Post-modernist Graphic Design

What is Post-Modernist Graphic Design?

To begin with, here are some qualities of post-modernist graphic design:

Central features summarised by Thomas & Walsh
*Globalisation
*A post-industrial world of consumption and communication
*The challenging of cultural values and difference - (old social/cultural identities have lost their values, semiotics are not applied, things just exist without judgement)
Other features
*The meaning of a piece has to be made by the reader, and each reader will find a different meaning, as designs are visually ambiguous (deconstruction of meaning)
*Ignoring the rules of graphic design, there are no rules
*Past styles/images/type from art and design history are 'borrowed' and used again at graphic designs convenience, as everything has been done before (exhaustion of styles)
*The end of original art - things are reproducible, mass production has replaced hand made
*A jokey, fun, light-hearted attitude has replaced the seriousness
*Eclectic mix of styles
*Complexity and chaos in designs

There appear to be some qualities of post-modernism that are shared with the qualities of modernism, however, on the other hand, post-modernism is the complete opposite of some of the associations given to modernism. Post-modernism provides negative/sarcastic responses to the characteristics of modernism which are seen as being bad.

It is difficult to conclude exactly what post-modernist graphic design is, as everything is so vague, but here are five examples:

Memphis Group (1981) - New International Style

http://www1.yoox.com/item.asp/YOOX/ELECTA/dept/accessorieswomen/tskay/3FD17CD7/rr/1/cod10/56000736FV/sts/sr_accessorieswomen80

The Memphis Group are an influential group of post-modernist designers, known for their brightly shocking furniture designs in a variety of interesting shapes. This book cover announces the new post-modern style. Their work is light-hearted, and their fun approach can be seen on this cover, that features a miss-match of many different shapes, such as with their furniture. There appears to be a structure with this design, but then there are certain aspects that break the rules, such as the red text placed off-centre, and the pattern on the left which is not aligned as the other shapes/patterns are. While the colour is simple, with the use of shapes there is a lot going on in this design, and, like with the Memphis group's furniture designs, it challenges the boring designs that are out there.

John Weber (1984) - Flyer

http://gds.parkland.edu/gds/!lectures/history/1975/postmodern.html

This flyer by John Weber relates to the post-modernist theory that everything has been done before, by using the shapes and colours which were used in the designs of the constructivist movement. However, the font used is quite different to the style of typography using in constructivist graphic design, showing a mix of styles. The design ignores the rules of grid and layout, with things placed diagonally, making the text harder to read, as everything is a bit chaotic. The use of only two colours against a lot of negative space should make this image look neat and simple, but instead, there is a complexity to the design. It is quite hard to understand what this flyer is actually about, leaving the viewer to find their own meaning.

Seymour Chwast (published 2004) - A Quarter Century of Innovative Design and Illustration

http://www.designishistory.com/1960/seymour-chwast

Again, this book cover shows how post-modernist graphic designers can bring up old styles and re-use them for light-hearted, interesting, but not original, designs. This illustration has been created in the style of pop art designs, which were considered at the time to be jokey, and there is definitely humour intended in this image of a hen wearing a tux. The fonts used are also based on past styles of typography, a style different to what was used in pop art designs, showing an eclectic mix, which ignores the rules of things having to work together for a particular meaning.

Wolfgang Weingart (1980-91) - Didacta Eurodidac

http://www.moma.org/collection/browse_results.php?criteria=O%3AAD%3AE%3A6289&page_number=8&template_id=1&sort_order=1

This is quite a busy, complex piece, but it doesn't look too over crowded due to the limited colour scheme, and the use of only one font. The heavy use of lines does seem to give this piece a grid, but at the same time, the rules have been broken, with little negative space and the overlaying of a miss-match of different sized images, this piece ends up quite chaotic.  

April Greiman (1986) - Does it make sense?

http://www.idsgn.org/posts/design-discussions-april-greiman-on-technology/

This is another busy piece, containing many different layers of a mix of different styles of images and type, which seem to be quite randomly placed, making a chaotic piece, that does not appear to follow a grid. It breaks the rules of graphic design, meaning that what is being communicated isn't completely clear, so the viewer has to make their own mind up. The type is quite small in contrast to the images, and some text is even reversed, making it even harder to read. Also, some images are upside down. The randomness of an image of an upside down dinosaur placed on top of the body of a naked woman gives this design humour, and while it is confusing and ambiguous, it does seem fun and light-hearted.

Extra Reading

Janviere, J (2009) A Brief History of 20th Century Graphic Design,
http://www.slideshare.net/JenniferJanviere/a-brief-history-of-20th-century-graphic-design

Parkland College Graphic Design (2010) Post Modernism,
http://gds.parkland.edu/gds/!lectures/history/1975/postmodern.html

Barnard, M. (2005), Graphic Design as Communication, 1^st edn, Oxon: Routledge


Appignanesi, R and Garratt, C. (1999), Introducing Postmodernism, 2nd edn, Australia: Allen & Unwin Pty. Ltd