StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Modernism Along with Postmodernism: Graphic Design at Its Best - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
The researcher of this descriptive essay mostly focuses on the discussion of the topic of Postmodernism in graphic design and analyzing the issue of postmodernism not as a rejection of the former but merely a release between what is considered high culture and popular culture…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER92.4% of users find it useful
Modernism Along with Postmodernism: Graphic Design at Its Best
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Modernism Along with Postmodernism: Graphic Design at Its Best"

Modernism Along with Postmodernism: Graphic Design at Its Best Being an artist means being able to freely express oneself. At these modern times,what better way to communicate than to build from what one knows from the past, merge it with new energy, and incorporate that uniqueness into the artwork. Postmodernism is so much like this in graphic design. However, there is a need to determine what modernism is first in order to understand postmodernism better. Keedy describes modernism as a kind of style and ideology that is not limited to a particular period or geographical spot. Furthermore, modernism means being able to shape one’s design based on the practical use or function of the object being considered. Consequently, it “is a formalist, rationalist, visual language that can be applied to a wide range of circumstances (Keedy). Still, form follows function. The seeming boundaries that is created by modernism have elicited some reactions and this is how postmodernism came to be (Keedy). Postmodernism is not a rejection of the former but merely a release between what is considered high culture and popular culture. In this way, the use of theory is not anymore narrowed down to philosophy but is expanded to include history, social theory, political science and most importantly, design theory. Thus, postmodernism is not a depiction of a style but an era brought about by neo-colonialism, green revolution, computerization, and electronic information in the 1960’s (Keedy). Ferebee relates that in the first dozen years of the 20th century, Kokoschka, Kirchner and other members of Die Breucke and Der Blaue Reiter or the so-called expressionist graphic designers gave emphasis on the emotional tone of their layouts (qtd. in Stephens). What they did was to invoke a disquieting effect with the typeface like it was a decorative device. Stephens suggests that the expressionist designers got their inspiration from Sigmund Freud and the psychoanalytic theory and from Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution. Consequently, the central theme was the primitive and the unconscious. Similarly, postmodernism involves manipulation of layouts to invoke intense emotionality, the use of typeface as a decorative device, and placing disparate objects to describe the elements in the unconscious mind. On the other hand, it was in the mid 1980s that postmodernism’s influence on graphic design was made apparent. At first, most designers thought that it was just some sort of selfish indulgence that is not really based on anything relevant. Conversely, postmodernism is a new way of thinking and creative designing. It is not just about designers communicating a sense of the culture but is more about making a stand out of a variety of ideologies. Significant persons have contributed to the development of postmodernism. One of them is Jan Tschichold who prompted diversity in ideology through his postmodern typography. His work characterized “craft-based calligraphy and machine-age modernism to neoclassicism” (Keedy). Another pioneer is the designer named W.A. Dwiggins who introduced an infusion of traditional themes and aesthetics to the modern consciousness. What was unique about his work was how he experimented with materials from eastern cultures, history, and the latest technology. Both Tschichold’s and Dwiggins’ works of art embodied the diversity and complexity that is postmodern. On the other hand, one graphic style design that seems to dominate advertising and editorials of lifestyle magazines recently is what is called interactive two-dimensional design or interactive 2D design (Stephens). Its textual attribute shows scattered or mismatched letters as well as random words which readers are encouraged to put together in order to make sense out of it. The reader is further persuaded to interpret, decode and even encode meaning into the material. Because of this, 2D design has been the focus of intense discussions in relation to postmodern culture and art. Although Stephens believes that this kind of design compromises legibility for the sake of artistic expression, Lund espouses that 2D embodies the postmodern designing that uniquely involves the reader and his degree of interest for the material to the point of exerting effort to figure it out for himself based on how it relates to his own life (qtd. in Stephens). Lund further argues that design should not be too easy to do for the artist nor too easy to perceive for the reader. Indeed, 2D is interactive in the sense that the reader is stimulated to think about what they see. In the words of MacKenzie, "Post-modern and constructionist theory allow us to understand that meaning can only be generated when the reader engages with the printed words. We now understand that meaning and thus communication, is brought into being by the interactive relationship between the reader and the document (qtd. in Stephens). Then, postmodernism is liberation of some sort that extols what is new and different without discarding what is modern. In specific, Push Pin Studio previously released a monthly magazine that featured various styles that infused popular culture (Eskilson). Seymour Chwast, The Push Pin Monthly Graphic, no. 24, 1959. Cover. In one of the magazine covers, it showed an old wooden typeface available from the Morgan Press which was full of typography museum pieces. This caused people to look at what is seemingly obsolete in a new light. Inside the magazine is yet another graphic design which shows a random sampling of pictures, clip art, and fonts (Eskilson) that freely expresses a lot of humor and caricatured drawings. This was an obvious opposition to the International Style grid which was full of seriousness. Seymour Chwast, The Push Pin Monthly Graphic,  no. 24, 1959. Interior. Furthermore, the monthly magazine was able to make a political statement in another issue showing the prevalent issue of racism in the United States at that time. It placed different images of White racial aggression and violence “such as Emmit Till, a fifteen-year-old who had been murdered in Mississippi in 1955, with idealized images of the American South drawn from everyday culture” (Eskilson). Seymour Chwast, The Push Pin Monthly Graphic, no. 54, 1959. Interior. Indeed, postmodernism is not just about graphic design. It is a way of life that gives designers not only freedom of expression but the freedom to show what is real in a very stimulating kind of way. Works Cited Eskilson, Stephen J. “Graphic Design: A New History.” A Brief History of Design and Posters. 16 December 2008 . Keedy, M. “Graphic Design in the Postmodern Era.” Émigré.com. 16 December 2008 . Stephens, Cheryl. “Interactive Graphic Design-To serve youth or art?” Design Issues II. 2000. 16 December 2008 . Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Modernism Along with Postmodernism: Graphic Design at Its Best Essay”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1550689-modernism-along-with-postmodernism-graphic-design-at-its-best
(Modernism Along With Postmodernism: Graphic Design at Its Best Essay)
https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1550689-modernism-along-with-postmodernism-graphic-design-at-its-best.
“Modernism Along With Postmodernism: Graphic Design at Its Best Essay”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/visual-arts-film-studies/1550689-modernism-along-with-postmodernism-graphic-design-at-its-best.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Modernism Along with Postmodernism: Graphic Design at Its Best

