Futurism

So what were the characteristics of graphic design by now?

An  Layout,

the Elimination of decoration, and the move towards more bold and geometric forms.

In Germany, Peter Behrens created 4 new typefaces, Behrens Antique, Behrens Schrift, Behrens Medieval, and Behrens Cursiv. His assistants at AEG were Walter Groupius, Mies Van der Rohe, and Le Corbusier. Other designers at the time were Lucian Bernhart (Germany) and the Beggarstaff Brothers (Great Britian).

Also, surfacing at the time were the Plakastil, the object posters. These were posters with no verbal elaboration, only the image portraying the object’s use or message.

Opel – Hans Rudy Erdt.

Panther - Ludwig Hohlwein.

Then came Futurism in 1909, which emphasized the technology and dynamic aspects of modern lives. It rejected harmony and order, preferring instead to portray speed and movement into the design. Looking at the early futurism posters, we can see confusion and agitation; in the beginning they even tried to translate sounds into images and design.

The city rises – 1910

The leader was Filippo Tumaso Mariutti. Helping him to start this movement were Umberto Boccini, Carlo Carna, Giacomo Balla and Gino Severini. They challenged the idea that type had to follow any convention, so they experimented vastly with new forms. This was a way of making a statement, to emphasize the force of the words, and, being a new style it caught the reader’s attention more and more.

Umberto Boccini        – the street enters the house 1911

-       unique forms of continuity and space 1913

Giacomo Balla            - Swift paths of movement 1913

Gino Severini            - Still life with Lacerba 1913

One of the characteristics of Futurism was simultaneity and repeated notifs. The posters were dynamic and the lines of force were very strong in the picture. They also included elements of collage into their designs. They also included typographical collages in their posters.

Marinetti – Futurist Manifesto cover 1915

Marinetti’s revolution stated that futurist designs should have different typefaces of different shapes and sizes on the same page, with three or four colours of ink, with use of italics and nomal type. Keep in mind that at the time the only colours to be depicted in posters were monotonic colours, or single colours. Also the type was consistent throughout the whole design. So this was seen as quite radical. But he was inspired a lot by Cubism, and by the fascination to depict sound and movement into design.

Marinetti – Zang Tumb Tumb (1914)

Marinetti’s cover of 8 Anime in una Bomba

Here Marinetti was after the destruction of harmony and peacefulness on the page and in favour of  ‘flux and reflux, leaps and bursts that run through the page’.  We can see the words are overlaid and set in different directions, giving us the notion of speed and movement.

links:
https://designopendata.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/24969324-design-literacy-understanding-graphic-design.pdf
http://www.historyofinformation.com/expanded.php?id=4461
http://www.theartstory.org/movement-futurism.htm