Robert Wesley Wilson

Wes Wilson, Born in 1937, was a graphic designer, who apart from a few afternoon classes did not have much of an education or training to becoming a graphic designer. One could say it was a talent running through his veins. He was one of the most influential designers of his time. His works gives the definition to psychedelic posters - a phenomenon in the 60's.

His work is said to be a style of rebellion against the clean Swiss style of type. Lettering of  rectangular form  are dominant in all of his works. In fact Wilson's works don't have any blank white space, as he fills up every part of available space. Great influences in his work were Art Nouveau and old wall paper patterns. Female figures are also seen dominant in his work.

He worked as an assistant for Bob Carr making him familiar with poster design. His concert posters are what started building him a reputation. His works seemed illegible to the elderly public but where something new and vibrant attracting the young. Still designing posters today, Wes Wilson remains an influential figure in poster design, influencing both current designers and more than likely those to come.

One of the women figures on the left wears a cross. This was a frequently used but subtly hidden Wilson symbol. (You will see it on on her headdress.)

The Blues Project(Feb 17, 1967)

Wes Wilson Typefaces

Famous for this poster in which his psychedelic font looks like the letters and moving or melting.

Several other examples of Wes Wilson's Psychedelic art posters.

Letraset - The Letraset Type Gallery - Wes Wilson. 2014. Letraset - The Letraset Type Gallery - Wes Wilson. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.letraset.com/shopcontent.asp?type=profilewilson.>[Accessed 26 January 2014].

Psychedelic Art - Wes Wilson.wmv - YouTube. 2014. Psychedelic Art - Wes Wilson.wmv - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at:<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QVgtISxS1k.> [Accessed 26 January 2014].

Saul Bass

One could start off by saying that Saul Bass has really done it all. Films, Packaging,  Product design, Architecture, Corporate and Graphic design.

 He studied graphic design under a bauhaus influenced Gyorgy Kepes. The influence of this era in design shows clearly in many of his designs. After graduating he started off as a freelance designer and after opened up his new studio 'Bass & Associates'.

His designs include clean icons and minimalist design. They are simple but effective corporate identity.

He worked for major companies like Google where doodle wednesday became a thing. ( he would alter the the type for google). influence still seen today in minimalist effective logo designing. In his days he designed corporate logos for some of the best known companies of his time.

9 Google Doodles by Saul Bass

TULIP - 1973

UNITED AIRLINES combination of several effective elements 

Credit sequence design is another element which got him known worldwide. His work was effective enough  for the feeling of the film to be portrayed in his opening sequences. People described his work as a sort of new extension to film - a summary of what the audience is about to watch.  He linked graphics & film in a way no one ever did before. He worked alongside some of the best filmmakers ever known to Hollywood such as Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder and Otto Preminger. 

CARMEN JONES (1954) title sequence

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN ARM (1955) title sequence

TRAPEZE (1956) title sequence

‘ATTACK’ title sequence was the second of two title sequences Saul Bass designed for director Robert Aldrich.

Saul Bass’ Around the world in 80 days (1956) title sequence

For the merit of his designs he won the 1981 AIGA medal, an award well cherished by Bass.

I like how his minimalist approach towards design still greatly influences the works of designers in this day and age. With the appropriate colour scheme, type, wording and Picture, one can come up with one of the most effective logos one could create. (Which is in fact what Bass did). His works don't influence young designers today but also people viewing his work general. 

How Saul Bass changed design - CSMonitor.com. 2014. How Saul Bass changed design - CSMonitor.com. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.csmonitor.com/layout/set/r14/Innovation/Tech-Culture/2013/0508/How-Saul-Bass-changed-design.> [Accessed 27 January 2014].


Saul Bass | Title Design Project. 2014. Saul Bass | Title Design Project. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.titledesignproject.com/saul-bass/.> [Accessed 27 January 2014].

Flooby Nooby: Saul Bass (1920-1996). 2014. Flooby Nooby: Saul Bass (1920-1996). [ONLINE] Available at: <http://floobynooby.blogspot.com/2012/04/saul-bass-1920-1996.html.> [Accessed 27 January 2014].

