Bauhaus and Grid Research

BAUHAUS

The Bauhaus (1919 - 1933) was founded in the city of Weimar by German architect Walter Gropius (1883 0 1969). It's objective was  a radial concept: To reimagine the material world t reflect the unity of all arts. This vision for a union of art and design in the proclamation of the Bauhaus, which described a utopian craft guide combining architecture, sculpture, and painting into a single creative expression. The Bauhaus combined elements of both fine arts and design education. - netmuseum.org

BAUHAUS TYPOGRAPHY WORK AND TYPE STYLE

With the appointment of Moholy - Nagy in 1923, new ideas about the use of typography came to the Bauhaus. Nagy considered typography to be primarily a communications medium, and was concerned with the 'Clarity of the message in its most emphatic form'. The combination of text and photography into the interrelated compositions of pure communication he named 'Typefoto'. - designhistory.org

Bauhaus font was originally created by Herbert Bayer of the Dessau Bauhaus in 1925. Each letter has a simple geometric form, producing clean lines and clear individual letters. The font symbolises the nature of the design carried out in the Bauhaus design school. It is uncomplicated, clear and easy to use, yet it has a classic designer form, distinctive of Bauhaus designers and architects. - technologystudent.com

mtvenar.deviantart.com

This grid has used diagonal, parallel lines that run from the top right hand side to the left, however it looks funky because they have not been created from the corners. The diagonal, parallel grid lines running from the top left corner to the bottom create even strips for the text to sit on. The block colours of red and black are equally positioned on the grid, even though they are different sizes, they still look natural. The smaller point sizes still function with the guide lines for the bolder, larger text.  

bauhausgraphics.wordpress.com
On this piece, there are larger amounts of negative space, making the type stand out more. The grid lines are all well balanced, from both left to right and right to left, going diagonally. The block colour of the red and black and the text, work well as the left to right diagonal grid lines make the text in line with each other, making it easy to read and effective. 

 hunter1acosta.wordpress.com
The grid lines for this work is more complex, which is why i love this design. Th white images and heading make the coloured text stand out against the black background. Grid lines have been used when placing the centre image, which is in line with the diagonal text. The heading has used grid lines when placing the individual characters in front of the text.  

designhistory.com - Title page of 'Staatich es Bauhaus Weimer 1919 - 1923'. 1923 - letterpress print.

This design has used a simple grid method, keeping all the information in easy to read, perfect form. By using lines going from both left to right, and up and down, the design looks very structured. Although the B is used in a larger point size, it is still following the guidelines, just like the smallest point size at the bottom. The two headings at the top of the page are not quite following the same grid lines, however the bottom characters are placed in the middle of two letters from the top text. Both of the S's at the end of the headings do not follow these grid lines as they line up together, therefore they are using a different grid line.

THE GRID SYSTEM

A grid is a structure made up of a series of intersecting, straight or curved lines to structure content. The grid serves as  an armature on which graphic designers can organise graphic elements (images, glyphs, paragraphs) in a rational, easy to absorb manner. - wikipedia.org

typophile.com

w.-jeffery1215-dc.blogspot.com

The New Wave Of Swiss Design

The main man was Wolfgang Weingart(1941-swiss punk) It is based on an intimate understanding of the semantic, syntactic and pragmatic functions of typography. (designhistory.org)

April Grieman

Grieman was a designer based in New York City in the mid 1970's. (aiga.com)

Dan Friedman

born in 1945 to 995, Friedman invented the term radical modernism. Attempting to recognise the social idealism of the early 20th modernists with the realities of his life in 1980's New York City. (designhistory.org). Both of these artists were inspired by Weingart. 

In Design Work

We had a tutorial on how to use InDesign, creating grids and inserting text etc. I then experimented with different ways to layout a magazine with text and images. 

Inspiration Work and Experimentation

After researching three typographic artists, I went to to experiment on Adobe Illustrator, using inspiration from David Carson. I really loved his designs as they are very original, and show a lot of emotion and theme behind the typography, the layout and placement and the colours used. I created seven designs, using different fonts each time in black.

In my first design, I played around with the placement, spacing and point size on each letter. I used the font 'Papyrus' in a regular font style, as it was a similar design to Carson's. I increased the point size on the I so it would stand out, and on the O, because it looks like the viewer should look and wander through the 'hole' to gain inspiration (as this is the word I used in my experimentation). By stretching the letters both vertically and horizontally, the strokes changed, making the graphics of the font sharper and clearer. The layout of the characters are pretty legible, however Carson's style of disregarding type rules applies in some aspects, such as no columns, base lines, caps lines, equal spacing and size. I really like this first design as width of the strokes changes a lot in each of the characters, and the base, caps, descending and ascending lines are all different, therefore creating a strange-looking. but funky piece of typography.

