NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT
Art and Design
Design Activity
Advice and Guidance for
Practitioners
[NATIONAL 4;
NATIONAL 5;
HIGHER]
This advice and guidance has been produced to support the profession with the delivery of
courses which are either new or which have aspects of significant change within the new
national qualifications (NQ) framework.
The advice and guidance provides suggestions on approaches to learning and teaching.
Practitioners are encouraged to draw on the materials for their own part of their continuing
professional development in introducing new national qualifications in ways that match the
needs of learners.
Practitioners should also refer to the course and unit specifications and support notes which
have been issued by the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/34714.html
Acknowledgement
The publisher gratefully acknowledges permission to use the following sources: Black Swan
poster © La Boca; Fionnar poster, image of bottles of water, Fionnar image of Still Spring
Water from the mountains about Loch Ness all © 2009 Fionnar Springs Ltd; Rockness poster
© Rockness; Irn-Bru logo © AG Barr plc; images and text ‘About Colours’ from The Usborne
Book of Art Ideas by Fiona Watt, reproduced from ‘The Usborne Book of Art Ideas’ by
permission of Usborne Publishing, © 2008 Usborne Publishing Ltd;
© Crown copyright 2012. You may re-use this information (excluding logos) free of charge in
any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence,
visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or e-mail:
psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain
permission from the copyright holders concerned.
Any enquiries regarding this document/publication should be sent to us at
enquiries@educationscotland.gov.uk.
This document is also available from our website at www.educationscotland.gov.uk.
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Contents
Introduction
4
Developing the graphic design unit
7
Design considerations
10
Setting a design brief
15
The design brief
17
Possible themes/styles/subject matter
20
Developing ideas
22
Understanding the factors influencing designers and design practice
25
Design analysis of posters
26
List of suggested movements and designers
30
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INTRODUCTION
Introduction
This document aims to support practitioners in planning learning and
teaching in line with Scotland’s new national qualifications. The suggestions
are based on graphic design, looking specifically at designing a poster for the
Art and Design: Design Activity. There is also some general information on
the discipline of graphic design, as well as suggestions on how to integrate
the critical element of the course into learner s’ practical work.
The information provided is presented around a brief to design a poster, but
could be modified for another graphic design product. The material is
adaptable to suit learners with different abilities from National 4 through to
Higher.
The previous qualifications for Art and Design assessed the critical element
of the course as a separate unit. The new national qualifications require a
more integral approach and so new approaches to the delivery of the critical
element have been developed.
The world of graphic design offers ample opportunity to explore an area of
art and design that is current, immediate and highly relevant to learners in
today’s information-rich society. The topic offers learners the chance to
explore the influences on current and historical graphic design practice, the
role of advertising, branding, and marketing, and the role of the media and
how this is changing. Analysis of these factors throughou t the design
process, along with the development of learners’ ideas, should provide many
opportunities to incorporate critical analysis in practical work. Practitioners
should introduce learners to a variety of designers from a range of
backgrounds: historical, contemporary, cultural and social. Thes e examples
also inform the learner about aesthetics, styles and working methods.
The resource is both practical and experiential. Learners are encouraged to
exercise imagination and creativity, developing impor tant skills, attitudes
and attributes. Practitioners may wish to explore the theme of creativity by
visiting the extremely useful Education Scotland website ‘Marks on the
Landscape’
(http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/marksonthelandscape/creativity/inspiringcreati
vity.asp).
4
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INTRODUCTION
The resource includes:





guidance on setting a design brief
suggestions on how to research and investigate a theme within a brief
suggestions for developing ideas within the design process
references to various websites and designers
suggestions on ways to incorporate critical analysis within practical work.
These resources should act as a source of inspiration rather than as a
benchmark for attainment.
National unit specification: Art and Design: Design Activity
The information provided in this document focuses on a design brief to
design a poster and on how critical work can be used as a starting point and
learning tool for practical activities. It recognises that there is an increased
expectation with every increased level, which practitioners must take into
account when planning a unit of work. For example, with regard to critical
work at National 4, learners are required to ‘understand and describe’ factors
which influence two designers. Yet, at National 5 learners must ‘analyse and
offer informed opinions and simple justifications’ on the factors influencing
two designers.