Max Bill was a graphic designer Born in Switzerland in 1908 and passed away in 1994. An architect, painter, typographer, industrial designer, engineer, sculptor, educator, and graphic designer. He studied at the Bauhaus in 1927 and was educated by other influential figures such as Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee. 

After getting an education, in 1950 Max Bill founded the ILM school of Design. As a graphic designer he adopted  the philosophical views of this modernist movement. Majority of his works and a combination of sans serif typography, grids, asymmetric compositions, and dynamic figures.  He produced publications which gave gave other designers a lead and sense of direction. Max, being an architect, described typography to have similar elements of a building- ''organising machine produced parts in a structure''. Bill is known as one of the most influential students to have ever studied at the Bauhaus and is known for Environmental Design. 

                                       

                                                                                Construction in black 1939

1945, A time when the square was dominant in design.

























Max Bill Biography - Infos - Art Market. 2014. Max Bill Biography - Infos - Art Market. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.max-bill.com/.> [Accessed 26 January 2014].

Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1920 ... - Richard Hollis - Google Books. 2014. Swiss Graphic Design: The Origins and Growth of an International Style, 1920 ... - Richard Hollis - Google Books. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://books.google.com.mt/books?id=7XO-LMDo4yQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false.> [Accessed 26 January 2014].

Max Bill and Swiss Modernism - RockPaperInk.com. 2014. Max Bill and Swiss Modernism - RockPaperInk.com. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.rockpaperink.com/content/article.php?id=57.> [Accessed 26 January 2014].

Logotypes & Branding.

When one thinks about logos, words such as proportion, ratio, spreach and discourse come to mind, especially if you are looking at it from a graphic point of view. When I think about logos and branding I think about the message wanting to be conveyed, history, rekevance, colour and shape. All these aspects are what make a good logo and branding work. Surely some aspects are more important than others but a designer who has done his research will probably make a better design that one who has not.

A logo is a name, design, and or trademark used by a company for recognition. A logo is very influential on a product because if it is not attractive then people are not going to take notice of it or think that the logo itself reflects the product, so if it is not good, the product won't sell. In a logo you must give off a clear idea about the concept and values of the brand. When planning a logo out, it is important to keep in mind your target audience, sketch, finalise the concept, decide on a colour scheme and formats involved.

Brand communication must be build on strong, and well developed foundations. It is considered vital to to get to know your customer, business, organisation, desires, obstacles and expectations. By following these steps your outcome is more likely to have a big success. It is the job of the graphic designer to render a combination of identity and company positioning work into a set of distinctive visual elements.

Apple Logo

Tate, FedEx and V&A lgoos

Mercedes-Benz Logo (use of both imagery and type)

Coca Cola Logo Evolution

Fiat Logo Evolution


















Corporate identity | About design | Design Council . 2014. Corporate identity | About design | Design Council . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.designcouncil.org.uk/about-design/types-of-design/graphic-design/corporate-identity/. [Accessed 26 January 2014].

What is Corporate Identity?. 2014. What is Corporate Identity?. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.treefrog.ca/what-is-corporate-identity. [Accessed 26 January 2014].

Wolfgang Weingart.

Wolfgang Weingart was german Graphic Designer. he was greatly influenced by the Swiss typography/ international typographic style. The international Style inherited elements from the bauhaus movement using grids as guides for the placement of their imagery and type. They made use of sans serif typography due to the fact that they are of the most legible types and are of the most functional.

Weingart didn't completely exclude the grid in his works, however he definitely pushed them to their limits. He even pushed type to its limits, however still making sure it kept its functionality. He wanted type and imagery to work hand in hand, even if they are contradicting it's layout. If they do then the composition can still work.

Weingart didn't have the intention of starting his own design. In face he wanted his students to be free and explore and by showing them how to go by this he ended up unintentionally coming up with his own style. A style which is now used in computer graphics. They were what become the new language of New Wave Design. He in fact pushed for students to find their own style and form. He deeply influenced several students through his teaching and publications. His work still has current influence on type created till this present day.