 In this second design. I included two different fonts, 'Gloucester MT extra Condensed' and 'Comic Sans MS', both in a regular type style. I used one of Carson's designs when thinking of my own, which made my work look crazy and funky, which would fit really well in the 1980's theme for magazine typography. I placed each individual character roughly in the same place, as the types used are harder to read than simpler fonts, such as Helvetica or Times New Roman. I feel that if it was to be used for headings on magazines or articles, it would definitely pull people in as it is very funky and makes it look inviting to read. By overlapping two different fonts, I increased and altered the weights in the strokes, the width of the characters and the hight from the base line to the caps line and the ascending line.

This is my third design, using 'HanziPen TC' in a regular font style. I used the idea of the larger 'O' form my first design to increase the point size on another 'O'. I feel that this design is less like Carson than my other ideas, as the type is mostly the same, apart from the angle which the characters are placed. 

I used 'Superclarendon' in a bold type style. I feel that this design is very alike Carson's as I have still used the column rule, however i have disregarded the others; the spacing in-between the base line and   cap hight and in-between each individual character, kerning them closer together. I really like this idea as it is still very legible, but it creates a deep, dark, thick atmosphere.  This would be good to use for poster titles to catch attention quickly. 

I used the font 'DIN Alternative' in a bold type style, and altered the weight of the characters. By kerning all the characters together so that some of them overlapped each other, and flipping one letter at the end, the type could come across as squashy, however the viewer is still able to read it clearly. 

I quite like this design as it creates tension towards the viewer, by using serifs on the characters. I used 'Charlemagne' in a bold text type, which creates a medieval atmosphere. It is a funky design, however does not link in very well with the 1980's theme. I arranged the characters so that the base line created a wave. This made it look inspiring to look at, and draws the reader in. I kerned to characters together, creating some to overlap, making the text seem fun. By increasing and decreasing the sizes of each individual character also created a fun feeling. 

In this design, I used 'Stencil' in a regular type style. By gaining inspiration from Carson's 'Nike' advert poster, I used the same method of block colours and reverse type. I wanted to cover up little amounts of white space, creating tension of the black.

In this next design, I wanted to make the type easy to read however look funky and different. I used the type rules when aligning each individual character to make sure they were in line, however by splitting the letters on different base lines it creates a bold heading, When looking at this design I think of tree stumps or tall buildings because of the placement of the letters. I really feel that this design relates to Carson as the type style is simple but the placement of the characters is odd but makes me look further into the text/subject. 

80's Dress Up Day

On.... of November, me and my class dressed up in crazy 1980's style fashion clothes. I found this day really helpful as I got to connect with the feel and the atmosphere, by wearing the crazy outfits, stripy leggings and leg warmers, listening to the style of music, and dancing a mini performance to get into the groove.
We arranged ourselves into three groups, depending on the different 80's style that we wanted to show in our presentation and in the clothes and accessories that we were wearing. Me and three other girls dressed up in bright, vibrant coloured clothes and accessories, such as sweat bands and leg warmers. This showed how bold people in the 80's wanted to be, showing off and wearing bold clothes meant that they would fit in more! We presented a short snapshot of what life would have been like in that time. By dancing in a crazy way, flicking legs up and over-the-top moves, we created a scene. We presented this to Cyndi Lauper's song, Girls just wanna have fun, showing that we want to have a good, funky time with our mates. We decorated four boards to show the others what we were about. We named our club 'Illuminate' and used bold, luminous paints to emphasise this, painting 80's objects such as rubiks cubes, funky shapes, speakers and records. I feel really happy with the day as we all got into the 80's vibe, which helped me out a lot when deciding what to include for my magazine and the type of designs that I could include.
There were two other groups, showing two other styles of the 80's. One group created the 'rave' atmosphere, dancing robotic moves, painting smiley faces representing drugs. I feel that they did show the theme across well, however the music didn't really fit with the dancing. Maybe, they could add another track to merge into the music which shows the type of dancing that would be used in the rave clubs. The second group created a presentation on the early mid-80's, painting on the boards phrases like 'PEACE', 'SAVE THE FUTURE', EDUCATION NOT MISSILES', 'USE A CONDOM', and 'CHOOSE LIFE'. They also stomped into the room like a robot, shouting the phrases out then praying at the end. I feel that this was very bold and represented well, however I feel that to improve this, they could have added stronger movements when entering the room to create more tension and emphasis into the phrases.