Development of skills for learning, skills for life and skills for
work
It is expected that learners will develop broad, generic skills. These skills are
based on the SQA’s Skills Framework: Skills for Learning, Skills for Life and
Skills for Work and are drawn from the main skills areas listed below. These
must be built into the Design Activity unit where there are appropriate
opportunities.
1
1.3
Literacy
Listening and talking
3
3.1
Health and wellbeing
Personal learning
5
5.3
5.4
Thinking skills
Applying
Analysing and evaluating
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INTRODUCTION
Amplification of these skills is given in the SQA’s Skills Framework: Skills
for Learning, Skills for Life and Skills for Work. The level of these skills
should be at the same SCQF level as the unit and be consistent with the
SCQF level descriptor. Further information on building skills for learning,
skills for life and skills for work is given in the Unit Support Notes.
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DEVELOPING A GRAPHIC DESIGN UNIT
Developing the graphic design unit
Why study graphic design?
Graphic design is an area of design which learners have direct experience of,
providing them with a familiar context. It is an area of study where
fundamental graphic design principles remain the same, yet the means by
which designers communicate with us have changed and are constantly
changing. The materials in this resource will hopefully provide pract itioners
with some ideas on how to approach this varied genre of design. By learning
through graphic design learners will have opportunities to do the following:
 Plan, research and develop a creative design proposal : Learners are
actively involved in planning and identifying a brief. Discussions with
their practitioner on a proposed structure and method of recording ideas
give learners ownership of their portfolio.
 Understand and analyse designers’ work and practice, as well as the
things that influence them: Learners should be encouraged to reflect on
the work of others to inform their own ideas. Similar products or
materials/working methods and techniques can be an excellent starting
point for a brief. This would also provide an ideal opportunity for the
introduction of critical analysis.
 Develop creativity, problem-solving and critical-thinking skills:
Learners should be encouraged to explore colour, la yout, typography,
scale, style, layering etc. This could be linked to their analysis and
research of a designer. Learners should be encouraged to consider how
and where their graphic product will communicate with their targeted
audience.
 Experiment with media, materials and techniques in relation to their
chosen brief/proposal: Again, links could be made with the work of
others when learners are experimenting with materials and techniques.
Learners are to be encouraged to consider a variety of methods of
production, aesthetics and styling which fulfil their brief.
 Develop and refine their design ideas, taking into account their brief’s
design issues and constraints: There will be ample opportunities for
learners to gain insights and be inspired by their successes and ‘failures’.
This practice of self-reflection should be encouraged at various stages of
the design process. It allows learners to review their work and consider
new ways to problem solve their brief successfully.
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DEVELOPING A GRAPHIC DESIGN UNIT
When should critical activity be included?
The work of professional designers should be used and referred to at all
stages in the design process. A general introduction to a unit can be made
using a variety of work from different designers and from different time
periods to provide learners with an overview of their area of study. When a
brief has been agreed on, it would then be of benef it for the learner to
research, investigate and analyse the work of a designer whose work can
specifically inform their own working practices. This is something which
should be reviewed throughout the whole design process, with new and
relevant work by different designers being introduced as appropriate, to
encourage individual learners in their work.
Analysis of the work of designers could take the form of class discussion,
mind mapping or group presentations to the class as well as written notes and
annotated drawings interspersed throughout their practical work.
Practitioners may wish to devise a list of questions to prompt learners in
their analysis of a piece of design, as well as providing a word bank. There
are also opportunities on Glow for learners to take part in online discussions
and upload videos.
Summary of learning activities
The following summary acts as guidance only. As practitioners of a subject
which centres on the nurturing of an individual style, it is to hoped and
expected that this unit of work will be taken and expanded upon to suit the
individual needs of learners, centres and practitioners. However, the
following summary gives some structure for how the unit could be delivered.
Setting a design brief
Discussions on the following:
 What is graphic design? Discussion on target markets, advertising,
marketing, branding, communication methods etc.
