Photography: Construction or Composition?

Okay, so I'm on a photography kick this week, what can I say?
Although I think the more familiar and widely used term is composition, I couldn't help but notice the presence of characteristically bold, geometr elements in these black and white photographs:

Photograph by Damian Riehl

Both the Russian constructivist and the De Stijl movement explored abstraction with a distinct emphasis on geometric shapes and patterns, despite the fact that the intention behind these works was quite contradictory. This opposition can be attributed to Russian constructivism's association with propaganda and the needs of the state while the De Stijl movement was produced as a result of the desire to alleviate or counteract the chaotic effects of war.

Transfixed by Billy Barraclough

The London Underground

Harry (also referred to as Henry) Beck and Edward Johnston: both of these men have worked on graphics for the London Underground. Harry Beck was the designer of the map for the Underground, and Edward Johnston was hired by Frank Pick to create a typeface and symbol for the transportation system.

London Transportation Logos

This was one of the original maps of the Underground from 1933:

Harry Beck's design for the London Underground Map in 1933.

And this is a much more recent and modern interpretation of the London Underground system as of this year, 2011:

Chromaroma from Mudlark on Vimeo.

Futurism and Photography

Artists in the Futurist movement were fascinated by the expression of concepts such as continuous movement, simultaneity, speed and energy. They also attempted to express motion, energy, and cinematic sequence in their work, such as in Giacomo Balla's painting titled Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash (Meggs 255).

Giacomo Balla's Dynamism of a Dog
on a Leash was painted in 1912.

The year 1912 is also around the same time Francis Bruguiere began experimenting with multiple exposures in photography. Advances in photography provided another way for artists to capture or represent dynamic movement in space through a two-dimensional medium.

Shadow Knows by vishstudio

O by David

Design Travels Far

ou know that phrase, the one that is all about location? Well, when I went to Garth Walker's artist talk on Wednesday, March 2, it was clear that his designs were very evidently based in Durban, South America. His location is especially important since one of the most prominent themes he explores through his designs is identity, which is very closely interrelated to a person's sense of place: "What makes me African – and what does that look like?" 

View more of Garth Walker's work here:

• Garth Walker's Design Studio, Mister Walker Design
• The Confessions of a Design Thief exhibition at St. John's University's Dr. M. T. Geoffrey Yeh Art Gallery
• Design Indaba Magazine's "Graphic Revelations" article and online gallery

P.S. Thanks again to Jessica Hische for her Daily Drop Cap!

Circular Logic

Wow, talking about typography has made me realize how mistaken I was about graphic design when I started this blog. Typography is one of the most straight forward methods of visual communication, so I've been looking at various designers' typefaces.

Albrecht Dürer's studies in the formation of capitals influenced how letters are constructed in typefaces today, and this focus on geometric proportions can be seen in Herbert Bayer's sans-serif Bauhaus typeface called Universal, designed in 1925.

Universal, a typeface focusing on lowercase letters made of circles and lines.

Here is another variation of Herbert Bayer's Universal typeface:

Harry Potter and The Order of the Bauhaus

See the symbol using a triangle and square inside a circle?

Staatliches Bauhaus Weimar 1919-1923, 
László Moholy-Nagy (American, born Hungary. 1895-1946)

Shapes and primary colors. The combination of form and function. These were the primary tenets of the Bauhaus  art period. This idea to unify aesthetics or decoration with practicality originated in the Arts and Crafts Movement, and while nineteenth century artists did consider the function of an object, it seems they still placed more value on the beauty of an object's appearance. Literally meaning "building house," the basics of Bauhaus reminded me of the time when houses were made out of construction paper squares and triangles, instead of wood and insulation. That's not to say that it is a juvenile art style, though; many refer to it as one of the greatest influences in the development of modernist art and modern design. The Bauhaus' emphasis on shapes also reminded me of this symbol from the Harry Potter books, known as the Deathly Hallows.

Linotype: It's Pronounced "Line-o-Type"

Johann Gutenberg succeeded in mechanizing handwriting with his invention of the press and adaptation of metal movable type, but there were still many steps that involved manual preparation of the press itself. In 1886, Ottmar Mergenthaler automated one of the most time-consuming stages of the printing process: type setting. Rather than casting and setting type one at a time, Mergenthaler's Linotype machine produced a full line of type. Here's a video I found on Vimeo about the Linotype machine:




"Linotype: The Film" is a documentary about Ottmar Mergenthaler's amazing Linotype typecasting machine and the people who own and love these machines today.

Director & Editor: Douglas Wilson
Director of Photography: Brandon Goodwin
Audio & Sound Design: Jess Heugel
Music: Cornbelt Chorus "Drunk Hymn & Interlude"