Modernist And Postmodernist Interior

Perhaps the best question on should be asking now is what exactly modernism and post modernism mean.... Postmodernity therefore appears to be a new way of doing things in the best way possible.... In order to bring a clear understanding on the interconnectivity between these two major contexts, this paper will bases its assessment and comparison on relevant theories of modernism and post modernism.... These are theories that explain the concepts of modernism and post-modernism in the context of the society and its culture....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay

Modernism and Postmodernism

ut modernism had its flaws.... Post modernism too has had its impact on every walk of life.... The first part of this essay will deal with the concept of modernism while the second pat will discuss the meaning of postmodernism.... In the next section the focus will shift to the contribution and impact of modernism and postmodernism to our society.... The idea of postmodernism is relevant in the works of thinkers like Friedrich Nietzsche....
7 Pages (1750 words) Essay

National Geographic Photography

… Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society, publishers of National Geographic Magazine, developed its mission, which is "for the increase and diffusion of geographic Knowledge.... Founded in 1888, the National Geographic Society, publishers of National Geographic Magazine, developed its mission, which is "for the increase and diffusion of geographic Knowledge....
16 Pages (4000 words) Dissertation

Color in the Sets and Costumes of Leon Bakst

176) In the Western tradition of Art, East has always been considered the land of perfection and idealism for its “mysterious” oriental arts and idyllic landscapes with scenes that the west did not have.... The mode of writing dramas, use of symbolism and setting of drama, including costumes as well as use of colors also changed in a rapid way compared to the past and at the same time the world of theatre was greatly influenced by the aesthetics of East, deriving different aspects from Oriental Art to initiate a new tradition, “It brought together the art of stage scenery, the design of sets, costumes and props, the music of song and instrumental pit, the architecture of both the building in which the performance took place and the fantasy world portrayed beyond the proscenium arch, and the text and characterization of the play....
18 Pages (4500 words) Research Paper

Building Towards Sustainability: Developing a Better Future Through Housebuilding

This study seeks to combine these responses with a survey of samples of past customers of the company, to establish the positive and negative impacts of the Newcastle upon Tyne project of the company, which is its oldest and most developed.... In effect, this research will make recommendations for Barratt Homes that will be useful for policy, planning, design and implementation of construction in a manner that enhances residency rather than impedes or limits it....
19 Pages (4750 words) Essay

Sigmund Freud: An Understanding of the Word Uncanny

An essay "Sigmund Freud: An Understanding of the Word Uncanny” outlines that it is something that is very frightening and arouses terror and dread.... Brain triggered goose bumps like other emotion-linked reflexes such as blushing and turning pale.... nbsp;… Uncannily comes from a Gaelic word “Ken” which means “To Know”....
12 Pages (3000 words) Essay

Visual Arts and Film Studies

there is a lot more dependence on graphic design in art than there initially was some fifty years ago.... Tools of graphic design tools are made use of in marketing and advertising.... Furthermore, there is the alternative of digital art that will enable artists to work with images and colors even without the most thorough training to create best masterpieces.... Hutcheon explained that Parody- often called ironic intertextuality, appropriation, pastiche, or quotation—is frequently regarded as being essential to postmodernism expressions, both by its defenders and detractors....
4 Pages (1000 words) Assignment

Women in design

After the World War II women were able to get new opportunities in design and being part of the movement that will build the world in being equitable and much better.... Elizabeth Mock and Susanne Wasson Tucker started exhibitions in the MoMA that brought the female desires and… After the war crafts and designs were taught widely in art collages and schools which led to the modern design and the many household decorations seen today.... MoMA took the opportunity that most women had the knowledge of design and showcased the One notable object that was designed by a woman during this period was the Lounge chair....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us