I came across a very interesting website today whilst research for my dissertation, which generates 'Swiss Style' posters in a matter of seconds. The application is made by Ben DuVall and his brother, both American based designers/critics.
The site explores the nexus of art and technology, modernism and post-modernism in the era of desktop publishing. The Swiss poster can be considered the height of precision in graphic design. In many ways, the computer has eliminated the need for human precision by reducing information down to bytes and pixels.
The aim of the site is to generate simple posters which burrow from the International Swiss Style, a movement intrinsically linked with Modernism. Mid-20th century Swiss posters are revered for their clean and modern composition and typography, qualities which seem to be less prevalent in contemporary design culture. The template for the app was based on posters by Swiss designer Josef Müller-Brockmann, such as the one below:
I generated a number of designs through the app and compiled them into GIFs to demonstrate the lack of thought/effort required in making a design which efficiently communicates a message.
What I find entertaining about this website is how it has taken a movement which took years to manifest and establish itself within the global design community, and reduced it to its absolute bare components, subsequently turning it into an accessible tool for anyone to use. Modernist graphic design has many different principles, however, this website restricts it to just two: use of Helvetica (timeless sans serif font) and an area with minimalist geometric shapes filled with flat colours.
This website is a critical piece of work, as it is asking a number of questions concerning the importance of modernism and its relevance to contemporary graphic design practice. Really intriguing stuff.
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