immigrated to New York City with his family having to flee the Russian empire after is father was exiled to Serbia for alleged revolutionary activities. Shahn was first trained as a lithographer, which lead him to work in graphic design. His early training became evident in his later works that combined both text and print, making bold social commentaries which became hugely popular among social realists.

Shahn first became famous for his work during the great depression. During this time he created a series of commercial works commissioned by the government and notably he served as an assistant to Californian labor leader Diego Rivera, at which time he created the infamous Rockafeller Centre mural. This established Shahn as a communicative artist. His social vision informed his art and he set out to break down the pretensions of the art world and communicate more with the general public.

During WW2 also worked for the Office of War Information (OWI). This was short lived however, due to the lack of patriotism in his work only two of his posters were ever published. After this he actively expressed his distain for war and created a series of paintings such as ‘Death on the Beach’ which depicted the horrors of war. After this time he went on to work as a commercial artist, for such organizations as Time and CBS. One of his most famous works was a portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. appeared on the cover of Time magazine.

Shahns vision and symbolism set him apart from other artists of this time period. He uses contrasting scales and colors to create tension, however he is also noted for his precision and detail that is clearly influenced by lithography and shows in his interpretations of his photography.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.artchive.com/artchive/S/shahn.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Shahn

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/shahn_ben.html

http://www.artnet.com/artist/15370/ben-shahn.html

http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu/shahn/servlet/webpublisher.WebCommunication?ia=tr&ic=pt&t=xhtml&x=introduction

http://wwar.com/masters/s/shahn-ben.html

http://news.google.com/archivesearch?hl=en&safe=on&q=ben+shahn&um=1&ie=UTF-8&scoring=t&sa=X&oi=archive&ct=title

http://www.aaa.si.edu/collections/oralhistories/index.cfm/fuseaction/OralHistories.ViewOralHistory/Collection

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9067077/Ben-Shahn

http://www.tfaoi.com/newsmu/nmus58b.htm

Tane - Joseph Binder Designs

2008-05-26T18:19:00.000-07:00

Joseph Binder (1898 – 1972)

Joseph Binder was an Austrian-born designer who influenced most of Europe and the U.S.
In 1924 Binder founded his own studio, Vienna Graphics, and built a reputation as an advertising artist and poster designer.
In 1927 he acted as one of the founding fathers of the national Austrian designers association, Design Austria, who continue to remember him through an international design competition, the Joseph Binder Award.

His designs aim for a reductive, postmodern approach derived from Cubism. This applied to all his posters, including ones commissioned by American Railroads, American Airlines, the Red Cross and many tourism firms.

Binder’s style is very distinctive and eye-catching, hence his success in the advertising industry.
The absence of outline and heavy reliance on bright block colours suggests Cubism monopolized Binder’s influences. The shapes are simple and geometric in appearance. However, beyond block colours is the suggestion of texture, shading and dimension, particularly in posters featuring his painting skills which are mostly used as background effects and bases. The forms are abstract indeed, yet recognizable and distinguishable. In this way, Binder’s Cubist practices met his great love of painting, creating the perfect advertising material for the 1930s era.

www.aiga.org/content.cfm/medalist-josephbinder
www.drleslie.com/Contributors/binder.shtml
www.dexigner.com/graphic/news-g14558.html
www.drleslie.com/Contributors/binder.shtml

I could find no further links on the net – sorry!

Josh - Paul Rand

2008-05-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

Paul Rand was an important advocate of employing a wide variety of techniques such as typography, painting, collage, photography, and montage. In doing so created a combination of elements to produce a distinct and modern image, whether it was a poster, magazine cover design or a corporate identity design/logo. In terms of typography, Paul Rand’s distinctive style came from his talent and extensive design education. It inspired him to merge modern typography with nineteenth-century engravings which resulted in a success. Typography was one of his strongest command areas, and with his impeccable understanding of both visual content and technical content, he produced designs which lasted decades. Rand united letters, finding new graphic ways of bringing together letters of a word. Personally I think he excelled at that, as seen in his logos for IBM, EF and Yale University Press.