 What is a design brief?
 Individual discussion and negotiation on a theme/product. Practitioners
may decide to offer the same theme and pr oduct to small groups but
should also encourage individual personalisation and choice for creative
thinking.
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DEVELOPING A GRAPHIC DESIGN UNIT
Research and investigation
Activities based around the following:
 Gathering information on relevant designers and their work.
Investigations could be carried out in small groups with presentations
made to the class, individual research using books and/or the internet and
written notes to provide links with the critical element of the course.
 Selecting appropriate imagery to inform their chosen th eme. Visual
information can be gathered from books, magazines, photographs and the
internet as well as learners’ own drawings. If appropriate to the choice of
product being designed, real materials could be used within the
investigations, eg if packaging were chosen, actual pieces of packaging
could be used. These could prove useful starting points for a piece of
critical analysis.
 Where appropriate, visits to galleries, museums and exhibitions provide
learners with a valuable opportunity to gather information first hand.
 A visit from a practising designer, if possible, can provide learners with
experience of art and design in a real-life context.
Developing ideas
Activities based around the following:
 Developing a variety of different compositions/layout s, paying attention
to the relationship between text and image. Investigation into typography
styles, scale and colour would also be an important development.
 Considering the importance of colour and colour schemes in graphic
design.
 Experimenting with different materials, techniques and technologies.
Learners should be encouraged to combine different materials and
processes.
These developments should be linked to the work of relevant designers, to
enhance both critical and practical learning opportunities.
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SETTING A DESIGN BRIEF
Design considerations
What are some of the factors which influence designers and design practice?
These should be discussed with learners to help inform them when analysing
the work of others. An understanding of these factors will also help with
learners’ own problem-solving skills when tackling their own design brief s.
The following material may give learners ideas for what and where their
design could be used, eg a billboard, signage for a vehicle or a poster for a
bus stop. This would have to be factored into their brief and subsequent plans
and developments.
Corporate Identity and Marketing
Corporate Identity can take many forms, including a symbol, a name, slogan
or colour combination.
Successful graphic design is crucial to the creation o f effective corporate
identity.
Even very simple colour combinations or the shape of a logo can become
associated with particular products or brands.
For example, blue and orange is often associated with Irn Bru and
the use of a tick symbol would suggest the brand Nike.
Colour has very powerful associations, and many popular products
are successful because of their use of colour.
Colours create different feelings, and this is used to a great extent in food and
drink products.
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SETTING A DESIGN BRIEF
There is another very famous
brand that uses these two
contrasting colours (blue and
orange) on their tins.
The reason these contrasting or
complementary colours are used
is because when the tin is
opened, the blue in the label
makes the orange colour of the
product stand out even more.
See these products at:
http://www.heinz.co.uk/ourfood/
beans.
http://www.irn-bru.co.uk/.
Fionnar, a natural spring water supplier in the North of Scotland , supplies
water coolers and Fionnar natural spring water to offices, homes, schools,
hospitals and work sites. They have made best use of their location near Loch
Ness to create a strong corporate identity and market their product. Here are
two examples of how they have used graphic design to appeal to two different
target audiences.
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SETTING A DESIGN BRIEF
The graphic designer has cleverly used ‘Nessie’ to tempt younger children to
drink water. Which other market is the design a imed at? Think about the
locality.
Communicating with the Target Audience
Sometimes an organisation will use a variety of different methods of
communicating with their target audience.
There are many different places and ways to advertise. For exam ple, this is a
template for advertising on the side of a bus:
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SETTING A DESIGN BRIEF
In the background of the photograph below, you can see an example of a
billboard campaign:
Here are some other examples of posters from the same campaign .
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SETTING A DESIGN BRIEF
Homework Task for Design Considerations
 Take note of the variety of examples of graphic design we encounter in
everyday life. For example, packaging design, posters, advertising
campaigns, CD covers, Book jackets etc.
 Collect some good examples of graphic design related to the area you have
chosen for your design brief.
