Modernism Along with Postmodernism: Graphic Design at Its Best - Essay Example

Modernism Along with Postmodernism: Graphic Design at Its Best Being an artist means being able to freely express oneself. At these modern times,what better way to communicate than to build from what one knows from the past, merge it with new energy, and incorporate that uniqueness into the artwork. Postmodernism is so much like this in graphic design. However, there is a need to determine what modernism is first in order to understand postmodernism better. Keedy describes modernism as a kind of style and ideology that is not limited to a particular period or geographical spot. Furthermore, modernism means being able to shape one’s design based on the practical use or function of the object being considered. Consequently, it “is a formalist, rationalist, visual language that can be applied to a wide range of circumstances (Keedy). Still, form follows function. The seeming boundaries that is created by modernism have elicited some reactions and this is how postmodernism came to be (Keedy). Postmodernism is not a rejection of the former but merely a release between what is considered high culture and popular culture. In this way, the use of theory is not anymore narrowed down to philosophy but is expanded to include history, social theory, political science and most importantly, design theory. Thus, postmodernism is not a depiction of a style but an era brought about by neo-colonialism, green revolution, computerization, and electronic information in the 1960’s (Keedy). Ferebee relates that in the first dozen years of the 20th century, Kokoschka, Kirchner and other members of Die Breucke and Der Blaue Reiter or the so-called expressionist graphic designers gave emphasis on the emotional tone of their layouts (qtd. in Stephens). What they did was to invoke a disquieting effect with the typeface like it was a decorative device. Stephens suggests that the expressionist designers got their inspiration from Sigmund Freud and the psychoanalytic theory and from Charles Darwin and the theory of evolution. Consequently, the central theme was the primitive and the unconscious. Similarly, postmodernism involves manipulation of layouts to invoke intense emotionality, the use of typeface as a decorative device, and placing disparate objects to describe the elements in the unconscious mind. On the other hand, it was in the mid 1980s that postmodernism’s influence on graphic design was made apparent. At first, most designers thought that it was just some sort of selfish indulgence that is not really based on anything relevant. Conversely, postmodernism is a new way of thinking and creative designing. It is not just about designers communicating a sense of the culture but is more about making a stand out of a variety of ideologies. Significant persons have contributed to the development of postmodernism. One of them is Jan Tschichold who prompted diversity in ideology through his postmodern typography. His work characterized “craft-based calligraphy and machine-age modernism to neoclassicism” (Keedy). Another pioneer is the designer named W.A. Dwiggins who introduced an infusion of traditional themes and aesthetics to the modern consciousness. What was unique about his work was how he experimented with materials from eastern cultures, history, and the latest technology. Both Tschichold’s and Dwiggins’ works of art embodied the diversity and complexity that is postmodern. On the other hand, one graphic style design that seems to dominate advertising and editorials of lifestyle magazines recently is what is called interactive two-dimensional design or interactive 2D design (Stephens). Its textual attribute shows scattered or mismatched letters as well as random words which readers are encouraged to put together in order to make sense out of it. The reader is further persuaded to interpret, decode and even encode meaning into the material. Because of this, 2D design has been the focus of intense discussions in relation to postmodern culture and art. Although Stephens believes that this kind of design compromises legibility for the sake of artistic expression, Lund espouses that 2D embodies the postmodern designing that uniquely involves the reader and his degree of interest for the material to the point of exerting effort to figure it out for himself based on how it relates to his own life (qtd. in Stephens). Lund further argues that design should not be too easy to do for the artist nor too easy to perceive for the reader. Indeed, 2D is interactive in the sense that the reader is stimulated to think about what they see. In the words of MacKenzie, "Post-modern and constructionist theory allow us to understand that meaning can only be generated when the reader engages with the printed words. We now understand that meaning and thus communication, is brought into being by the interactive relationship between the reader and the document (qtd. in Stephens). Then, postmodernism is liberation of some sort that extols what is new and different without discarding what is modern. In specific, Push Pin Studio previously released a monthly magazine that featured various styles that infused popular culture (Eskilson). Seymour Chwast, The Push Pin Monthly Graphic, no. 24, 1959. Cover. In one of the magazine covers, it showed an old wooden typeface available from the Morgan Press which was full of typography museum pieces. This caused people to look at what is seemingly obsolete in a new light. Inside the magazine is yet another graphic design which shows a random sampling of pictures, clip art, and fonts (Eskilson) that freely expresses a lot of humor and caricatured drawings. This was an obvious opposition to the International Style grid which was full of seriousness. Seymour Chwast, The Push Pin Monthly Graphic,  no. 24, 1959. Interior. Furthermore, the monthly magazine was able to make a political statement in another issue showing the prevalent issue of racism in the United States at that time. It placed different images of White racial aggression and violence “such as Emmit Till, a fifteen-year-old who had been murdered in Mississippi in 1955, with idealized images of the American South drawn from everyday culture” (Eskilson). Seymour Chwast, The Push Pin Monthly Graphic, no. 54, 1959. Interior. Indeed, postmodernism is not just about graphic design. It is a way of life that gives designers not only freedom of expression but the freedom to show what is real in a very stimulating kind of way. Works Cited Eskilson, Stephen J. “Graphic Design: A New History.” A Brief History of Design and Posters. 16 December 2008 . Keedy, M. “Graphic Design in the Postmodern Era.” Émigré.com. 16 December 2008 . Stephens, Cheryl. “Interactive Graphic Design-To serve youth or art?” Design Issues II. 2000. 16 December 2008 . Read More