Information Graphics
During WWII, graphic designers, illustrators, and artists used their talents to disseminate information and propaganda. Later, instead of promoting countries, the same strategies were used to promote products and enterprises.
Power of the Poster
During the war, posters encouraged people to enlist in the army or provided directions, such as wearing a gas mask. Propaganda targeted the public with the aim of instilling patriotic hate of the adversary. Abram Games was the official poster artist in the United Kingdom (1914 – 1996). He was a big fan of catchy phrases and created the renowned ‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’ posters.
Postwar Poster Influence
Designers continued to employ symbols to communicate concepts interestingly after the conflict. The Festival of Britain emblem (’51), for example, was meticulously crafted to instil pride in the United Kingdom by showcasing Britannia’s Union Jack colours and head.
Raymond Loewy – Father of Design
Working in the United States, French-born designer Raymond Loewy (1893 – 1986) pioneered the concept of ‘good design’. He recognised that consumers had grown more sophisticated. He advised manufacturers to woo their customers with elegant and streamlined designs.
Simple Text
‘Open Sans,’ a sans serif typeface designed by Steve Matteson, is what you’re reading right now. The clean lines of sans serif typefaces, such as Univers, were considered modern in the 1940s and 1950s.
Long-Term Logos – Design History 1950s
Companies commissioned expert designers to create logos that would last a lifetime as they grew more aware of the significance of branding. They sought to recruit devoted customers who would stick to a single, well-known brand. One of the most successful and long-lasting corporate identification emblems was Paul Rand’s logo for IBM (1956). Rand’s ability to break down the logo into simple, timeless shapes contributed to his design clarity.
Sources
Jones, H. (2000). 20Th century design: The 40s & 50s: War and postwar years. Gareth Stevens. Retrieved from https://amzn.to/3LRqLDa.
Important Graphic Designers
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The Artistic Legacy of Dick Bruna
Dutch artist Dick Bruna, born into a prestigious publishing family, chose art over publishing. His signature style, influenced by artists like Matisse and Léger, is identified by bold, simple lines and primary colors. His most recognizable creation, Miffy, is a children’s literature and design icon.Read More →
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Stuart Ash: Shaped Canadian Graphic Design
Stuart Ash, a pioneer of Canadian graphic design, co-founded Gottschalk + Ash International in 1966, creating transformative visual identities like the Canadian Centennial symbol. His minimalist designs, garnering many awards, significantly elevated Canadian design’s global status and continue to influence new generations of designers.Read More →
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Einar Forseth: Craft and Culture in Stained Glass and Mosaics
Einar Forseth, born in 1892, significantly influenced 20th century decorative and applied arts with a legacy spanning stained glass, mosaics, and postage stamps. His key works include the mosaics in Stockholm City Hall’s Golden Room and diverse contributions to Coventry Cathedral. Read More →
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Vaughan Oliver: Elevating Album Art to a New Realm
Explore the transformative impact of Vaughan Oliver’s album art designs for iconic bands under the 4AD label. Learn how Oliver elevated album covers from mere promotional materials to standalone works of art, leaving a lasting legacy in both music and visual arts.Read More →
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Neville Brody (b.1957) British Art Director
Neville Brody rose to prominence during the early 1980s surge of “designerism”: a period when the British economy was considered to be expanding, marketing, promotion, and “cultural entrepreneurship” were in the air, and young culture was a money-spinner.Read More →
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Walter Landor (1913 – 1995) Leader in Corporate Identity
Walter Landor (1913 – 1995) was a leading expert in corporate identity and brand design. His clients included Coca-Cola, Fuji Films, Philip Morris, and the World Wildlife Fund. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History has dedicated a collection to him.Read More →
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Herbert Bayer (1900 – 1985) American multi-disciplined designer
Herbert Bayer was one of the Bauhaus’s most influential students, teachers, and proponents. Most of Bayer’s photographs come from the decade 1928–38, when he was based in Berlin working as a commercial artist. He designed the show Road to Victory (1942), which would set the course for Steichen’s influential approach to photography.Read More →
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William Dwiggins (1880 -1956) – Typographer and Design all-rounder