 Choose one of your examples and analyse the following:







Method of production
Target Audience
Use of Colour
Use of Shape
Use of Typography
Layout
Scale
 Give your opinion of how successful you think your chosen piece of
graphic design is.
 Where did you spot this design? Was it in a suitable location to attract
the attention of its target audience?
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SETTING A DESIGN BRIEF
Setting a design brief
To begin the unit learners should be given an overview of what graphic
design is. The materials in this resource centre mainly on posters and provide
a snapshot of information which the practitioner can build on and investigate
as appropriate for their own learners. You may decide to ask learners to
investigate the genre of graphic design and its historical development as a
starting point/introduction to their portfolio. Equally, this can be done with a
specific designer or style if that is your intended theme for your learners.
What is graphic design?
Graphic design is a method of visual communication, usually incorporating
combination of image and text to convey a message, advertise or sell a
product. I piece of graphic design can be created by a variety of means, such
as photography, illustration, photomontage and comp uter aided design.
Graphic Design was traditionally known as ‘Design for print’ and referred to
posters, packaging, brochures etc. Advances in technology means that graphic
design also encompasses a broad range of electronic media such as web
design and interactive media.
Historical graphic design: posters
Whilst ‘old–fashioned’ poster designs may not appear to have much relevance
to today’s multimedia world, it is important to know about the background
and history of poster design. An informative website on the history of the
poster is http://www.designhistory.org/posters.html.
Shown below are examples of contemporary posters for the movie ‘Black
Swan’, which take inspiration from work produced during the Art Deco
period. There are a number of websites providing information on Art Deco,
including http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/a/art -deco/.
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SETTING A DESIGN BRIEF
The Black Swan posters were designed by the design company La Boca
(http://www.laboca.co.uk/LB3site/portfolio_BlackSwan.html ). This
company’s portfolio is well worth looking at for potential avenues of
development ranging from posters, CD covers and book jackets to magazine
illustrations.
Contemporary graphic design
Today graphic designers use technology and media to work with businesses,
providing them with corporate identities using various branding, advertising
and marketing tools.
Useful websites for contemporary graphic designers as well as information on
graphic design practice and its historical development are:
http://www.designishistory.com/
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk
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THE DESIGN BRIEF
The design brief
The following information can be as a starting point for you to develop your
own information sheet for your learners. You may already have some
examples of a good, clear, concise brief that for your learners to mode l their
own brief on.
Activity
What is a design brief?
It is a statement of intent.
What do you intend to design?
Think about the following questions:
 Who is the design for?
 What is it for?
 Where will it be used?
 When will it be used?
 Why will it be used?
 How will it be used?
Look at existing products within your chosen area of graphic design. (eg.
Packaging, posters, CD Cover, Book jacket etc)
Look at examples of good practice from selected designers working in this
area.
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THE DESIGN BRIEF
Search the internet, look at books, magazines and your surrounding
environment for good examples of your area of graphic design. .
Brainstorm your ideas, and use diagrams or images to record your thoughts
visually.
Write down key words or phrases.
The design brief should be clearly outlined and the main points arising from
the brief should be highlighted.
Working through this process will help you refine and construct your design
brief.
Consideration will have to be given to the following points:
Target audience
Awareness of the group to be targeted by the design solution will influence
consideration of the process and solution. A description should be provided,
eg 16–25-year-old females with an interest in dance music. During
investigation and development, consideration may also be given to where,
when and how the target audience will interact with the design.
Use a spider diagram to consider the following issues:
GENDER
MARKET
Graphic
Design
Product
WHERE
AGE GROUP
HOW
WHEN
Design requirements
The essential requirements should be identified from the brief and specified
in order of importance. These will derive from the intended function and
purpose of the anticipated solution. They will form the keystone of future
design evaluation.
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THE DESIGN BRIEF
Design constraints
Any limitations or constraints outlined in the brief should be specified. These
may include limitations of materials, simulated development costs,
process(es), formats etc. Inclusion of constraints mirrors genuine design
situations.
In other words the type of design you are doing will dictate your constraints.
Don’t have too many constraints as this will limit the number of ideas you
can produce. On the other hand, don’t have too few as this will make the
researching process more difficult.
