“I believe that in design, 30 percent dignity, 20 percent beauty and 50 percent absurdity are necessary,”
Heavily drawn by illusionism, graphic designer Shigeo Fukuda created extremely creative and compelling works using simple imagery.
L: Victory 1945 M: Untitled 02 in 1982 R: Happy Earth Day in 1982Shigeo Fukuda
Shigeo Fukuda was known to be an antiwar advocate, and he is truly a master of creating unique visuals with deep meanings and impactful messages. I consider him to be someone I look up to when it comes to visual communication.
Interdesign 81′
He believed in peace, and many of his most famous posters’ messages involved satirizing the senselessness of war. By cleverly utilizing simple shapes and negative space, he is able to construct imagery that draws you in with its layering of illusion. The symbols immediately catch the eye as the dots are connected to understand his intention.
Falling bombs form an image of a skull in this antiwar poster from 1968From the “Victory” series
Shigeo Fukuda’s way of thinking when he approaches design is fascinating, the way he interprets different subjects and utilizes visual elements is something we can all learn from. I personally feel like he is one of those designers whose works speak for itself upon a first glance. These works all scream “we want peace” to me.
I love how these are confusing to look at in a good way. I think that’s one of the hardest things to achieve in design, The New York Times referred to them as “[distilling] complex concepts into compelling images of logo-simplicity.” This is a perfect description of how masterfully Shigeo Fukuda can interpret a concept.
Douglas Coupland is an extremely talented artist, writer, and designer from Vancouver. I am fascinated by how contemporary and modern his works are, especially his sculptures. He has made many works contributing to the exploration of the Canadian identity.
According to Douglas Coupland, ” [he] did 10 of them in 2 days and shortened [his] life by about a year by doing all that so quickly.” How relatable as a creator. However, the idea behind this still-life photography still amazes me. He purposely took time to find these objects that represented a modern-day Canadian era and placed them in a format that resembled a still life painting. Instead of the traditional objects like fruits, plates, and tablecloths, he wanted to express that the time we are experiencing now is the same as any other time in history. What a thought-provoking concept.
installation view of Douglas Coupland: everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything, exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery, May 31 to September 1, 2014Towers, 2014
Postmodern sculptures of architecture are a common theme seen in Coupland’s works. This concept that seemed like a dystopian interpretation of society’s progression emerged from his post-war upbringing. It is a reflection and reaction to the over-optimized progress that he was exposed to in his childhood.
Digital Orca
Located near Vancouver Convention Centre, this iconic pixelated orca has become a famous symbol of Vancouver over the recent years. It blends beautifully with the harbour scenery around it, connecting Vancouver’s past and present of the ever-changing pace of this harbour.
Beatriz(Bea) Feitler’s career as a female art director during her time was undoubtedly short but very successful. Her bold, colourful style is all about making good design with impactful messages.
Spread from Harper’s Bazaar, 1966
In her words, “A magazine should flow. … you have to visualize what comes before and after. Good editorial design is all about creating a harmonic flow.” I personally think that these spreads from the Harper’s Bazaar magazine perfectly explains her style and approach when it comes to design. Funky, bold, niche, yet flows beautifully.
Cover design for Ms. Magazine
In 1972, Bea feitler moved on from Harper’s Bazaar and became the art director at Ms. , which was a women’s’ magazine that focused on feminist themes, and this was the perfect chance for her to take on an opportunity that gave her more freedom to express her creativity and thoughts.
Cover design for Ms. Magazine
As her coworker Carl Barile once said, “In one sense, Feitler was always the original feminist,” and you can see how these themes play out in her works while she directed for Ms., the content Bea Feitler created were witty, funny, slightly controversial, and were a voice for women.
After learning about Zuzana Licko through my Pecha Kucha research, I think it’s only natural to write about this wonderful designer. At the beginning of the digital revolution, Licko and her husband, Rudy Vanderlans were some of the first designers to utilize the Macintosh for digital type design work.
