MODERNISM PART 2 Communication design
Eric Nitche for Triga General Atomic,1958
The Designer has made use of simple geometric circles and
straight lines. The focal point is placed off-center in the
textured showerhead
All the lines seem to jut outwards from the off-center circle.
This circle is surrounded by a larger circle, and smaller circles
spiraling outwards, which creates a dynamic composition.
The negative spaces between the circles vary in tonal
values of grey, balanced by a brownish color in the middle
that overlaps the larger white circle.
This is a good example of the application of the Gestalt
principle of continuity as the poster appears to be cut from
a larger area into which the circles seem to continue to
radiate from. In the third row from the Centre, light seems to
filter through in curved lines of light grey. Diagonal lines
project out towards the corners ending in black circles.
The name Triga appears in white font at the top left corner.
At the bottom the same font appears in black in the
horizontal band.
The balance is asymmetrical as the focal point is off center
with more circles on the right.
There is minimal use of color: grey, black and white and a
touch of brownish/beige/ochre. Repetition of the same
elements has been used throughout the poster to create
harmony and balance.
Surface Design.
Marion Mahler, Printed Rayon 1950’s
“Bird and Bowl”
This textile print has bright colors typical of
the Modernist era. The idea was for
designers to create bright and colorful
fabrics to complement the simple, stark
interiors of Modernism. The dominant colors
in this textile are red with grey, dark yellow
and black.
All the shapes are flat, and 2dimensional.
Shapes of birds and containers have been
simplified into stylized line drawings done in
black and white. It reminds you of wire
products. The line drawing appears to add
texture to this textile.
The drawings have been placed on simple
flat geometric shapes of triangles, circles
and squares varying in size and in color
from white to grey to yellow. The lines have
the same thickness and quality throughout.
Horizontal lines in grey and black appear
here and there in the background.
Contrast is achieved by placing the
drawings on flat shapes of color.
The design is a scatter design in a full drop
repeat.
Product Design
Margret Craver- Contour Beverage Set, 1950
The new aesthetic of the 1950’s was based primarily
on ‘organic or biomorphic modernism’ such as the
amoeboid, boomerang and kidney shapes.
Margret Craver - from the Towle Silversmith Company,
responded to the above tendency with her beautiful
Contour Set, with its ‘swollen bodies’, raised handles
and drawn out spouts.
This set with its beautiful clean shapes is unadorned
and similar to the Bauhaus examples.
The shape of the jugs is slightly curved and they
appear to be leaning slightly forward.
The large jug sports a large, comfortable handle in
black, which creates a visual balance with the large
shape of the bold body of the jug.
The texture is smooth and the silver forms a contrast
with the dark handle.
Gentle curving lines are used in the curves of the rims
and handles.
This set personifies the Modernist ideal of aesthetics
and form follows function.
Environmental Design
The Farnsworth House designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe in 1951
This house is a good example of the Modernist ‘machine’ aesthetics. The supporting parts are repeated at regular intervals.
The raised floor makes the building appear as if it is floating above the soil. The house is built almost entirely from glass and
steel, also referred to as ‘skin and bone’ architecture
It is a rectangular structure with eight steel columns placed in two parallel rows. Between the columns there are two panels
framed in steel for the roof and the floor. On each side the roof and floor jut out past the columns.
Between the two floating panels is a glass-enclosed living space, which is a single room subdivided into sleeping space, living
room and kitchen.
The floor is of Italian sandstone. The rest of the structure is painted white. The steel frame was polished before it was painted
to create a smooth machine-like finish.
This house shows the purity of form that Mies van der Rohe was striving for. A lot of attention to detail went into this house. The
house personifies the Modernist idea that form follows function.
Disadvantages and Advantages of style:
Because of the material usage and stylistic
structures, it was too expensive to heat the
buildings in winter and cool them in summer.
The constructions were also a health hazard
as materials were inadequately tested before
usage. The buildings had no specific façade
and were too rigid and regular in appearance
with little aesthetic appeal to the general
public. Overall it was a social and cultural
failure, as the cities resembled a ‘concrete
jungle’ in which the citizens felt isolated.
The designers were inventors who gave us the
opportunity to reap the benefits of their
genius. They brought in new techniques,
methods, and materials technology that
changed the world forever. In spite of the
disadvantages, it changed the way people
looked at design and product development.
This does make it easier to improve on further
development and set the pace for new
inventions. In creating better designs, we
need to know about and learn from past
designs and mistakes. This is one of the reasons
why the knowledge of design history is so
valuable if you want to become a great
designer.
Isamu Noguchi- American sculptor, landscape architecture,
furniture designer
Isamu
Noguchi's
My Mu
vase, 1950.
Isamu
Designers
Noguchi
Prototype
Chair 1946 .
George Nelson: American industrial designer, architect,
author, teacher.
George Nelson Coconut Chair for Herman
Miller. 1955. The contours of George
Nelson's Coconut chair invite you to
surround yourself in comfort.
Designers
Designers
Marion Mahler Austrian Textile Designer
Designers
Lucienne Day
British Textile designer
Designers
Eero Saarinen- Scandinavian
born American furniture
designer and architect
Designers
Mies van der Rohe. Architectural Forum
Jan 1950,
German born American Architect- one
of pioneers of Modern architecture
Known as La Cité Radieuse,
was designed by notable
Swiss-French architect
Charles-Edouard Jeanneret
Le Corbusier and
inaugurated on October
14th 1952
Swiss born French architect-
one of pioneers of Modern
architecture
Designers