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POSSIBLE THEMES/STYLES/SUBJECT MATTER
Possible themes/styles/subject matter
1.
Design a poster for a music
festival/event
 Explore existing examples of festival/music related posters.
 Investigate historical styles, eg psychedelia.
http://www.myraltis.co.uk/rickgriffin/index.htm
http://gds.parkland.edu/gds/!lectures/history/19
60/psychedelia.html
2.
Design a dust cover for a book of your choice
 Explore existing book cover designs.
 Investigate visual characteristics associated with different genres of book .
http://www.bookcoverarchive.com
http://www.spiffingcovers.com
3.
Design packaging for a product of your choice
Explore existing packaging designs.
http://www.designcouncil.org.uk
 Consider real packaging examples as a starting point.
There are many other possibilities for a theme and the information set out
above could be used as a starting point for a class discuss ion in order to
generate other ideas. Thinking of past, current or upcoming events, such as
the London 2012 Olympics or The 2014 World Cup, can be great starting
points for learners as they are topical and relevant.
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POSSIBLE THEMES/STYLES/SUBJECT MATTER
http://shop.london2012.com/Olympic -posters/for-the-home-posters-andprints,default,sc.html
Here is a link to past examples of FIFA World Cup poster campaigns.
http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/archive/photogallery/gallery=769091.html#10
66407
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DEVELOPING IDEAS
Developing ideas
The following methodology is a suggestion only and provides stimulus for
individual development, as there are many ways to tackle a design brief.
Learners should be encouraged to plan ahead and consider what issues
pertaining to their individual brief need to be addressed. A clear sense of
their brief and its constraints is needed at the development stage.
Practitioners should ensure learners are aware of their audience, where the
design is to be used and what format it is to take. The following information
provides a broad, general overview of how to develop ideas.
Layout/composition
The consideration of layout will be ongoing throughout the development
stage. When thinking about layout, encourage learners to explore viewpoint,
scale, background, use of perspective and the interaction of the image with
any text. Layering images, and using backgrounds and texture can add depth
to a design. The opportunity should be taken to look at use of layout in the
work of various graphic designers.
Colour
Links to existing graphic designs would be a good starting point to use for
learners to explore colour combinations. This would also enable some critical
analysis to be incorporated with the work. Use of compl ementary colours and
harmonious colour schemes as well as experimenting with black and white
imagery can be useful beginnings for the deve lopment of colour.
Materials and techniques
Practitioners are only bound by their own imagination , and of course
resources, when considering the development of ideas through materials and
techniques. Again, reference to relevant and appropriate designer s and styles
offers critical links, which also inform learners in their practical work. Use of
Photoshop, photomontage, collage, printing, photography, drawing and
painting can all be explored and experimented with.
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DEVELOPING IDEAS
Typography
There are a vast number of font styles available and learners should analyse
how text is used in existing pieces of graphic design to aid them in their
development of this. Using different styles and sizes of text to communicate
and engage with the target audience is vital. Practitioners should refer
learners back to their brief to ensure they are clear about the purpose of their
piece of design.
The following is a useful website for fonts:
www.dafont.com
Refining ideas
It is important to build in time to reflect on ideas to allow learners to consider
them and if indeed they meet the requirements of the design brief.
Practitioners should ensure that learners do not move too far forward in the
design process before a period of evaluation and r eflection has taken place.
There should be evidence of refinement within the development of ideas.
Sketchbooks
Consideration should be given to the use of sketchbooks when researching
and developing ideas.
Sketchbooks come in all different forms and ar e central to any artist’s or
designer’s work. Sketchbooks are a collection, a workbook and a visual diary
of ideas, thoughts, inspiration and designs. They can be quite elaborate or
very basic. What matters is that artists and designer s can plan and keep track
of ideas. Sketchbooks are informative, personal and a privilege to look at.
They allow learners to see the progress they are making, whether in
expressive work or design work.
Some useful sites are:
http://sketchbooks.org/
http://www.squidoo.com/sketch-book
http://www.accessart.org.uk/
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DEVELOPING IDEAS
Here are some examples of a sketchbook belonging to a senior learner.
