Day Seven

VIENNA SUCCESSION 

-Felt oppressed by the old people

-Youth movements that come after that is the next step. Here you have some young people who want to have fun add some sex and rock and roll.

- Old people liked traditional art like painting

- As we're moving forward we're moving towards abstraction

- Anything other then the real is a form of abstraction 

- Abstraction is a continuum away from the literal; not classic representation. If things become too abstract and lose the content it loses it's audience. 

- Succession had elements of French Art Nouveau 

- The Succession's magazine pages were interesting. They designed the ads in their magazine to be aesthetically pleasing. 

- 1903 Roller poster 

- The language design of the 60s poster comes from inspiration from art nouveau

- "Psychedelic" 60 poster is an unreadable typeface. People are challenging the readability. If you want to read then you can read it. It was geared towards young people in the 60s versus old people.

- In early 1900s they really pushed bounds of typography

- All of this is leading towards a modern poster style

PETER BEHRENS

- Created a piece called "The Kiss" which was controversial 

- he will soon become a designer for AEG, German power company

- He is believed to be the first to experiment with running san serif type

- Really advicant of san serif type

- He created the first cohesive identity package

- Pioneers non low bearing walls 

- 1904 He becomes influenced by Professor 

- inspired by symmetrical geometric squares and circle

- 1906 he invented the nylonium 

- Thirds are the most mathematical system 

- He locks on this idea with circles and squares

- Created 1908 Pavilion poster

- 1907 Behrens gets hired by AEG

- He develops an idea that an identity system in which logos, typeface, layouts, should be consistent in all realms

- This system is like the family bible

- He takes it a step further.. applies this method to electric company

- Designed iconic AEG 1910 poster

- He designed a turbine hall

- 1914 AIGA beings founded right on WWI 

LUCIAN BERNHARD

- Early part of the 20th century there is a very important evolution in poster

- Lucian Bernhard is a starving painter 

- Imagery is reductive 

- Lucian Bernhard did not like the Bauhaus

- He did not think that art is not a theory

- The pendulum conundrum of swaying back and forth from we are designers we design for people versus we are also art

PROPAGANDA POSTER

- U Boote Heraus! poster is the first propaganda design

- It has a lot of abstract design. The U is bleeding into the captain's jacket

- The waves can be hills and has a witty design 

- The typeface is interacting with the graphic

- A clear and sophisticated way of thinking

- Kriegsanteine is a poster of an 8 with a serpent and arrows

- This is another war propaganda poster

- It is not a literal poster which causes the viewer to think to get it

- Allies vs Axis Powers

- Axis Power had amazing design

- They had strong symbolism. It is very abstract

- You have to get it. you have to think to get it. 

-Allies poster were weak

- They were more based on illustrations

- The posters were like spoon feeding the idea to an audience

- WWI is the first mechanized war. It was exciting because it was new. However it tore up society and people saw the hardship. Likewise, design also got torn up

- During times of national tension you do not want to be the guy who doesn't play along

- Brilliant propaganda to corner people 

MORE POSTER DESIGNS

- Ludwig Hohlwein had alliances with the Axis Power

- 1914 poster plays with dimensions and figure ground reversal

- influenced by Asian prints

- Did a poster in 1986 German olympics

- German designs were bad ass

- Ironically, Hitler did not like this approach to design

- In "Mein Kampf" he complains that the propaganda posters are wrong minded. He believes that posters should speak to the least sophisticated minds. 

- Hohlwein is good with emotional impact using contrast

- "Und Du?" is a poster Hohlwein did which has this ambiguous face of a solider. You understand this menacing presence and strong figure. Taking a step further you can see the flag, and eyes. It also looks like a giant penis.

- Poster for the Daily Herald you see influences of early abstraction.

- The poster features abstract birds and heavy use of negative space

- You can see modern art budding out

- Cubism has it's hay day in the 1900s

- A. M. Cassander created the L'INTRANS poster

- This poster used grid like pattern

- It's not shows in the poster but it's an internal grid

- Proportion system at play

- Cassander is a master of poster designs especially with travel

- Sophisticated abstraction

- Cassander created Dubonnet poster

- The great thing about the Dubonnet poster is that Cassander played with the name of the words into the graphic 

ART IN RUSSIA

- Dotism is the reaction to "why is art makes sense?"

- Gestalt also came out when Dotism created

- Gestalt thought about what was the geometric solution to problems

- Suprematism is happening the same time Cubism comes out

- is influenced my futurism 

- is about art for art's sake

- It's just about emotion. Just pure feeling

- If you are against suprematism then the pendulum swings to the realm of art needs function

- rejects utilitarian function and pictorial representation

- Dynofuturism is futurism and dotism

- Avante Garde means out in front artist 

- Three big players in Russia: Rodchanko, Lissizky, Tatin (SP???)

