Sarah Al-Emadi: Postmodernism in Graphic Communication

At the end of the twentieth century, art went through rapid modernizing transformation, where as the movement of postmodernism started to emerge, which is a movement in opposition to the modern style, given that it captures distinctive features and characteristics in regards to previous artistic movements. The stylistic features of postmodernism “include mixing diverse type sizes and weights, overprinting cluttered pages, deliberate ”mistakes”, unpredictable historicist references and blurred photographs” (Eskilson, 2007, p.336). Postmodernism “resists the sense of modernism” (Appignanesi, Garrat, Sardar, Curry, 2004, 4). It encompasses no specific approach to which the artist must follow. It implies a more freedom of choice. It is also considered the breakdown in which the imagination can be used to express some inner thoughts and feeling and make it visible without having any boundaries or restrictions. However, in regards to the stylistic features, "postmodernism movement opposed modernism rules" (Barnyard, 2005, 147). Meaning that, " if modernism sought to create a better world, postmodernism appears to accept the world as it is"(Poynor, 2003, p.11).

However, back in the mid 1970s, the “I love NY” logo was launched by Milton Glaser to promote an advertising campaign to attract tourism to New York City. Given its extreme simplicity, it left a huge impact on the American society at that particular time. The concept of the logo design was to use a rebus as an abbreviated form of transmitting “pictures or objects that viewers interpret as sounds and words” (Eskilson, 2007, p.346). With the new logo, a huge achievement was made in the history of modern graphic design. It, nevertheless, introduced a new theory of which designers are still inspired to. After this breakthrough, designers use the language of signs and codes as a method of transmitting a message to the public, rather than the old, straightforward technique which did not include anything different or special.

Milton Glaser, I "Love" NY", 1975

As part of postmodernism, a new serious of typefaces started to emerge to replace the old, traditional seriffed ones. As an example, the typeface Avant-Guard Gothic became notably accepted and admired in the 1970’s, where Herb Lubalin was asked to introduce a new san serif font for the logo of a given magazine. “The resulting logo featured evenly weighted capital letters, with an innovative flair created by the sharply angled stems of the “A” and the “v” (Eskilson, 2007, p.349).

Herb Lubalin, Avant-Gard Gothic, 1967

Another astonishing achievement in magazine design was the work of Neville Brody. The handmade cover of the last testament, illustrate his individual approach to design. He was well known for creating handcrafted elements, whether printed or carved. He implemented the technique of rebus by introducing the hand figure, which he used as a symbol to situate the termination of the music scene. As it is seen, “the irregularly shaped images of hand and fish are in stark contrast to the strong geometric grid formed by the type” (Eskilson, 2007, p.359).

Neville Brody, The Last Testament, 1983

Therefore in conclusion, postmodernism simplified the art of graphic design in terms of shapes. It emphasizes mainly on grasping a strong, concrete concept to make art more creative in style.

Additional examples on postmodernism:
The following show some examples of post modern graphic design in relation to the typefaces used, colors, simplicity and choice of freedom.