The Use of Multiple Colours in the Graphics for Advertisement - Assignment Example

module: Question one: international modernism after World War II: Modernism refers to a philosophical movement that was characterized by the development of the industrial revolution, and a rapid increase and growth of the cities. This was then followed by the emergence of the 1st and the 2nd World War. Modernism was also characterized by cultural changes and trends, and this is because of the various transformations of the Western Society that began in the 19th and 20th centuries. Modernists were also able to reject the concepts of enlighten, and various religious beliefs. The introduction of new products in America played a great role in enhancing a comfortable standard of living. It is important to explain that during this period, United States was experiencing an element of consumerism. This is whereby the society is characterized by the consumption of products and goods. There was the emergence of the new media and advertisement in this period. This is because companies were seeking to promote their products, just after the Second World War. The use of radio remained as a major method that companies could advertise their products; this is in the 1940s. This was able to promote a luxurious lifestyle, majorly because people could become aware of the emergence of new products that could be used to promote their personal well-being (Raizman, p. 267). By the end of the 1940s, the television emerged as one of the important modes or channels of communication and advertisements. The acquisitions of TV sets began in 1946, and by 1952, more than a third of the citizens of United States were able to own and operate TV sets. Companies that were constantly advertising through the use of the television include Esso, Firestone Tires, and Pan American Airways. These were companies that were promoting luxurious living. Take for example Firestone Tires. This company was promoting tires that could be used in automobiles, and this is an aspect of comfortable living. The development of the FM broadcasting also played a significant role in promoting comfortable living in America, Italy, Scandinavia and Britain. This is because they were able to promote the products of various companies. This period also saw the emergence of Sunday Magazine, an affiliate of New York Times. This was a major tool that enabled companies to advertise their products. This was specifically in the fashion industry, where fashion companies were seeking to promote the development their new brands. For instance, this type of modernism played a great role in the promotion and rise of American and European designs. For instance, during the war, European designers did not have access to the American market, but after the war, designers such as Parisian houses were able to access the American market, hence promoting the European design (Raizman, p. 273). During this period, the English and the Scandinavian architecture also developed. Some of the famous designers during this period include Paul Rand, who came up with innovative ideas and approaches on modern design. Rand was able to understand the importance of shape and colour in his work, hence creating designs from colours and geometric forms. Question Two: New Materials in the 1960s, and Products Different materials that were developed in the 1960s were intended for specific use or industry specific application (Raizman, 331). During this time, the materials that were available were either expensive or did not meet the standards that they were applied for. Scarcity and the cost of production were also factors that necessitated the development of these materials for the specific uses. For instance, of the materials that were available at this time for industrial application, only metals were gas proof. The emergence of the modification of plastics to form new polymers that were gas proof also began around the 1960s. The most notable plastic produced at this time was called the thermoplastic polyester. This form of plastic has high resistance to the penetration of gas between its molecules. Due to this property, the most common use of the product at the time was in packaging of liquid material or for shielding liquids from permeating packed goods. Another major introduction of plastics in this decade was the trend towards high-temperature plastics. This group of plastics included polyether sulfone and many other high-temperature plastics. Their intention was to withstand the high heat in the combustion chambers while remaining fairly light as compared to steel. A major application of these plastics was in the aerospace technology. Their suitability was derived from the fact that these materials were light and inexpensive as compared to the metals that were available at the time for this application (Raizman, p. 332). The only disadvantage that the plastics exhibited then was their ability to be used under a high-temperature conditions that the aviation technology presented. Scientists, therefore, decided to make modifications to produce polymers that could be used even at high temperatures without melting. The material was used in the production of sporting materials. In this application, the most common sporting material that were generated were those that required gas retention or proofing. As the Second World War developed and progressed, the benefits of plastic became largely known to the soldiers and the public at large. Phenolic helmet liners proved to be an important accessory in preventing head injuries and in keeping the head warm. Apart from phenolic liners, lamination and waterproofing was also born. These applications would later be an integral part of home furnishing in the 1960s. Cups and bowls that were made at this time borrowed mainly from the concept that the soldiers applied them in the Second World War. Plastic foam became widely used in home insulation. This was derived from its ability to retain heat and cost effectiveness in its production. The ability of thermoplastic polyester to contain liquids prompted its use in most household materials that were used to handle liquids such as cups and bowls. This plastic was also easy to mould under high temperatures and reduced the amount of labour required manufacturing household goods. As such the application of this plastic in manufacturing chairs was also incepted at this time. Graphic design in the 1960s and 1970s The characteristics of the graphic design at this time had evolved to a adopt a modernist design perspective. Most of the graphic designers of this time fulfilled their clients wishes by applying modernism in their works as was with the trends in any form of design. Designers opted for minimalism instead of ornamentation of the graphics that they produced. Technology also improved significantly at this time. The use of technology led to the ability of designers to print multiple colour posters for their clients as opposed to the prevalent single colour printing that used shades of black in the graphics. Computers around this time could generate multiple colour images in print that turned around the process of poster production. Before the Second World War, most of the graphics that could be produced by hand involved multiple colours (Raizman, p. 356). However, the printing of such images by the computer was producing single colour images with different shades of the colour. This is the main notion that necessitated the production of print images from computers that were in multiple colours. The invention of the multiple colours printing in graphics was a good move towards high-quality graphics. However, the technology was expensive and could only be used by governmental bodies that had the adequate financing to deliver the same. Advancement in technology such as the internet made the innovation of the colour printing of posters short-lived (p. 356). Much of the graphics produced at the time could fast be shared to the clients through the internet and still serve the purpose that the graphics were intended for. As such, the printing of the graphic posters was short lived. The introduction of the mouse, a computer input device, also marked a great improvement in the quality of the graphics generated at this time. The mouse device acted as an appropriate input device that mimicked the qualities of the drawing pencil. This would ease the input on graphics in the computer and make it look like hand drawings or paintings. The use of graphics in advertising has a rich history even from the early 20th century. Most of the graphic posters were produced at this time with the aim of representing the event or business entity in an advertisement. The material was printed in a variety of media that included the promotional materials, posters and even clothes. The attention of the designers at this time symmetric shapes of the designs and the quality of the graphics was not the central focus. The modernist design perspective ushered in at this time proved to be a turning point for the generation of graphics that related to the advertisement and corporate identity. Most of the graphics that were used at this time to convey a meaning to the public were given a minimalist approach. The level of symmetry of the graphics was also considered to give them a high sense of appeal. This was aimed at aligning the design with the prevailing trends in the graphic design industry. The use of multiple colours in the graphics for advertisement was also significant. Most corporations at this time opted to use a number of colours to create an identity. The graphics that were created used colour to make associations with the brands. These colours were carefully selected in line with the major products and services that the corporate provided and the ability to provide a distinction from others. Therefore colour was successfully used at this time to whip the general public into creating a specific identity to the corporate. Work cited Raizman, David. History of modern design: graphics and products since the Industrial Revolution. Laurence King Publishing, 2003. Read More