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

Wow, class today was just wow. For some reason I feel like my brain got a lot more information then usual. We started class discussing about the Vienna Succession and how elements of art nouveau grew. Iconic psychedelic 60 typography and design actually got inspired from art nouveau. I would have never guessed that! I really loved the discussion on 60's typography. The thought of a specific typeface typography had such a deep meaning for the 60's generation. It was like a secret code for people who cared to read the text could read it. I think it's a very cool idea that the 60's was able to pull off such a feat. 

From the 60's we discussed about famous AEG designer, Peter Behrens. He is absolute inspiring. I love how he solved everything with mathematical solutions. WWI really pushed the world's technology forward. Not only that but also art and design. It's extremely interesting that how much war can push our society. Behrens develops an idea that an identity system in which logos, typeface, layouts, should be consistent in all realms. It's really interesting to see the world of design have more structure in it. 

One of the most interesting tidbits I learned was Adolf Hitler's strong dislike to Axis Power's propaganda poster designs. They were so ridiculously amazing! I love seeing the comparison between Allies and Axis posters. It's like seeing the past of design and the future of design. Earlier this sem in 2D class we learned about figure ground reversal. It's fun to see it pop in historical poster designs. Poster designs are so interesting! They are so fun to look at. 

Kasimir Malevich was a suprematism artist. He rejected pictorial representation and favored abstraction that elicit emotion. He created the art piece "black square" I loved your discussion on the emotion, placement, and meaning. From propaganda posters we start going into more modern and abstract art. 

QUESTIONS

The pendulum metaphor  you mentioned in today's lecture was interesting. The idea that artist are in a constant struggle between art being art and art being functional. What is your opinion and where do you side in the pendulum?

Day Six

NOTES

JOHN RUSKIN

-John Ruskin was born in 1819 and was the philosophical leader. 

-He is one of the leaders who is going to call for social reform. 

-"How can you contiously so the structure of society so they can maintain an order." 

-This is the beginning of socialism. 

-How can we structure society to take care of the most people. 

-He was a writer and a philosopher. John Ruskin lays that underpin. He had the base idea that things are valuable simply because they was beautiful. 

-The cathedral was the example of the perfect unity of design. 

WILLIAM MORRIS

- William Morris is one of the guys that is extremely important figure. 

- In response to rococo design things became clean. 

-Things are beautiful. We should have beautiful things in our world. 

- He is a son of wealthy merchant. Which is why he has the money to buy things. 

- William Morris' pattern work is the most famous.

- Morris becomes involved into book arts

- Book arts becomes a popular trend in this time period

- Morris designs his own typeface: Golden (oldstyle) Troy (blackletter) Chauser(sp?)

-  He designer over 600 illustrations blocks, borders, frames, tittle pages, etc.

- The major thing everyone remembers of Morris is the vine work, tapestry, etc. 

- But beyond that is the work ethic Morris had

ART NOUVEAU

- Each generation always rejects the last generation which creates art nouveau

- Aubrey Beardsley was greatly influenced by William Morris

- Aubrey had naked imps and scandals art. 

- Morris did not like this

- Early Art Nouveau came about as they saw that there was problems

- Young people tend to be less dogmatic 

- What's new how can we make that work?

- Beardsley is influenced by high contrast, japanese design, and dark sexual art.

- Beardsley at the end of his life became a more traditionalist artist 

- Alphonse Mucha is just like you and me. He starts off as a painter and printer. 

- Mucha got hired by dumb luck to design posters. 

- The person loved the design so much that he got hired into a year contract.

- The term Art Nouveau and Mucha Style was interchangeable. His style was that dominant. 

- Mucha really defines what Art Nouveau is

- In 1895 the term is called Le Style Modern. Until a gallery came about called Art Nouveau which just stuck

- Mucha did everything from ads, characters, designs, etc

- Art Nouveau characteristics: Whiplash hair, tile work, playing with depth, very flat abstract background, playing with spacial relationships, lots of movement but still flat, etc. Background is inspired by Japense art. 

-GE logo has a pattern that is influenced by Japanese design and art nouveau

- Will Bradley starts doing some innovative things. He starts using abstract simple form.

-Bradley was influenced by Japanese wood crafts

- Advertising at this time is also becoming sophisticated

- In Belgium art nouveau is called art nouveau

- Jugendstil is Art Nouveau

- Art Nouveau is about youth

- Glassgo school of art is cool. It's built between four different people. 

- Margret, Francis Mcdonald, Herbert Mcnair, Charles Renaymacintosh (sp???)

- Key points: geometric, curvilinear elements (curvy, flowy), but rectilinear structure, decorative floral motifs, symbolism, and stylized with expression.

- "You're in the door painting and stuff happens" 

- They're doing the same type of work you are

- The four become synonymous 

- Talwin Morris gave practical expressions for the idea of the four

- Talwin was famous for the red letter shaped spear series. 

