MODERNISM

Focussing on specific examples, describe the way that modernist art and design w
as a response to the forces of modernity?
Modernism defines a period of change within the world that took place between th
e end of the nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century. The implic
ations of us now living in a post-modern world imply that modernism is something
that has happened and no longer represents the now or the contemporary. The ide
ologies behind modernist thinking were that modern design is an improvement of a
ll that came before it and through experimentation, innovation, individualism, p
urity and originality we progress forward as a society. The modern movement came
as a result of the industrial revolution and urbanisation as the world began to
modernise people moved from the rural farming industry and into the social hub
of the city filled with factories, new technologies and new forms communication
and travel. With modernism came a goal and a vision of how the designed world cou
ld transform human consciousness and improve material conditions . (Greenhalgh, P.
1990:3) Modernism represents a shift in attitudes among designers and artists i
n wanting to create a universal language for all that could be used and understo
od worldwide and be socially useful.
The modernist movement that took place in Switzerland which later spawned the int
ernational style originated in the early 1920 s and manifested itself worldwide by
the 1960 s. Between the two world wars a period of comfortable modern life, filled
with new rationales and new possibilities led progressive graphic designers and
artists to come together and set about forming a new world with a modern aesthe
tic of abstract and geometrical style. This period in time saw entirely new and d
ifferent experiences being made possible . (Barnard, M. 2005:112) Many artists lef
t their work to become designers and realize the idea of uniting art and industr
y together. The ideologies of soviet Russia s constructivism and Germany s Bauhaus h
elped form the influence for ethos of the Swiss style based on geometry and math
ematics that informed the design and organisation of two dimensional design for
mass communication.
Modernism brought with it a plethora of new technology that changed the way soci
ety worked, functioned and lived. At the time of modernism these advancements in
technology were extremely radical within society. New technology combined with
industrialisation lead the pathway for the mass production of products for the m
ass population. These products absent of decoration and aesthetically truthful t
o their materials and production methods created a style that could be understoo
d by all. With new technology came the advent and need for standardisation of co
mponents and process which aided mass production as well as allowing for easier
repair of products. Mass production created the means by which modernism was mad
e available on the streets, as it made products available to all promoting the t
heory that everyone can have the same. These aims for standardisation that came
with new technology also impacted on the design world. Paper sizes became a stan
dardized series for designers to work with and was adopted by Switzerland in 192
4. Standardisation is also reflected in Swiss graphic design through the creatio
n of new typefaces such as Akzidenz Grotesk. This typeface became one of the mos
t common typefaces of modernist design. The typeface represents the standardisat
ion of letterforms with the removal of uppercase letterforms a concept originati
ng from the Bauhaus suggesting that lowercase letterforms are easier to learn an
d read. In 1925 the director of Bauhaus said we write everything in lower case to
save time and besides, why two alphabets, where one will do? Why use capital le
tters if we don t use them when we speak. (Hollis, R. 2006:44) The typeface was als
o san serif, with the removal of serif s reflecting the need for the elimination o
f decoration which distracts from the communication of a given message. Gerstner
writes in his book Designing programmes No doubt the sans-serif typeface does no
t represent the final stage but...as I interrupt the situation, taking the past
as my yardstick, sans-serif no only has a future. It is the typeface of the futu

