Avant-garde graphics from around the globe
Introduction to the book 'Graphic Design for the 21st Century', by Charlotte and Peter Fiell
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The selected designers have also provided their own vision statements of what they think the future of graphic design will hold. Apart from illustrating some of the most interesting graphic design currently being produced, this book also offers insightful predictions on the course of graphic design in the future regarding its convergence with other disciplines (such as fine art, film, illustration, music), its continuing love affair with advanced technology, its complicity with corporate globalisation, and its adoption of the poetic ambiguity of post-modern cultural interpretation over the direct clarity of modern universal communication. In an attempt to make sense of where graphic design might be heading, we have identified a number of the common concerns and themes raised by the selected designers. These are: the blurring of boundaries between disciplines; the importance of content; the impact of advanced technology; the desire for emotional connections; the creative constraints imposed by commercial software; the distrust of commercialism; the increasing quantity, complexity and acceleration of information; the need for simplification; and (last but by no means least) the necessity of ethical relevance.
To better understand how graphic design got to this stage of development, it is perhaps necessary to briefly outline the evolution of this relatively young profession. While the increasing cross-disciplinary aspect of graphic design practice may seem a new phenomenon, this is not really the case. In the late 19th century the graphic arts* most visibly manifested themselves in the design of large advertising posters in the Art Nouveau style - from the cabaret posters by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) to the advertisements for Job cigarette papers by Alphonse Mucha (1860- 1939). This kind of commercial art was often undertaken by practicing artists and architect/designers and as such was highly influenced by contemporary developments in the fine and applied arts. The new profession of graphic design was, however, mainly confined to the creation of posters and books, and was closely related to the British Arts & Crafts Movement's promotion of "art" printing. At this stage, even when mechanised printing was used, the results often still appeared handprinted. It was not until the early years of the 20th century that the so-called "graphic arts" were used to develop comprehensive and integrated corporate identities. In 1907, for example, Peter Behrens (1868-1940) was appointed artistic adviser to the well-known German manufacturer AEG, and subsequently became the first designer to introduce such a programme. Designers were, however, still jacks-of-alltrades. One day they would be designing furniture and lighting, the next day textiles or ceramics, and because of this graphic design was seen as just another field in which artists or architect/designers could try their hand. The well-known logo of the Carlsberg brewery, for instance, was initially devised by the Danish ceramicist and furniture designer Thorvald Bindesbøll (1846-1908) in 1904.
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Page [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
The selected designers have also provided their own vision statements of what they think the future of graphic design will hold. Apart from illustrating some of the most interesting graphic design currently being produced, this book also offers insightful predictions on the course of graphic design in the future regarding its convergence with other disciplines (such as fine art, film, illustration, music), its continuing love affair with advanced technology, its complicity with corporate globalisation, and its adoption of the poetic ambiguity of post-modern cultural interpretation over the direct clarity of modern universal communication. In an attempt to make sense of where graphic design might be heading, we have identified a number of the common concerns and themes raised by the selected designers. These are: the blurring of boundaries between disciplines; the importance of content; the impact of advanced technology; the desire for emotional connections; the creative constraints imposed by commercial software; the distrust of commercialism; the increasing quantity, complexity and acceleration of information; the need for simplification; and (last but by no means least) the necessity of ethical relevance.
To better understand how graphic design got to this stage of development, it is perhaps necessary to briefly outline the evolution of this relatively young profession. While the increasing cross-disciplinary aspect of graphic design practice may seem a new phenomenon, this is not really the case. In the late 19th century the graphic arts* most visibly manifested themselves in the design of large advertising posters in the Art Nouveau style - from the cabaret posters by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) to the advertisements for Job cigarette papers by Alphonse Mucha (1860- 1939). This kind of commercial art was often undertaken by practicing artists and architect/designers and as such was highly influenced by contemporary developments in the fine and applied arts. The new profession of graphic design was, however, mainly confined to the creation of posters and books, and was closely related to the British Arts & Crafts Movement's promotion of "art" printing. At this stage, even when mechanised printing was used, the results often still appeared handprinted. It was not until the early years of the 20th century that the so-called "graphic arts" were used to develop comprehensive and integrated corporate identities. In 1907, for example, Peter Behrens (1868-1940) was appointed artistic adviser to the well-known German manufacturer AEG, and subsequently became the first designer to introduce such a programme. Designers were, however, still jacks-of-alltrades. One day they would be designing furniture and lighting, the next day textiles or ceramics, and because of this graphic design was seen as just another field in which artists or architect/designers could try their hand. The well-known logo of the Carlsberg brewery, for instance, was initially devised by the Danish ceramicist and furniture designer Thorvald Bindesbøll (1846-1908) in 1904.
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Graphic Design for the 21st Century
Flexicover, 19.6 x 24.9 cm (7.7 x 9.8 in.), 640 pages
$ 39.99
$ 39.99
Avant-garde graphics from around the globe
Poster for the US Army. James Montgomery Flagg, 1917