Emigre Magazine issues 1-6
They published the typography in the Magazine issue, Emigre which was established by the couple in 1984. Since then, Zuzana went on to create a revolutionary impact during early digital type design.
Designed in 1985, the LO-RES font family remains to be one of the first yet most iconic fonts of early digital typefaces. As you might be able to tell, this pixelated font would often be used in video games and computer interface design.
Emigre website
Emigre office, 1985
in 1985, Zuzana and Rudy established Emigre type foundry, which now includes hundreds of fonts created by great type designers.
Mrs. Eaves
Filosofia
These two fonts, Mrs. Eaves and Filosofia, are arguably Zuzana’s most famous fonts. They evolved from Baskerville and Bodoni.
Slowly, Emigre evolved into a larger design company. Now, not only does their website include fonts, but they also sell textile patterns, ceramics, and even original emigre magazine issues.
Swirling, vibrating, moving, tripping. Whatever you call it, we can all agree that the psychedelic aesthetic was trippy, to say the least! These were all defining characteristics of posters for bands in the 1960s.
Posters by Wes Wilson
As the LSD drug (lysergic acid diethylamide) was popularized amongst young people in the 60s, it brought out a completely new look in the world of visual design. Not only do these posters reflect what an acid trip would look like, but they also reflect the energy of pop culture during that time. For example, The Grateful Dead’s rise in the 60s also echoes the elements in these posters. People at that time loved the elements of rock, more specifically, “psychedelic rock”, which is an original style from the band. Freeing, hardcore, elliptical—— these are all expressed in the posters and the music.
Taking inspiration from Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau poster
So where did these elements take inspiration from? Well, it may be clear now that the swirly, flowing movement and flat, graphic look of figures definitely takes inspiration from the Art Nouveau movement. You could say it’s all a part of “hippie poetry”.
The original illustration of the Grateful Dead’s concert poster
“I do not photograph nature, I photograph my visions.”
“Self Portrait with a Gun” (1932)
Biography
Man Ray (born as Emmanuel Radnitzky) was a successful American artist who transitioned from dadaism to surrealism. He is not a man living in the past, as he doesn’t even want to let people know of his original name. Man Ray is best known for his surrealist photography, which he calls “rayographs”, a pun on his name and the word “photograph”. In his teenage years, he often visited art museums and galleries with old masters’ paintings, which became sources of inspiration in his earlier years. His works exhibit many different styles, from cubism, dadaism, to surrealism. After he graduated from art school, He became close friends with Marcel Duchamp, and they influenced each other’s works on the journey of modern art.
Earlier works-paintings/sculptures
“the Hill” (1913)
In his earlier works, he often works with oil paintings and we can see how he transitions by starting off with a more dadaist style and approach. He did many landscapes and still lives in his earlier paintings.
“Still Life with Red Tea Kettle” (1913)“Landscape” (1914)“Silhouette” (1916)
As we approach closer to the 1920s, we can see that Man Ray has adopted a more cubist style as a reaction to WWI, like many other artists of this period. The last piece titled “Silhouette” holds many iconic characteristics that would begin to appear later on in his photographs. The use of overlapping shapes, the composition, and the negative space would all become a consistent style seen in his works.
Rayographs/photography
“The Kiss” (1922)
Finally, in 1922, his first “Rayograph” was born. In this photo, no cameras were used. Instead, he used a piece of paper that was exposed to light multiple times, using the kissing heads of his lover and himself as a stencil on the paper to create the shapes in this image. I wonder if he was inspired by Gustav Klimt’s version of “The Kiss” for this piece.
“Ingres’s violin” (1924)
This is a piece referencing ean Auguste Dominique Ingres’s painting of a nude woman, titled “La grande baigneuse”. However, in Ray’s version, he combines the shape of a woman with characteristics of a violin, which becomes another classic theme seen in his works: objects and women’s figures. This photo is One of his most iconic pieces in the era of surrealism.