Rand had a simplistic approach and was quick to point out himself in A Designer’s Art that “ideas do not need to be esoteric to be original or exciting”. The simplicity became a common element with what he created, whether it was a page design, magazine cover, ad, or logo. Rand always thought that the design of a logo must be simple, in order to appeal aesthetically.

Rand broke away from the conventional standards of typography and layout, In the 1940s. He started incorporating a Swiss style of design into his creations. He merged American visual culture into European ‘modern art’ design, integrating Cubism, Constructivism, and the Bauhaus into his work.

Corporate identity designs are Rands most seen and known works. Being his main achievements. His talent and excellent execution was apparent in the logos he designed for many firms from a vast range of industries like IBM, Apple, UPS, ABC Television, NeXT, Enron, the Cummins Engine Company, El Producto Cigar Company, Compton Advertising and Westinghouse Electric Corporation to name a few. The main image that virtually became Paul Rand’s identity was his corporate identity design/logo for IBM. The logo with the three letters in bold font was a design concept that gave birth to corporate and public awareness at the same time.

bibliography.
http://books.google.com.au/books?as_auth=Paul+Rand&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=author-navigational&hl=en
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Rand
http://www.paul-rand.com/
http://www.areaofdesign.com/americanicons/rand.htm
http://www.nenne.com/typography/pr1.html
http://design.rit.edu/biographies/rand.html
http://www.dlsdesign.com/paul_rand/

Kurt- Cecil Beaton

2008-05-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton was born in Hampstead England 1904 and died in 1980.The Beaton family were actually timber merchants by trade and at an early age while Cecil was attending St Cyprian`s School his artistic talents were recognized.
Through out his childhood his nanny possessed a Kodak 3A Camera and was forever teaching him how to photograph he would take photos of his sisters and send the pictures to high society magazines recommending himself as a photographer. He then went on to study art, history and architecture at St Johns College Cambridge.

Cecil Beaton was most famous for his fashion and portrait photography of high society and Hollywood; he was a staff photographer for both Vanity Fair and Vogue magazines

He was never really known as a highly skilled or technical photographer, he instead took time and focused on the model and scene always focusing on the perfect moment to shoot.

Beaton regularly photographed the royal family and there weddings and in 1972 was knighted.

During the Second World War he was posted and given the task of recording images from the home front during this time he took one of the most famous photos of 3-year-old Eileen Dunne.

After the war Beaton took to Broadway designing sets costumes and lighting his most well known work was achieved on sets for musicals such as “My Fair Lady” and “Gigi” both of which he won academy awards for.

Beaton was so in tune with the changes in fashion his career maintained its momentum for a span of five decades.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecil_Beaton
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanity_Fair_%28magazine%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vogue_magazine
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/photo_gallery/3438593.stm
http://www.google.com/search?q=Cecil+Beaton:+Portraits&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
http://www.npg.org.uk/live/search/person.asp?LinkID=mp05064&role=art
http://www.staleywise.com/collection/beaton/beaton.html

GEMMA - Ben Shahn

2008-05-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

Ben Shahn – Political Artist

Ben Shahn was born in Kaunas, Lithuania in 1898. His family then moved to America in 1904 and Shahn became a lithographer's apprentice after he finished schooling. He

continued his studies at night school and eventually attended New York University and the National Academy of Design.  In the 1920s Shahn became a Social Realist and his work was more than often inspired by news reports in reality.Text and lettering formed an integral part of his designs. Shahn held strong socialist views and his art often referred to cases of social injustice. Ben

Shahn’s social-realist vision informed his approach to art. Although he often explored polemic themes of modern urban life, organized labor, immigration and injustice, he di

d so while maintaining a compassionate tone.
Ben remained to diplay pictorial realiti

es in his works, rather than abstract forms. He believed, known forms allow the artist “to discover new truth

s about man and to reaffirm that his life is significant.” References to allegory, the Old Testament, humanistic content, childhood, science, music and the commonplace are other motifs Ben Shahn draws upon to make the universal personal for his viewers.
He incorporates evocativ

e juxtapositions in which characterize his aesthetic. He intentionally paired contrasting scales, colors, and images together to create tension. The appearance of his art is striking but also introspective captivating figures trapped in their own worlds. Many of his photographs were taken spontaneously, without the subject’s notice. Although, h

e used many mediums, his pieces are consistently thoughtful and playful.

