Today in class we looked at the differences and similarities of Swiss and New York graphic styles. Swiss design or International Typographic Style was a theoretical concept, focusing on the design as an important and socially useful aspect of modern life. Started after the WWII in 1940, it had its roots in De Stijl, Futurism, Constructivism and Bauhaus. It is recognised by sans-serif fonts, objective photography, logical mathematical grids used as the layouts. There was a strong belief that typography should be clear and not allow any distractions for an actual content. On the other side Swiss style was not based on any historical and geographical period in arts and eventually it spread around Europe. Max Bill and Theo Ballmer were the significant representatives of that International movement, both graduates from the Bauhaus. In 1953 Max Bill together with two co-workers founded the Ulm School of Design in Ulm, Germany. It was set on the foundations of the Bauhaus and later shifted towards the intergration between the arts and science. It is also notable that the ULD included the semiotics as an important field of study. Semiotics (or semiology) discusses the signs and symbols in a certain context and how the meaning of an object changes it throughout the placement and situation. There are three branches of semiotics: semantics (relation between signs and the things to which they refer), syntactics (signs in formal structures) and pragmatics (relation between signs and the effects they have on the audience).
Adrian Frutiger and Armin Hoffman are otehr prominent Swiss designers, focusing on typography. Adrian Frutiger is best known for typefaces, such as Universe (completed in 1954 after 3 years of work on a system of 21 versions of the font. In 1970s he began to redesign the font and create new variations.), Frutiger, Linotype Didot and Egyptienne. Arman Hoffman was a head of the graphic department at famous Schule für Gestaltung Basel (Basel School of Design). His works are characterized by a rich use of the negative space and the play between relationships and contrast (scale, black & white).
The New York Modernist Style starting in 1940s is reflected into a pragmatic approach to the Swiss design. Main figures that stand out in the history of the graphic design are Paul Rand, Saul Bass and Ivan Chermayeff. These three man completely changed the face of the design and entered new doors to the modernism in the United States and the whole world. There have been thousand of opinions on their work but there can be no discussion in admitting how influential Rand, Bass and Chermayeff were.
From three of them I really liked Saul Bass' works, especially the motion animation on the title sequence for Hitchcock's movies. I think it is very interesting how the times and technology shifted graphic design and opened new opportunities and means of expressions. And as a matter of my personal taste, I admire Bass for working with the best artists of the time, like Hitchcock and creating new visual effects and entertainment for the audience. I also enjoyed the subejct of semiotics as a philosophical theme included in graphic design. I believe there is too little discussion between such issues as linguistics and typography. Communication designers should be able not only to use the words with fonts and grids but also have a deen understanding of the meanings. Semiotics provide a background to interpret the text and turn it into a significant content.
Adrian Frutiger and Armin Hoffman are otehr prominent Swiss designers, focusing on typography. Adrian Frutiger is best known for typefaces, such as Universe (completed in 1954 after 3 years of work on a system of 21 versions of the font. In 1970s he began to redesign the font and create new variations.), Frutiger, Linotype Didot and Egyptienne. Arman Hoffman was a head of the graphic department at famous Schule für Gestaltung Basel (Basel School of Design). His works are characterized by a rich use of the negative space and the play between relationships and contrast (scale, black & white).
The New York Modernist Style starting in 1940s is reflected into a pragmatic approach to the Swiss design. Main figures that stand out in the history of the graphic design are Paul Rand, Saul Bass and Ivan Chermayeff. These three man completely changed the face of the design and entered new doors to the modernism in the United States and the whole world. There have been thousand of opinions on their work but there can be no discussion in admitting how influential Rand, Bass and Chermayeff were.
From three of them I really liked Saul Bass' works, especially the motion animation on the title sequence for Hitchcock's movies. I think it is very interesting how the times and technology shifted graphic design and opened new opportunities and means of expressions. And as a matter of my personal taste, I admire Bass for working with the best artists of the time, like Hitchcock and creating new visual effects and entertainment for the audience. I also enjoyed the subejct of semiotics as a philosophical theme included in graphic design. I believe there is too little discussion between such issues as linguistics and typography. Communication designers should be able not only to use the words with fonts and grids but also have a deen understanding of the meanings. Semiotics provide a background to interpret the text and turn it into a significant content.
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