From the series, “Électricité“, 1931
Possibly the best example of his surrealist style in photography. During that time, electricity was not very commonly used for household energy consumption. This series was commissioned by the French electric company (La Campagnie Parisiene de Distribution d’Électricité) as an advertisement/promotion of electricity during the interwar period. Ray’s visual representation of electricity in our lives is indeed surreal and captiviating, as he combines the theme of electricity with nude figures of women, and roasted chicken.
“Glass Tears” (1932)
This piece shows a more cinematic/film-like approach. Using a mannequin with glass beads on its cheek, Ray wanted to convey the theme of “revenge”, which originated from his heartbreaking break-up with his lover, Lee Miller. The cropping of the image amplifies emotion seen through the eyes, and many believe he challenges the definition of reality and still life photography in this piece.
Reflection
Honestly speaking, although I am personally not a big fan of the movements during this era, I loved seeing Man Ray’s works. It was simply fascinating to witness his evolution through many movements of this era, as his works was an amalgamation and embodiment of some of the most iconic artistic themes during this time. I think that he’s a successful artist for being able to capture the essence of this time period through his works.
Typography: Bauhaus-the universal typeface by Herbert Bayer
Herbert Bayer
when it comes to this time period, the most iconic leap in typography just cannot be looked over; the Bauhaus movement forever shook the world of type.
Herbert Bayer and the Universal Typeface
Herbert Bayer (1900-1985) was an Austrian-American designer of the infamous design school, Bauhaus. In 1925, the Bauhaus typeface was created. Walter Gropius, the founder of Bauhaus, asked Herbert Bayer to design a font that represented the communication of Bauhaus. Herbert Bayer took on this task, the results? A slick, modern-looking, and simplistic font was born. He successfully created a “universal font”, which was a sans-serif font that did not include any capital letters.
The Bauhaus font by Herbert Bayer, 1925The universal typefaceExample of the Bauhaus font being used in brands today, such as Nintendo’s amiibo.
This font greatly improved legibility, and simplified the alphabet to only its most essential shapes. As you can tell, the forms of these letters revolve heavily around the shape of a circle. This is what the Bauhaus identity was all about-simplicity, effectiveness, and functionality. Herbert Bayer definitely achieved “form follows function”.
Architecture: Bauhaus
The world of architecture today is still very much influenced by the visual elements of Bauhaus’s building designs. You may not even know it, but many of the modern, clean looking buildings that we see today have evolved and took inspiration from Bauhaus.
The Bauhaus school building
Again, everything coming out of Bauhaus follows the rule “form follows function”. There is no visual extravagance in their architectures, just what is needed and is always kept simple.
Bruno House, 3 Strauss Street by Ze’ev Haller, 1933
Hard to imagine, right? Can you believe this is a building from almost 100 years ago? Fascinating. The Bauhaus movement and style was definitely ahead of their time, as they saw the value in simplicity and “less is more”.
Bauhaus Archive, Berlin, Germany
As you can probably tell by now, although not every Bauhaus-styled building looks the same, they all have very similar elements. Rational, simple forms that stick to basic geometric shapes such as triangles, squares, and circles. The colours are often muted, natural colours of the building material itself, such as metal, concrete, and glass. Makes me wonder what other design styles in our current era would thrive even until 100 years later.
One of the most iconic female feminist surrealist/expressionist artists of the 20-21th century.
Biography
Louise Bourgeois was born to a family who owned a tapestry business in 1911. She was one of three children in the family, and her childhood was very rough due to her father being drafted for WW1. Her father’s affair and the war both destroyed the peace in the family; some of her works are believed to be influenced by these adversities in her life. She went to several different art schools and has experience in many different fields of study, such as math, philosophy, art, and art history. In 1938, she studied with the cubist artist Fernand Léger, who recommended sculpture to her. from 1939-1942, she became the mother of three boys in three years. This was an immense challenge for her, as an artist who is also a mother. However, this did not stop her from her career’s success, as she created many iconic paintings and sculptures throughout her life.