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UNDERSTANDING THE FACTORS INFLUENCING DESIGNERS AND DESIGN
PRACTICE
Understanding the factors influencing designers
and design practice
Reference has been made throughout this document to designers ’ work and
how to integrate it with learner’s practical work. The value of this critical
work and how it can support, inform and deepen youngsters understanding
and appreciation of designer’s working practices is not to be underestimated.
Learners should be encouraged to reflect on how others approach their
design work and develop their ideas. Considering and analysing dif ferent
examples of design with some shared similarities would help learners
develop their thinking skills. These shared similarities could be, for
example, where the designers have used the same media or materials in
different ways…
It would also be beneficial to look at examples of designers who have taken a
similar theme or subject matter, but handled it in very different ways.
Learners should be reminded that designers have many external influences,
including political and social factors, prevailing fa shions, developing
movements and technological advances.
The support notes advise that:
Practitioners could use this as an opportunity to contextualise and help
learners understand how contemporary factors are influencing and may
influence designers in the future.
The final section of this document provides information on how to tackle the
critical analysis of a piece of design. These approaches are by no means
exhaustive and learners should be encouraged to think of their own questions
and methods of analysis.
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DESIGN ANALYSIS OF POSTERS
Design analysis of posters
Cassandre’s Nord Express is used as an example for design analysis.
Title of poster:
Designer:
Date produced:
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DESIGN ANALYSIS OF POSTERS
Describe the movement/style of this poster.
What particular influences can be seen in this design?
Describe the subject of this poster.
Comment on the layout of this poster.
What is the purpose of the poster?
How does the style of this poster contribute to its success?
Research the style of fonts used in this poster.
How well do the fonts complement / integrate into the overall design?
Analyse the visual elements used in this poster.
Who do you think the target audience is for the poster?
How does the poster illustrate the typical characteristics of this designer?
What creative processes were used to produce this poster?
Where might you expect to find this poster displayed?
How successful do you think this poster is?
Justify your answer.
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DESIGN ANALYSIS OF POSTERS
Another way of analysing a poster, which is particularly good for revision
purposes, is to sketch your chosen poster and look for ten points that you can
make about the design.
Use arrows on the poster to help you visualise the image.
Here is an example. This is a contemporary poster designed for the movie
‘Black Swan’. It has been designed by a design agency called LaBoca.
http://www.laboca.co.uk/LB3site/portfolio.BlackSwan.html
Date produced:
Designer:
Title of poster:
Subject:
Movement or
Influences:
Layout:
Purpose:
Style fonts:
Visual elements:
Target audience:
Production Methods:
This poster is one of a series:
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Success:
DESIGN ANALYSIS OF POSTERS
Learners could look for 2 contemporary graphic designes as a home learning
exercise.They can source these in any way they wish to. These can then be
used to inform their work at this stage
A useful method of analysing similarities and differences between designers
work can be to use a diagram like this one to note your observations:
Analysis of
first
designer’s
work
Similarities
between
the two
designers’
work
Analysis of
second
designer’s
work
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LIST OF SUGGESTED MOVEMENTS AND DESIGNERS
List of suggested movements and designers
The following are examples of movements and designers that learners can use
to investigate styles and techniques.
Art Nouveau
Alfons Mucha
Mucha spent most of his working life in Paris. Initially interested in
becoming a painter, a chance encounter led him to design a poster for the
famous actress of the time Sarah Bernhardt. The poster and Mucha’s
particular ornate style became an instant success and his career was destined
to take a different path. His style was so distinctive and original that it was
called the ‘Mucha style’. Later, however, it became known as simply Art
Nouveau.
www.muchafoundation.org/
William H Bradley
The graphic designer William H. Bradley was born in Boston, Massachusetts.