Secondary Research 2

I researched three typographical artists, Johnathan Barnbrook, David Carson and Eric Gill. 

Johnathan Barnbrook

Barnbrook was born in 1986, and trained at St. Martins School Of Art and at the Royal Colllege Of Art - both situated in London. (Wikipedia)

Barnbrook was born in Luton and lives and works in London. He has developed a multifaceted practice that includes activism (the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change), graphic design, typeface design, industrial design and motion graphics. He founded the design studio in  1990, and in 1997 he established his own font company virus fonts, releasing well known fonts such as 'Bastard' and 'Tourette'. He believes that design shapes the environment, changing the way we perceive things and informing our choices. (Barnbrook.net)

Barnbrook has collaborated with such noted people as David Bowie, Damien Hirst and AdBusters. His contribution to graphic design was recognised by a major exhibition at the design museum in London in 2007. (Myfonts.com)
Barnbrook's influential and often controversial work makes strong, provocative statements about corporate cultures, policies and consumerism, while his original fonts notably including Mason (originally released as Manson) displaying a subversive interplay of language, meaning and letter forms. (Book - DESIGN MUSEUM How to design a typeface)

This is Barnbrook's best-known font that he designed, 'Mason'. (Taken from www.moma.org) I think that the sharp strokes, brackets, chins and loops create an evil feel to the type, making it suit a horrific or gory theme. The type is also very medieval and old fashioned, therefore creating a link back to those days into the 21st century. 

I love this design that Barnbrook created for the 17th biennale of  Sydney.  By using reverse type, the headings stand out immensely. (Taken from www.designboom.com) i feel that the bold, bright colours that Barnbrook has used as they work well together, creating a statement to the public. It is telling me to enjoy life, and visit Sydney for a funky time. The three colours harmonise each other with the type over the top, the poster really stands out. The type is very bold, clear and easy to read, which is one of the main areas that typographic designers like to cover. the kerning between the letters differs between 'SYDNEY' and 'BIENNALE' (Sydney being wider), which makes each individual letter stand out more. This also creates all the attention on Sydney, making the viewers to remember and recognise the type. One of the main reasons that Barnbrook did this was to make hierarchy for Sydney over the rest of the text. 

David Carson

Carson was born on September 8th, 1954. He is an american graphic designer, art director and surfer. he is best known for his innovative magazine designs and use of experimental typography. (Wikipedia)

Carson graduated with 'honours and distinction' from San Diego State University. He received a BFA degree in sociology. Carson and his work have been featured in over 180 magazines and paper articles around the world, including a feature in New Week magazine. David's work continues to be subjective and largely driven by intuition, with an emphasis on reading material before designing it, and experimenting with ways to communicate in a variety of mediums. (Taken from davidcarson.com)

Carson came to the force of visual culture in the early 1990's, solidifying his place in 1995 with the publication of 'The end of print: The Grafik Design of  David Carson. His frenetic lettering and layouts inspired countless designers to push boundaries and break classic rules, which are qualities that are still prized today. (Taken from Printmag.com)
'We are used to seeing words as the content and then either as text that is typeset for a layout and perhaps illustrated, or perhaps as a script that is performed live or to a camera.We are increasingly aware that these words change in the telling. The emphasis.  The context. The distractions. And we are aware that these words cannot exist in communication without some form of telling'.  (Book - 'The End Of Print by Lewis Blackwell)

This first image was taken from Carson's own website, showing how he uses typography and how he bends the rules. This image is quite simple, using a small range of colour and images. The type takes most of the attention, however I feel that the first couple letters get lost with the middle image, as both are in black. The characters have been leaded, however the A, the R and the S have been slightly kerned. They have not been seriffed and the weight of the strokes are equal. The bottom image is also bleeding off the page.  

Below, this image was taken from Printmag.com. Carson has used overprinting when layering the numbers, making them overlap. However, each pair of number hasn't been overlapped, making the '76' in the middle stand out. The point size has been increased making the numbers overlap. The body copy is mainly the same around the poster, with various increased point sizes to show hierarchy. The spacing in these areas are equal, creating a simple design for the main information. Carson has kept with using columns, however he messes with the spacing in the large numbers. Some of the numbers and the background image is bleeding off the page and reverse type is included, on top of the larger numbers. There is a display face (heading) on the middle left side, on the blue and beige background. This stands out, with capital letters, however the point size has not been increased by that much, therefore does not take the attention until a while later when the viewer has been caught by the attention of the colourful numbers. I feel that the numbers have no meaning to the main context of the poster, but it does look effective. 