Artworks
Many of Louise Bourgeois’s works reference personal experiences in her life. She often expresses themes of feminism in her most iconic artworks; she is never limited to any material or scale, which is evident in the diversity and variety her works exhibit. Some of Bourgeois’s works have also been exhibited together with other iconic expressionist artists such as Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko.
From the series “Femme Maison” (1946-1947)
This series’s title literally translates to “housewife”. After learning about her biography, I definitely see why she chose this theme and used this approach. As a woman who has experienced the difficulty of having so many responsibilities in her life, she expresses this burdening reality in this series of paintings.
from the series “Soft landscapes II” (1967)
This sculpture, made of resin, latex, cement, and other materials, expresses what Louise Bourgeois feels about the relationship between earth and our bodies. She once said that “Our own body could be considered, from a topological point-of-view, a landscape with mounds and valleys and caves and holes. So it seems rather evident to me that our body is a figuration that appears in Mother Earth.”
“Pregnant Woman” (2009)
As seen in many of Bourgeois’s works, she often likes to create shapes that are visually similar to body parts that explore themes of sexuality, and gender, which is something she had challenges within her past.
from the Personnages series, “Femme Volage” (1951)
The shapes and tools in this piece resemble spindles, needles, and other objects that may reference her mother being a weaver. This piece represents the different connections she has with the people in her life. According to Bourgeois, this piece is meant to show a “reconstruction” of her past.
“the Destruction of the Father” (1974)
This may be one of her most famous pieces, as it is a reference to the betrayal and hatred she has towards what her father did to her family when she was young. The flesh-like shapes (a reference to her father being dismembered and liquidated) are placed in a room that resembles a bedroom/dining room, suggesting that she would devour her father for what he did. Truly an impactful and gruesome piece that really delivers her emotions.
“Maman” (1999)
Perhaps one of the most iconic pieces that people think of when they remember Louise Bourgeois. Although this may look like a menacing huge spider, its story is heartwarming. It is a tribute to her mother, to whom she is deeply attached. Spiders, in Louise Bourgeois’s mind, are diligent and intelligent weavers who are protective of their children that devour their enemies. Her mother also has these qualities, which is why Bourgeois chose the spider to represent her. This subject appeared constantly and consistently in Bourgeois’s works during the 90’s.
Reflection
I was fascinated by Louise Bourgeois’s works and how emotionally impactful they are. In my opinion, successful abstract/expressionism art wouldn’t be purposely made to look confusing without meaning or effort, it should still deliver strong ideas or emotions, even if it’s up to the audience’s interpretation. This is why I love Bourgeois’s works. I can feel her ideas, her personality, and how much her experiences and memories mean to her.
In “The Honorable Harvest” by Robin Wall Kimmer and Marie Mourad’s “Thinking Outside the Bin,” both sources address the issue of overconsumption of foods, promoting sustainable food production. In “The Honourable Harvest”, Kimmer addresses this issue from more of a indigenous lifestyle’s perspective, suggesting that the act of harvesting food should focus on respect and gratitude of the planet’s resources. On the other hand, Mourad analyzes the issue from a more urban standpoint, focusing on the statistics and solutions to reduce food waste in the production process.
This was overall a fun project, and I enjoyed experimenting with the art nouveau art style by creating a label for it. I looked at many Art Nouveau packaging references before attempting to recreate this label, and I think it turned out mostly accurate. For materials, I used pencil crayons and ink for the label, and I painted over the box. I do wish, however, that I spent a little more time to perfect it and maybe add a bit more details to the overall look of the packaging. Overall, I give myself 7.5/10 for the accuracy and details.
Portrait of Bea Feitler