He is also regarded as an accomplished illustrator and typographer. He is
associated with the Art Nouveau movement as his work displays many of the
characteristics of the style while borrowing elements from the Arts and Crafts
movement as well as Japanese block printing.
www.willbradley.com/
Henri de Toulouse Lautrec
The artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec known for capturing scenes around the
Montmartre area of Paris also worked as an illustrator and printmaker. This
led to a commission to design a series of posters for the famous Moulin
Rouge nightclub and other venues. His skill as an artist and draughtsman
enabled Lautrec to successfully capture the characters, atmosphere and
excitement surrounding the clubs in his graphic work, resulting in powerful
posters that caught the imagination of the public.
http://www.lautrec.info/
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LIST OF SUGGESTED MOVEMENTS AND DESIGNERS
Art Deco
A M Cassandre
Adolphe Mouron Cassandre was a highly influential commercial poster
designer. Influences in his work are wide ranging including; Cubism,
Futurism and Surrealism. His distinctive style and rich, soph isticated imagery
earned him an international reputation and wide client base.
www.cassandre.fr/
Edward McKnight Kauffer
Edward McKnight Kauffer was an influential American designer. He studied
in Paris before moving to London at the beginning of World War I. He is best
remembered for the 140 posters he produced for the London Underground
which demonstrated a wide range of influences and styles including:
Futurism, Cubism and Vorticism which resulted in often abstract imagery.
www.rennart.co.uk/kauffer.html
Tom Purvis
The British designer Tom Purvis is primarily associated with the work he
completed for the LNER railway. Strong bold, flat blocks of colour
characterise his work. He frequently eliminated all detail in favour of strong silhouetted shapes and carefully balanced compositions.
Dada/Photomontage
John Heartfield
In 1918 Heartfield began working in the Berlin Dada scene and for the
Communist Party of Germany. A meeting with the playwright Bertolt Brecht,
had a profound influence on his work, Heartfield developed photomontage
into a form of political and artistic representation using it to successfully
subvert Nazi symbolism.
http://www.johnheartfield.com/john_heartfield_PHOTOMONTEUR_BIOGR
APHY.html
Photomontage
Herbert Matter
Herbert Matter was born in 1907 in the Swiss mountain village of Engelberg.
He is as a photographer and graphic designer known for his pioneering use of
photomontage in commercial art. The designer’s experimental work helped
shape the vocabulary of 20th-century graphic design. He also worked
alongside A. M. Cassandre learning the subtleties of typog raphy. His travel
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LIST OF SUGGESTED MOVEMENTS AND DESIGNERS
posters for the Swiss Tourist Board won instant international acclaim for his
use of photomontage in combination with bold typography. Matter also won
acclaim for his technical skill as a photographer. Manipulating a negative,
retouching, cropping, enlarging and light drawing are some of the techniques
he used to achieve the fresh, enigmatic design style he was associated with.
http://www.aiga.org/medalist-herbertmatter/
De Stijl
Piet Zwart
Zwart was a Dutch photographer and designer regarded as one of the pioneers
of modern typography. As a member of the de Stijl group he strove for an
ultimate simplicity, harmony and order in his work. His work can be
recognised by its use primary colors, geometrical shapes, repeated word
patterns and an early use of photomontage.
http://www.iconofgraphics.com/Piet -Zwart/
Russian Constructivism
The Stenberg Brothers
Georgii and Vladimir Stenberg were born in Russia and began their career as
sculptors. It is for their graphic work, however, that they are best
remembered, in particular their movie posters. Using images that had been
created by others, the brothers assembled graphic works from photographs
and preprinted paper. They became known for there distorted perspectives,
exaggerated scaling and photo-montaged assembled images. Their posters
displayed a sense of movement and combined with strong dynamic
typography they produced very powerful image.
http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1997/sternbergbrothers/
Alexander Rodchenko
Rodchenko was one of the most versatile of the Constructivist artist s to
emerge after the Russian Revolution combining photomontage and
photography. He often shot his subjects from odd angles —usually high above
or below—in order to challenge the viewer. His posters eliminated
unnecessary detail, and emphasised dynamic diag onal compositions.