Eric Gill

Gill was born 22nd of February 1882 and died 27th November 1940. He was a British sculptor, typeface designer, stone cutter and print make, who was associated with the arts and crafts movement. He is a controversial figure, with his well known religious views and subject matter being seen as at odds with his erotic art. (Taken from Wikipedia)

  Gill was also a writer and teacher, and taught the students about typography. In 19110, he began direct carving out of stone figures. His growing reputation, together with his conversion to catholicism (1913) led to a commission from westminster cathedral for 'The stations of the cross'. His catholicism inspired other biblical works. His best-known commission on a secular subject was 'Prospero and Ariel (1931) for the BBC. Gill's highly original typeface designs had a lasting influence on the 20th Century printing. (Taken from Tate.org.uk) 

'Best remembered as the designer of thee lettering known as 'Gill's Sans Serif'. (Book - Dictionary Of Art and Artists by Thomas and Hudson)

'His popular Sans Serif design is based on the sympathetic style and proportions of classical letter forms and is in complete geometric Sans Serifs which were so popular at the time'. (Book - The Complete Typographer by Christopher Perfect)

The columns are very neat, even though the point size is increased on the first letter. The N and the D are very neatly aligned with each other, and have been kerned quite close together. However, the designer has used leading to create a larger space between the two letters, making the image of the women fit it easily. The increase in point size and the use of capital letters throughout the body copy was to show hierarchy towards the reader. The seriffed type and the same font and style throughout also shows simplicity, as the bolder text at the top catches the eye, showing the viewer that this is an interesting article. The text is all left justified and ragged right, and is text wrapped, making it easier to read. The weight is equal for each different point size. I really love this type as it works really well with the theme.('www.pinterest.com')

These are all San serif, bold and all the same point size, therefore there is no hirarachy except form the capital letters. The width of the strokes are all the same, making the text easy to read, which is useful for designers and advertising. The body copy has included the same point size, spacing and type style. This image is taken from Nickgraphic.wordpress.com

Secondary Research

I looked at different magazines on the internet, analysing the colours and typography used and the layout.
The first magazine was Eye Magazine, specifically Indian Graphic Design. It was published by the Delhi-based brand consultancy CoDesign.


I looked at a website called 'howdesign.com', which gave me various different magazines and busines. I looked at '5 By 5 Design', a business,which was created by Wendy Ruyle and Diana Lillicrap, about six years ago. They have designed for clients from fitness to music and museums. Lillicrap said on the website: "We offer creative ideas managed at the level you'd expect from a large agency". This shows that their designs are to a high standard. This images are taken from their own website, 5by5design.com, showing a range of what they design. The designs for their business are very simple, using funky numbers, lettering and typography.

This image is of designs for Welcyon, launching a new healthy club for aging adults. By using a strong brand story, and a series of engaging communications, Welcyon has a bright, bold identity. By using a shiny red as the main background colour, and reverse type, the typography really catches my eye. The layout of the font is very simple, making the customers turn their heads to read the type, already creating fitness, which links to the main idea of the merchandise. However, red is mainly used for stopping or sadness, therefore the colour may interrupt with the adults training and fitness.

This image is of a range of designs for Gopher News Company. They hired 5 by 5 Design to create branding, strategic planning and communication design. From identity to messages to creative in-store marketing tools, 5 By 5 Design repositioned this historic brand as a current, resourceful partner to retailers across the region. I think that these designs include an 80's feel, even if they haven't intended to. The colours are very bold and bright, catching attention instantly, and relate to the chosen type, such as 'Bridal' has used baby pink in the background, showing a very girly feel. The ring round the circles give the designs a border, making it look more professional. The typography relates to the theme, which makes the designs easy to recognise for the client and the target audience. An example could be 'Bridal' as the type used is very girly, curly and pretty, which would be eye catching to women.  

I also looked at muralist Ian Ross, a SanFrancisco based artist, whose graffiti-inspired murals fill the offices of high tech-films such as Facebook, Google and Alpha-boost. He was a surfer before becoming a painter, this sport shines through in the energy and flow of his murals. He told the magazine: "Ocean waves are just energy moving through water, and waves have inspired me to create an energetic force in my work". 

His artwork is very funky and dynamic, making an image form in my mind when I look at the paintings.

These two paintings link into an 80's theme really well as the colours are bright and funky.The swirly patterns and bold black outlines catch my attention quickly, which is what I want to create on my magazine.