re. (Murgatroyd, K. 1969:89) Gerstener makes a key statement that reflects the fu
ndamentals of modernist design, that it should be progressive and forward thinki
ng.
Truth became a focus for modernist design all over the world. Truth to the mater
ials of product became an ideology followed by all modernist designers it focuse
d on letting materials speak for themselves and not be painted or decorated as thi
s disguises products from their true and natural beauty. Designers believed that
by removing decoration and not masking materials, products would become timeles
s in their dsign aesthetic. This way of thinking is also mirrored in the design
principle of form follows function in which the aesthetic design always comes se
condary to function of the product and that the product being of the highest qua
lity, function and precision would create aesthetic beauty alone. This approach
to design influenced modernist Swiss graphic design which aimed at creating a un
iversal language for all in which the function of communication came primary to
aesthetic quality. The avoidance of decorative elements and elimination of ornam
entation allowed designers to create purer forms of representation in the commun
ication of a message. These purer forms of communication came as a result of enl
ightenment when the world began to look at science and philosophy for understand
ing of the world rather than religion. Designers began to consider the use of ma
thematics and geometry to create simplified purer forms of communication. Swiss
designers had a particular demand for precision and with this came the use basic
forms such as circles, triangles and squares to create any two dimensional desi
gn. The use of geometry within Swiss graphic design also represents the shift in
Modernism from the use of illustration to abstract form to communicate a messag
e. The use of geometry within design can be seen in Max Bill s 1931 Negerkunst exhib
ition posters in which he has used circular geometrical forms to craft his poste
r juxtaposed against a square form in which typography is composed. The circular
forms created within the posters design simplify the style of work included at
the exhibition.
The pioneers of modernism believed they could change the world, they perceived d
esign to have the ability to transform the consciousness of those who were brough
t into contact with it . (Greenhalgh, P. 1990:13) This formed the basis behind arc
hitecture of the modernist era; it was believed that by redesigning the architec
ture of a city, the occupants of that city will experience a shift in their psych
ological outlook . The movements made within architectural design are mirrored in
the advancements made in typographical design of the Swiss modernist era. New pr
actices within typography began to emerge such as breaking text into lines which
are seen as units of meaning these lines reflecting such lines seen in architec
ture. Architecture and Swiss typography shared many attributes such as flat surf
aces, asymmetry and anti-decoration. Van Deosburg demonstrated that the horizonta
l vertical structure of architecture could be opposed in painting by diagonal co
unter-composition. (De Stijl VII, 1926:73) The use of the diagonal line then beca
me used and re-imagined by many designers within exhibition posters as placing t
ext and images in this way attracts the eye as it parallels the straight lines o
f a printed sheet.
Retrospectively looking at the work of designers from the period of Modernity, t
he work of Joseph Muller-Brockmann represents the amalgamation of the beliefs an
d values experimented within throughout the age of modernism. Muller-Brockmann s l
ater work demonstrates his adhernce to a strict design philosophy. (William Purel
l, K. 2006:268) Muller-Brockmann created a number of Music viva poster which were
concerned with the visual interruption of music. The posters use geometrical and
mathematical theories to reflect the style of the composer s music, each of the g
eometrical forms are positioned within a grid to also express the nature of the c
omposer s music (William Purell, K. 2006:168) Use of a grid within design to form a
n underlying structure for all layouts was first introduced by Karl Gerstner and l
ater perfected by Muller-Brockmann. The grid allowed for strict, rigid structure
but also extensive flexibility. These poster s also featured the ideals behind new

typography , Muller-Brockmann has used the sans-serif typeface Akizdenz Grotesk a

s it is free from unnecessary decoration, sans-serif typefaces were favored beca
use they are universal, clear and impersonal. These posters are concerned with t
he reduction of complex forms (Barnard, M. 2005:115) in order to achieve universal
communication that is transcultural. The music viva posters are also an example
or self reflexive design a key principle of modernist design. The flat geometri
cal forms declare the flat surface in which they are printed on, modernist graph
ic design hides no truths about it s construction or production. Muller-Brockmann s
Music viva posters iterate the rejection of ornament and the favoring of clean, s
imple non-decorated graphics. (Barnard, M. 2005:114)
Modernist graphic design can be defined as a period of time within the history o
f graphic design that was focused around a set of beliefs and values which influ
enced how they designed there work and for what purposes. During this time the g
raphic design that was created was aimed at trying to be universal and understoo
d by all and follow a set of specific sets of rules which underpinned the design
practice such as geometry, grids and anti ornamentation. Design was about creat
ing something that would become timeless .