Tag: 141 R

Survey 5: Typography Zine Rationale (1850 – 1895)

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I made my typography zine about William Morris and his contribution of different typefaces during the Arts and Crafts movement and Jules Cheret’s illustrative use of typography. I also showed examples of some o the most popular typefaces created in the time period. I chose this information because Morris had a big influence on typography and design in general and Cheret created the important method of 3 stone lithography which allowed for more artistic uses of typography in posters.

I believe that my execution of the designs and information was well done as it is visually pleasing and easy to read. I also think that the pages showing popular fonts was a good idea because it shows a good overview of fonts used at the time.

However, the hierarchy of type could be improved by making the sizes or spacing different. I could also increase the saturation of the white pencil crayon I used for most of the zine could also be bolder, the white turned out to be more gray and dull once it was scanned.

I would give myself a 9/10, as I put a lot of effort into the zine and I think it turned out really well.

Rise of Colour: Alphonse Mucha’s Art Nouveau Posters (1895 – 1905)

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Zodiac Calendar, Alphonse Mucha, 1896.

Colour printing in the late 19th century was cheaper and easier to mass-produce. This meant that the use of colour in advertisements was suddenly much more common throughout the industry, and in turn it allowed artists and designers to utilize colour more thoughtfully in their work. Combined with a desire to bring art away from the exhibitons and into daily life, bold and colourful designs began to surface in the Art Nouveau movement.

WHO WAS ALPHONSE MUCHA?

Alphonse Mucha was an Austrian designer born on July 24, 1860. He designed costumes, sets, and posters for theatre which allowed is unique approach to poster design to take Art Nouveau to the next level. His work was strongly influenced by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his paintings which subjects were often women.

Lady Lilith, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, 1873.
HOW WAS COLOUR USED?

The invention of chromolithography allowed designers to make their work colourful and attractive to the eye. Art Nouveau used many colours found in nature because the common motifs used in the style were flowers, organic patterns, and women. The most commonly used colours were mustard yellow, dark red, olive, pink, and brown, and the warm colours created an approachable and idyllic appearance for consumers to want to buy a company’s products. The outlines of the art were often done in brown rather than a harsh black. Light shades of blue and green were often used in the background to contrast with the female figure in the foreground.

HOW DID MUCHA DIFFER FROM OTHER DESIGNERS AT THE TIME?

While other designers used bold and eye catching colours, Mucha stood out from the rest by using pastel colours instead. His work was also heavily influenced by Japanese prints, he copied the long vertical scroll formatting for many of his posters. His work is also timeless, the posters are still admired above others because of his unique pastel and idyllic designs.

Gismonda, Alphonse Mucha, 1894.
Rêverie, Alphonse Mucha, 1897.
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The Rise and Fall of Chromolithography (1750 – 1850)

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Lithographic stone used to print ten colour “Social Smoke” label
WHAT IS CHROMOLITHOGRAPHY?

Chromolithography is the process of colour printing using limestone and various chemicals. It evolved from lithography, where the prints were only black ink on paper and all colour had to be added afterwards by hand. Chromolithography printing was considered “the democracy of art” as it was able to provide beautiful colour printing for the middle-class at an affordable price.

Portrait of James Herbert Gustavus Meredyth Somerville, 2nd Baron Athlumney
WHY WAS CHROMOLITHOGRAPHY POPULAR?

Chromolithography layered colours to create depth that looked exactly like oil paintings to the untrained eye. This made the use of chromolithography great for the replication of oil paintings and the printing of artwork. It was also the main printing method to make the posters during World War I. Advertising, books, and newsprint used the chromolithographs to speed up the colouring process, as they no longer had to have people hand-paint each image. The use of limestone also meant that printing blocks didn’t need to be replaced as they did not wear down or lose detail, so companies could save on money in that way.

Keyline drawing for the “Harbor Light” cigar label
THE PROCESS OF CHROMOLITHOLOGY
  1. Keyline drawing is approved and registered for printing
  2. Drawings are applied to limestone slab using grease-based crayons or ink
  3. The drawing is covered with gum arabic and a weak nitric solution to desensitize the surface and preserve the drawing
  4. Drawing is inked with oil-based transfer or ink
  5. The drawing is pressed into paper using a flat-bed press
  6. Repeat with each different colour needed  for the image on the same paper, closely following the registration so colours are not off
  7. Fading or blending of colours would be edited with airbrushing if needed
Proof for the “Harbor Light” cigar label with colour bar on left documenting use of eleven colors
WHY DID CHROMOLITHOLOGY FADE OUT?

After the invention of chromolithography and its use had spread though out the printing industry, more business-oriented companies began mass producing colour prints of extremely poor quality. This brought down the price of chromolithographs overall, as so many of them were being printed. This meant that artists who used the chromolithographs to create their detailed prints with deep colours were unable to sell their prints or to keep up with the market. Chromolithography, while resulting in beautiful prints, could not keep up with the demand and was slowly replaced by new printing methods and is only used by artisans.

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