MODERNIST AND POSTMODERNIST DESIGN

JAN TSCHICHOLD

Die Frau Ohne NAmen poster, Photolithography and drawing on stone. Black and red on white

Film poster, Laster Der Menschheit. 1927. Original in dark brown and grey

Jan Tschichold was mainly known as being a typographer, the most prominent of something called "the new typography". As noted by the date, Tschichold was extremely influenced by the style of Bauhaus and the influence it could have on typography. It was after a visit to the Bauhaus that he converted to modernist design principles, condemning all fonts but sans serif.As seen above, he began to create film posters where he would use sans serif, only in black and white. Within these, an obvious modernist approach can be seen through the use and collage combinations of photograph, block colours and lines.

Tschichold set out a series of fundamental principles for good design. These were:

- the use of sans serif fonts

- standardised paper sizes

- photographs rather than drawn illustrations

- asymmetrical rather than centred layouts

A good article on Tschichold from The Guardian 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2008/dec/05/jan-tschichold-typography

PETER SAVILLE

New Order/ Power Corruption and Lies album cover
Credit: Original Painting by Henri Fantin-Latour; Design: Peter Saville Associates

Suede/ Coming Up album cover

Credit: Art Direction by Peter Saville; Photography by Nick Knight; Design by Howard Wakefield at the Apartment

Peter Saville is extremely well known as being the graphic designer for Factory Label. It is claimed he revolutionised the look and feel of music packaging, creating work for the likes of Happy Mondays, New Order, Suede, Joy Division and Pulp. Strangely enough, Tschichold held a strong influence on Saville's work, which he used to develop 'a unique style rooted in appropriation, referencing and revitalizing images and aesthetics from throughout art history in a bold, thoroughly postmodernist context.' (Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide, http://www.neworderonline.com/Common/Topic.aspx?Topic=PeterSaville)

Saville stated that everything he did was "designed and not decorated", which possibly led to certain downfalls. For example, for every copy sold of New Order's single Blue Monday, they lost more money than they gained due to the intricately designed packaging. Form over function.