Bibliography:

www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/shahn_ben
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Shahn
www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ARTshahn.htm
www.artchive.com/artchive/S/shahn.html
www.njn.net/artsculture/shahn/
wwar.com/masters/s/shahn-ben.html
www.njn.net/artsculture/shahn/photography.html
www.britannica.com/eb/article-9067077/Ben-Shahn
www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Ben_Shahn/
www.davidsongalleries.com/artists/shahn/shahn.html

POST3 FROM STACY:1950 AND 1960S

2008-05-26T14:11:00.001-07:00

In the 1950s the korean war begins, colour tv introduced to usa in 1950, elvis presley first hit in 1956, the birth of cool by miles davis, soviets launch sputnik satellite in 1957, the teenager consumer,coronation of elizabeth2 as queen, fidel castro becomes prime minister of cuba, james dean, univers, swiss/ international style, paul rand, esquire,olivetti- giovanni pintori,, nikon f , 'look', 'vogue', jean carlu, ofen ludin, astral email, savignac, toyko international trade fair 1956, takashi kono, marianne straub warner and son textile, univers 1957, optima 1958, zapf, palantino 1949, melior 1952, recta font1958, novarese, Type Director's Club of New York,ideal family in the suburb image, fonts times new roman, curvinus skyline, pl latin bold, bodoni,futura, futura light,

The 1960s were busy and diverse times in the development of graphic design- apollo 11 first manned lunar landing, the mini skirt, the beatles,hippie culture, herb lubalin, milton glaser, saul bass, otto preminger, ken garland, john mcconnell -pentgram, rick griffen, ken kesey, pscychodelia, contraceptive pill, sexual revolution, roger excoffon, the bikini, elvis, portable tv, kodak brownie 127, david bailey, ibm typewriter 72, ibm computer system 360, barbarella, pierre cardin - moon girl, 'oz' magazine,martin sharp, 'women and beauty', 'time', 'paris match' 'look', peter blake , sgt peppers lonely hearts club band, tadnori yokoo, kobe workers music council poster, dick elffers, the paper dress show hirokatsu hijikata, 'wozzeck', jan lenica, wes wilson, john riebens, 'neue grafik', josef muller-brockmann, 'foultitude' pop art, robert rauschenberg, litchenstein, folon, tibor reich textiles, astrid sampe textiles, grillo phone, valentine portable typewriter, ibm golfball typewrite, tschichold , sabon 1964, fluxus, functionalism, stanley mouse, victor moscoso, chet helms, fonts ortem, cruz swinger, windsor, windsor elongated, peace open, peace solid, peace outline, love stoned, love open etc. write a post about 200wds with image/s and link.
Discuss the characteristics and objectives ?
Examine the design elements and principles i.e. point, line, shape, scale, texture, tone, colour, pattern, symbol, proportion, structure, symmetry, form, volume, space, etc
Examine the design principles i.e. balance, contrast or diversity, harmony or unity, rhythm, dominance or emphasis.
Examine the materials and techniques utilized by the style.
What are the historical influences?
Did this style influence other styles?
What advancements in technology were available for the production of these graphics?

pass criteria
Information research effectively
references/ Bibliography listed correctly
logical flow of ideas leading to a personal conclusion
Hand in on time due 10.06.08.

Abby - Snow White Disney 1937

2008-05-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

These scenes are from the animated Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs made in 1937. The new techniques used in this full-length animated feature included 477,000 handcrafted drawings which would then be photographed and changed into animation. The movie was colour and had direct sound.
The colour and brightness of the above scene is very strong and shows life and happiness. It is busy, loud and has lots of movement. This contrasts with dull colours when the scenes are sad as in the bed scene. This scene is quiet and peaceful with little movement. Both have Snow White in the centre of the picture creating harmony.
The animals are shown as caricatures making them look sweet and cute. Snow White is shown as a substantially human figure, as are the Prince and Wicked Queen, moving into the realism which Disney animation used from this time.

These posters advertise the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from 1937. It was Disney’s first successful full length animated feature. The posters are well balanced with the text being in an important position and main characters shown.
The graphics in this movie influenced following animated features such as Pinocchio and Fantasia in the early 40s.