- Talwin was obsessed with book spines

- Art nouveau is known as sessionstiol (means style)

- Gustaf Clint, Koloman Moser,

- 

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

Today in class we introduced the famous era of design: Art Nouveau. I absolutely love art nouveau. It's on of my favorite art styles in history. I knew a little of Aubrey Beardsley. I mainly known him for his provocative pieces. It was interesting to see so many Japanese influences in art nouveau. I knew Japanese was part of the influence but didn't think Japanese art and blocks influenced so many important art nouveau artist. I feel art nouveau is such a strange jump in art from what we learned last class period. Hair is a big characteristic. The way hair is stylized and has curvilinear elements. It's very sexual and has a lot of movement. Sex was possibly brought up every 10 mins. It was hilarious. I loved the energy of art nouveau and how there was so much sex, abstract, and youth embedded in it. I also loved your quote in class "You're in the dorm painting and stuff happens.." 

I feel in today's lecture I can really sense art, typography, and design is really evolving fast. ( like extremely fast) There's more color, more life, more energy, symbolism, sex, expression. I find this absolutely amazing. There's a lot more creative elements mixed into design / typography. 

QUESTIONS 

Art Nouveau was influenced heavily by Japanese. A lot of style is influenced by Japanese. But what influences popular Japanese art? (Like in the time of art nouveau)

Add more later!

Day Five

NOTES

REVIEWING 

- Cueiform develops as glyphs. Less pictorial and more like graphs

- Ars Memorandi used gothic lettering

- Gutenberg used gothic letter styling

- Gutenberg is just a regular guy

- Know Punch and Matrix

- Ligatures are two letters forms a cast as a single character ex: FI

- Incunabula means "cradle" and "birth" also first 50 years of printing

- Fleurons are the cast decorative elements. Very popular in Rococo period.

- Calendarium is a book on calendar

- Rococo is French and very decorative

- Copper Plate engraving became popular around this time

- Bodoni came about which is Modern (neoclassical) 

- The Bodoni typeface is similar to the cotton gin because of interchangeable parts

- Bodoni was really strong on simple units that can be interchangeable

- Wood type is able to happen because of power and the router.

- There was a need for Wood Type for selling / advertising. 

- Old Style, Transitional, Modern, Egyptian extremely important

- Leading is base line to base line

- Ottmar perfected the linotype machine

- People were not thrilled about the linotype because it replaced them

- Joseph Niepce is the first photographer of nature

- Louis Jacques Dagurette took a photo of Paris. 

- Early ads are visually conservative

- Ephemera is transitory written and printed matter not intended to be retained or preserved.

- Scrap Cards are called that because they are disposable. This is an example of a Ephemera. 

- L. Prang did a majority of the Scrap Card art work

NEW STUFF

- 1883 is the time period when expeditions are happening.

- Very proud time. Showed off inventions, new things. 

- Popular to use allegory. 

- Chromolithography 

- Leisure time and theatre promotion happened during this time

- With chromolithography people were able to create product packaging

- This is the time period in which product design became popular. Things in our supermarket branding (like mascots) started in the 1800s

- Food culture starts to emerge

- As production methods are improved people are able to produce more oats. 

- Everything we see in the supermarket comes back to this pivotal moment in time.

- Also the time when we start getting manipulated by the media

- "The Ladies Home Journal" and the "Practical Housekeeper" were magazines for women

- In these articles / paper they tell you which products to buy, subtlety 

- They start manipulating ads in different ways

- They created ads with well dress women, fancy items, etc.

- With Victorians there was a change on the thought of children. Toy books came about that are meant to entertain children.

- Calbecott(sp?)  made absurd things like dishes running away

- No one used white space at the time

- Harper's Weekly is where visual journalism started to happen

-Thomas Nast was an illustrator who brought down Bos Tweed (sp?) He would do editorial illustrations. 

- You didn't have to read. You could understand what was going on through pictures.

- Tweed offers Nast $500,000 to go study Europe and go away

- Nast refused and stayed 

- Bicycles were new and cool. They were used in ads

- The giant pickle. John Henry Heinz started selling Horse Radish. Started a line of prepackaged food. 

- He created the first electric sign in NY on 5th and 23rd street

- Heinz discovered that employees are your marketing. So he hired lots of young girls.

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

At the beginning of class we took quick quiz on the last two class periods. After the quiz we reviewed the entire class and what we discussed the past month. The new information we learned was around late 1800s. I really liked this section because things start getting interesting. Typography and graphics are becoming more eye-catching and show more humor. Looking at the infamous iconic Quaker Oatmeal mascot was fun seeing the changes it made over time. I also didn't know that the Quaker Oats guy was one of the first mascot to do branding. To be honest, I didn't know he was that old. It's strange to me that the thought of children magazines and etc popped up around the 1800s. I always thought that kids should be in parent's thoughts.

I really enjoy food packaging. It's so fun and so fun to study. I really enjoyed the lecture on John Henry Heinz. I found it comical that one of his marketing strategies was to hire young girls. It's so weird to think that New York is one of the most electrifying cities with colorful glowing ads everywhere. And the first to start that was the Mr. Heinz's electric sign. 

QUESTIONS & RESEARCH

Was the Quaker Oats guy the first mascot to do branding?

Is the test going to be hard?