Dwiggins was known for his “Metro” series of typefaces, the first designed specifically for newspaper headlines. He produced that in 1929 when he won the gold medal of the American Institute of Graphic Arts.Read More →
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Keith Haring Artwork (1958 – 1990) – art that danced
Keith Haring was best known for his graffiti-like painting, initially on the black paper used to cover discontinued billboard advertisements in the New York subway. After after a feverish 1980’s style career of surging popular success and grudging critical attention, Haring died of AIDS in 1991 at the age of 31.Read More →
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František Zelenka (1896 – 1942) – Czech architect and stage and graphic designer
František Zelenka (1896 – 1942) was a Czech architect and stage and graphic designer. He was born in Prague. Zelenka’s career in the theatre was initiated by K.H. Hilar, the National Theatre director in Prague in 1926.Read More →
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Lester Beall: A Pioneer in Advertising Design and Corporate Identity Systems
Lester Beall, a renowned graphic designer, was born in Kansas City in 1903 and left an indelible mark on the industry. He studied engineering and art history at the University of Chicago. Beall’s unconventional style, influenced by European artistic developments, was evident in his poster series for the Rural Electrification Administration. He was the first…
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Saul Bass’s (1920 – 1996 ) opening and closing titles
When the Frank Sinatra film on drug addiction “The Man With The Golden Arm” opened, a Saul Bass poster dominated the cinema billboards. No words, only artwork- a jagged arm.Read More →
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Hiroshi Awatsuji (1929 – 1995) Japanese Textile Designer
Hiroshi Awatsuji (1929- 1995) was a Japanese textile and graphic designer: born in Kyoto. He was considered the first Japanese textile designer to be recognised for contemporary design rather than for traditional art and craft. The main characteristic of his work was over sized motifs.Read More →
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Otl Aicher (1922 – 1991), German industrial and graphic designer
From 1946 to 1947, Otl Aicher (1922 – 1991) attended the Munich Academy of Fine Arts. He later became closely affiliated with Ulm’s highly influential and radical Hochschule Für Gestaltung after founding a studio there the following year.Read More →
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Herbert Bayer: The Bauhaus Legacy | Hardcover
The Bauhaus is still regarded as the nucleus of the early 20th-century German avant-garde, and Herbert Bayer practised its principles in the United States. It was founded in 1919 and had a profound impact on Europe and the United States. Bayer believed in the importance of the “total artist” moving between private, autonomous expression and…
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Paris: May 1968 Posters of the Student Revolt
In the turbulent days of May 1968 in Paris, a group of artists calling themselves the Atelier Populaire created posters that were vital in spreading the call to unite student and workers. The propaganda of the French revolt was fed by immediate pressures. The day by day events – the disruption of classes at Nanterre…
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Bob Noorda (1927 – 2010), Dutch Designer and Graphic Artist
Noorda, Bob (1927–2010) was a Dutch designer and graphic artist who studied at the Institute of Design in Amsterdam. He was a member of ADI, AGI, ICSID, Società Umanitaria, Pirelli, Vallecchi, Unimark International, and IBM. He was an artistic consultant to Vallecchi and Rinascente-Upim, and co-founded Unimark International in 1965. He designed environmental graphics for…
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Robert Oxenaar (b.1939) Designer of Dutch Banknotes
Robert Oxenaar (1929 – 2017) Designer of Dutch banknotes and stamps. Head of the Art and Design branch of the Dutch postal service. Helped launch a new generation of Dutch designers in the 1970s, including notables like Gert Dumbar.Read More →
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René Kieffer (1875 -1964) – French Bookbinder
René Kieffer was a gilder at the Chambolle-Duru bindery for ten years. In 1903, set up his workshop at 99 boulevard St-Germain, Paris. Later he moved to 41 rue St-Andre-des-Arts and finally, in 1910, to 18 rue Seguier. A disciple of Henri Marius Michel, his work shifted from classical forms to motifs in the Art…
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The Impact of Alan Fletcher on British Graphic Design
Alan Fletcher was a highly regarded British graphic designer who worked for IBM, Fortune magazine, and the Container Corporation of America. Fletcher was interested in visual ambiguity and added value, investing solutions with visual surprise and wit.Read More →
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