80's Exhibition Write up

My Visit to the V and A museum

Abbie Huffinley

For my third brief, I have to create a mini magazine in the style of a 1980’s theme. I visited the V and A Museum in London for primary research. I looked round an 80’s themed fashion exhibition,  ‘club To Catwalk’.

When I first walked in, I was excited as there was 80’s style music playing in the background in all the different culture sections, and there were bright, aluminous lights to create a disco mood. 

There were a range of Sub Cultures throughout the exhibition. I looked at:

·      Evening Wear

·      Blitz Denim

·      Knit Wear

·      Hard Times

·      Customized

·      Rave

·      Body conscious and

·      Goth

My favourite culture was Evening Wear because it looked sophisticated, glitzy and modern.

Designer John Galliano designed an evening dress that was placed in another culture section, however I loved the design as I would wear it today, in the 21^st Century.  He designed a long, baby pink evening dress. Taken from the ‘fallen Angels’ Collection for spring/summer 1986, the dress would flow in a summer breeze, drifting and gliding around the body that was wearing it.  It was very girly, therefore portraying a certain characteristic, like part of a story.

I looked further into Galliano's designs, how they have differed from the 1980's up to today. I found an image of  one of Galliano's designs for the Paris Fashion Week in september earlier this year. The information that I researched came from: http://www.hungertv.com/feature/paris-fashion-week-john-galliano/#slideshow-7. 

Galliano's dress that was used in the Fashion Week is vibrant and funky, which is different to the 80's style design that he designed, which I saw at the exhibition. They are both designs for the spring term, which shows how differently people dress in the 21st Century. The 2013 design is much shorter than the 80's design, which shows that Galliano has incorporated the 80's style into todays society. I love both dresses, as they 80's style is relaxing, but very funky in terms of the materials used and how they are layered over each other. The second dress, designed for 2013, is funky in terms of the colours used, creating an 80's feel and a spring/summer look. 

 My favourite designers were Helen Storey, Jasper Conran and Vivienne Westwood, because they were so different from each other and very original. Helen Storey’s designs were mainly short, black, elegant and glitzy. Jasper Conran’s dress was was long, black, glitzy and sophisticated. Both designers use simple designs, using luxurious materials, creating elegant evening dresses. Vivienne Westwood’s designs were funky and use various materials, then placing them together to create a patchwork of crazy outfits. I also found a variety of her designs intriguing as some were mad, however many simple designs really caught my eye as they were created round the body’s curves, making the shape look effective.

I researched further into Westwood’s designs on a variety of websites. I also found research on Westwood at the exhibition. ‘Vivienne Westwood created increasingly eclectic, wider range of designs from classical/pagan cultured to hobo dress and modern art. Westwood reworked fashion traditions and layered her designs with cultural references in a completely unique way. She introduced new materials and a different approach to cut and construct’. She designed many of her designs with partner Malcolm McLaren.

I have taken this image from www.complex.com, a website looking at 80's style clothes and designers. 'These designs were designed by Vivienne Westwood, as she really pushed the punk style forward. Part of a design movement called "New Romanticism", she frequently collaborated with with Sex Pistols manager in the 80's'. The information was collected from complex.com. I feel that her designs are very wacky, which suited the types of clubs that that people went to. Depending on the style of clothes they were into and how mad the designs were, the more they fitted into the clubs and they music genres. 

The ambience and feeling in and around the fashion exhibition was very fun, giving me a taste of the 80’s. When walking through the clubs and videos area, I found that the atmosphere in the clubs were fun, exotic, with bright lights, lasers and loud 80’s style music playing in the background. This made me feel upbeat and in the mood to party and dance in the cheesy 80’s style.

I watched a video of all the designers outfits shown on a catwalk. The models were very different from the 21^st Century, dancing around to cheesy music in the background. However, there was a bubbly, fun atmosphere, making the outfits seem more crazy and individual. I feel that the models of the 80’s were real models; however they idolized and became good friends with the designers, therefore they created a more uplifting, fun show. This made the designs look more attractive as they models are having a fun time showing them off.

New Brief - 80's Magazine

I am now starting my third assignment, to create my own short 80's magazine. For primary research I visited The V & A Museum in London. I looked at a variety of sections, including Britain in the 1980's and modern. I also looked round an 80's themed fashion exhibition, writing notes and gaining inspiration from the fashion designs and their designers. 

Throughout The Museum:

I looked at the type of clothes that people wore and the style that they would wear. This pink dress is my favourite, as it is a very funky, girlie design.  

I then looked at various designs in different sections of the museum. I could incorporate some of the designs into my own magazine designs, such as swirls, flowers, funky designs etc.

I looked at the different poster designs, looking at the type, images and layout etc.