Bibliography:

http://www.cinemasterpieces.com/cine_S.htm
http://student.britannica.com/comptons/art-52579/Disneys-Snow-White-and-the-Seven-Dwarfs
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-1841/Walt-Disney#288198.hook
http://www.britannica.com/eb/topic-550602/Snow-White-and-the-Seven-Dwarfs
http://course1.winona.edu/pjohnson/h140/snow_white.htm
http://howtobeachildrensbookillustrator.wordpress.com/2008/03/21/illustrators-round-up/
http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/villains/queen/queen.html
http://www.disneydvdsearch.com/classics/SnowWhite
http://www.excellentvirtu.com/disney_fine_art_gallery.htm
http://dfdesigns.ezthemes.com/pcenhance/wp/preview.phtml?blank+11077
http://www.liveauctiontalk.com/free_article_detail.php?article_id=587

JADE: Jean Carlu

2008-05-19T16:59:00.000-07:00

Born in Bonnières, France, Jean Carlu came from a family of architects and studied to enter that profession. After an accident at the age of eighteen in which he lost his right arm, Carlu turned to graphic design. His early work reveals a fascination with the angular forms and spatial nuances of Cubism.
As Carlu's work changed over the next two decades, it continued to show examples of geometric shapes of Cubism, but this was manifested in very diverse ways. Carlu sought to make a figurative language in which color, line, and content would show emotional values. His work achieved a distinctive, streamlined economy of form, hardly ever incorporating narrative or illustrative elements.
Carlu spent the years of World War II in the United States, where he executed a number of important poster designs for the government's war effort. Characterized by the same scientific precision of form as his other work, these designs were well suited to the promotion of industrial efficiency. Both American and international design traditions continue to reflect his influence.
Unable to return to Paris he stayed in America where he designed some of his best posters for the Allied war effort. His most celebrated poster being the "America's Answer! Production" poster for which he was recognized with the top award with the New York Director's Club Exhibition.
Returning to France in 1953 he became a consultant to various clients including Air France, Larousse and Firestone France before retiring in 1974.

http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/carlu_jean.html
http://the-artists.org/artist/Jean_Carlu.html
http://www.drleslie.com/Contributors/carlu.shtml
http://www.art.com/asp/display_artist-asp/_/crid--9899/Jean_Carlu.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Carlu
http://www.rogallery.com/Carlu/Carlu-bio.htm
http://www.greatnaturalexpressions.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=GNE&Category_Code=Carlu
http://www.allposters.com/-st/Jean-Carlu-Posters_c23135_.htm
http://www.designrelated.com/inspiration/view/Karen/entry/1778
http://nmaa-ryder.si.edu/search/artist_bio.cfm?StartRow=1&ID=749

Rosalind Hans J Barschel

2008-05-19T16:57:00.000-07:00

Hans J Barschel was born in Berlin 1912. It is here that he studied with the famous book designer George Salter at the Municipal Art School and went on to graduate at the Kunsthochschule, the Academy of Fine and Applied Arts.
After completing his education Barschel practiced design in Berlin, opening his own studio Atelier für Werbegraphik, in 1935.
Becoming disenchanted with life in Germany Barschel moved to New York where he met up with his teacher George Salter’s brother Stephan, and Dr Robert Leslie, owner of the typography company ,The Composing Room.
With a little help from friends Barschel soon had a busy free lance design and illustration practice that would keep him at the top of the field in New York for fifteen years.
His commissions included designs for book jackets, advertisements, magazine covers illustrations and posters. His clients included United Airlines, New York Central Railroad, Steel, Horizons magazine, Town and Country magazine, Harry Abrams’s Book of the Month Club, Standard Oil of New Jersey, the United Nations and many others, he designed progressive pharmaceutical graphics for CIBA, Sharp and Dohme and La Roche.
His five covers for Fortune magazine, done between 1937 and 1942, were perhaps his most prestigious assignments.
Barschel’s progressive style, although realistic, often bordered on the abstract, he was a master craftsman combining the airbrush and other techniques. His concepts were imaginative and his technique was flawless. His designs show a strong contrasting feeling of space between foreground and background reminiscent of Surrealist art. He used rich colours and successfully integrated the typographic elements with the pictorial and symbolic.

Bibliography

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