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Modernism
Abram Games
Games’ career spanned over six decades and can be read as a social history of
Britain throughout the period. Some of Britain’s most iconic images were
designed by Games, from propaganda posters to his work for l arge
corporations like Shell and British Airways. He had a talent for conveying
complex ideas and messages through clever, witty and deceptively simple
means. His interest in Surrealism and gentle humour can be seen in many of
his poster designs.
www.abramgames.com/bb.htm
Psychedelic
Wes Wilson
Wilson’s interest in Eastern religion and philosophy can been seen in his
psychedelic designs from the 1960s. Self-taught as a designer his work was
adopted by the emerging counter culture of the era. Most of his designs are
for the American west coast music scene and frequently use the female figure
with a heavy influence of Art Nouveau.
http://www.wes-wilson.com/
Victor Moscoso
Victor Moscoso was born in Spain but grew up in New York. Colour theory
was important to Moscoso and his experimentation and innovative optical
effects gave his psychedelic posters a unique ‘vibrative’ quality. Alternating
saturated primary colours with distorted typography created the illusion of
movement and visually captured the essence of the era.
http://www.victormoscoso.com/
Punk and New Wave
Jamie Reid
Jamie Reid was born in England and is responsibl e for the cut-and-pasted
aesthetic of the Punk movement of the 1970’s and in particular the band the
Sex Pistols. His work, featuring letters cut from newspaper headlines in the
style of a ransom note, mixed with photomontaged found images. His work
broke many of the rules and epitomised the D.I.Y punk ethic with his work
often regarded by many in the industry as anti -design.
www.jamiereid.org/
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LIST OF SUGGESTED MOVEMENTS AND DESIGNERS
Malcolm Garrett
Garrett was born in England and studied typography at th e University of
Reading. He is mainly associated with record sleeve design in the 1980s for
artists such as Duran Duran and Peter Gabriel. He became one of the first to
convert to digital design in the early 1990s, embracing the opportunities and
control that technology offered.
http://www.malcolmgarrett.com/
Peter Saville
Saville was born and studied in Manchester and became part of the ‘Factory
Record’ scene in the 1980s, designing for artists such as Joy Divi sion and
New Order. Inspired by his contemporary Malcolm Garrett and the work of
Jan Tschichold, one of the most important typographers of the 20th century.
Although he still designs for the music industry, his portfolio expanded as the
generation that grew up with Factory Records opened up other markets.
http://designmuseum.org/design/peter-saville
Contemporary/Digital
Neville Brody
The British designer Neville Brody was heavily influenced by th e Punk
movement of the 1970s as well other historical movements including: Russian
Constructivism, the Psychedelic period and Pop art. He began his career in
the music business and style magazines of the 80s constantly pushing the
boundaries of what could be achieved through emerging technologies.
www.researchstudios.com/neville-brody/
Jonathan Barnbrook
Jonathan Barnbrook is a graphic designer and typographer interested in
exploring the relationship between typeface design and language.
Barnbrook’s work is heavily political and uses his design as a weapon for
social change.
www.barnbrook.net/archive/
Vaughan Oliver
Oliver is most noted for his work with graphic design studios ‘23 Envelope’
and ‘v23’. His work is mainly connected with the music industry in Britain.
His impact on the post-punk music industry was enormous mixing collage
and photography with delicate, elegant typefaces. His work is char acterised
by dense textural surfaces, built up by the superimposition of individual
images.
http://www.vaughanoliver.co.uk
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April Greiman
April Greiman is a contemporary designer, born 1948 in the New York. She is
recognized as one of the first designers to embrace computer technology as a
design tool, which she started in 1984. Using an Apple Macintosh computer,
she exploited pixelisation and digital errors and integrated them into the
design aesthetic. Considered the queen of techno-color, she combines every
visual and electronic medium and is one of the most daring and meaningfully
experimental graphic designers in the world.
http://aprilgreiman.com/
David Carson
The Texan designer David Carson is regarded as the ‘father of grunge’. He
developed his own signature style using ‘dirty type’ and non-mainstream
photography. Carson came to worldwide attention as art director of the style
magazine Ray Gun. His layouts were frequently composed of fractured
images and distorted type, which rendered it almost illegible.
www.davidcarsondesign.com/
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