His departure from the Swiss Style he gained the title as the father or New Wave Graphics. Characteristics as show in examples below are wide lettering, spacing, underlining, and layering photography with typographic images. His work is a multitude of typographic elements and printing technique.

Left: Swiss Style poster by Josef Müller-Brockmann. Right: Post-Modernist Poster by Wolfgang Weingart

Poster Kunst Kredit 1978 by Wolfgang Weingart.



















wolfgang weingart. 2014. wolfgang weingart. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://sparkledesign.net/PortfolioDetails/WeingartSite/Weingart_05.html.> [Accessed 25 January 2014].

Wolfgang Weingart @ Art + Culture. 2014. Wolfgang Weingart @ Art + Culture. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.artandculture.com/users/213-wolfgang-weingart.> [Accessed 25 January 2014].

Art Chantry

Arthur S.W. Chantry II is mostly admired for his posters and album covers.  Characteristics of his work derive from pop art, punk , psychedelia, and comic books. He recycles industrial catalogues, 1940 and 1950's clip art and found imagery. His works come together on limited funds, and he puts them together by cutting and pasting materials together and uses cheaper low tech printing processes to produce one of a kind posters. After having left the city due to rise in cost of living he moved to Tacoma where he thought at the School of Visual Concepts for 18 years to learn basic graphic design on computers. He used to reject this in his previous works but now it is how he produces his designs. He prefers media with maximum exposure through minimal means. He is seen as a hero of indie and grunge graphics. Influence from to the punk era is visible in many of his works. His hand made works, with stencilled and dispersed typography are very similar to fanzines present in the punk era.

The Sonics Poster designed by Art Chantry.

A collage of several pieces designer by Art Chantry. 

Art Chantry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Art Chantry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Chantry. [Accessed 3 January 2014].

The Sideways Blogging Career of Art Chantry - Print Magazine. 2014. The Sideways Blogging Career of Art Chantry - Print Magazine. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.printmag.com/interviews/the-sideways-blogging-career-of-art-chantry/. [Accessed 3 January 2014].

Art Chantry - Facebook. 2014. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.facebook.com/art.chantry. [Accessed 3 January 2014].

Punk

Punk started in the 1970s. One could say that it blew up in Britain. It was a youth rebellion because of the economic, political and social turbulence the UK was experiencing at the time. Punk was a post modernist movement, going against the rigid restrictions of modernism. It was a new eye opening beginning for music, fashion, and design.

From this countercultural movement we come into view with posters, fanzines, flyers, clothes and other visuals.When it came to the fashion, clothes were ripped cut, torn, written on with marker and paint and as accessories, razor blades. 

When it came to graphic design, we see the influence of punk in magazines quite a lot. There was the new Fanzine craze. Magazines created by the fans for the fans. It was a very DIY process and all one needed was photographs, recycled pictures and type, scissors, glue and a marker. To make one of these fanzines not much skill was needed. In fact loads of fans were going crazy making their own fanzines for fans who were as hooked as they were on the punk era. 

When examining punk, you can tell that it has taken inspiration from several different previous movements. Unlike constructivism it didn't have geometric shapes, order and a grid to follow. It's whole DIY appoach was one of it's main characteristic. The DIY technique makes it rustic and rough showing it's cheap low quality.  

‘God Save the Queen’ album artwork by the Sex Pistols

A magazine of great popularity at that time was 'Sniffin' Glue' by Mark Perry - a magazine which was never proof read and was a a compilation of fan's works. It came out every month but was not very long lived. It infact only came out for 1 year.

How Punk changed Graphic Design | Type Tasting. 2014. How Punk changed Graphic Design | Type Tasting. [ONLINE] Available at:http://typetastingnews.com/2013/10/24/how-punk-changed-graphic-design/. [Accessed 25 January 2014].

Punk. 2014. Punk. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.designhistory.org/PostModern_pages/Punk.html. [Accessed 25 January 2014].

Sniffin' Glue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Sniffin' Glue - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sniffin'_Glue. [Accessed 25 January 2014].