Modernism

Todays lecture was on WorldWar II and the movement that derived from this. Modernism was a response to the results and terrors of the war and what it left behind. Modernism applied to all creative outlets including music, art, design and many more. Modernists believed that they could design a better life for themselves in all aspects.

What is it, how to use it ?

  • Reject traditional forms and decorative elements
  • Seek a solution that is simple and direct
  • Use systematic methods rather than intuitive ones
  • Think about relationships in form and content

We learned how to use modernism in design;

  • Use primary colours
  • Use sans serif typefaces
  • Show contrast in typographical material
  • Use asymmetrical page layout
  • Use grid or clearly delineated page-organising method
  • Apply a planned visual hierarchy

I also remembered this from the lecture that stuck in my head – Form Follows Function

There were many artists and designers that were key people in modernism and have made huge impacts in the design world, that are still relevant today. We seen lots of examples of these artists throughout the lecture but these were the few that stood out to me.

Jan Tschichold 

Tschichold was a famous typographer, book designer and calligrapher who created the iconic ‘Penguin’ series books. He was also well known for his posters and claimed that he was the most influencial designer for typography in the 20th century. He worked closely with Paul Rudder (The designer of Futura Typeface), so he got to see first hand how a talented modernist worked and created typography.

        

His minimalistic posters and book covers with simple forms such as one circle and line reflect the characteristics of modernism, and his really worked well. They were simplistic yet sophisticated and his use of hierarchy in his type make them easy to read. When Tschichold wrote his book on ‘Die Neue Typographie’ he set forth rules for standardisation of practices relating to modern type usage. His style and knowledge on typefaces has had an ever-lasting effect on todays designers and people follow his rules to this day.

The lecture also focused on a range of Americans who played an important roll in modernism during this time:

Herb Lubalin

I liked Lubalin’s work because I was initially attracted to h is magazine covers and advertising work. He is an American graphic designer who worked with Ralph Ginzburg on three of Ginzburg’s magazines.

 

His work was cutting edge and told a story, his bold use of typography and positioning brings energy to the magazine spread. He stated in an interview ‘I’m terrible because I don’t follow the rules’. I feel like his designs communicates his ideas very well and bring his work to life. He created his first typeface called ‘Pistilli Roman’ in 1964.

He is also known for the many logos he designed. More famously for his culture-shocking ‘Avant Gard’ typeface, he was the designer and typographer behind its creation. He was forever pushing boundaries and at the late age of 59 stated that ‘ I am only finished my internship’, suggesting he was learning throughout his career everyday to become a better designer. Through further research I found that he was also a key figure in the American ‘creative revolution ‘ which went on to shape graphic design and advertising in the 1960’s.

Unlike Paul Rudder or Lester Beall, Lubalin rejected the ‘Swiss Style’, he was more passionate about Graphic Expressionism. I found this quote that he said in an interview he told IDEA magazine.

“Graphic Expressionism is my euphemism for the use of typography, or letterforms, not just as a mechanical means for setting words on a page, but rather as another creative way of expressing an idea, telling a story, amplifying the meaning of a word or a phrase, to elicit an emotional response from the viewer.”

This reflects perfectly how he feels about his work and how impactful the positioning and size of the typography is, furthermore all of these elements effects the viewer differently.

How has their work effected me?

Through all this research on artists these who felt passionately about modernism, who wanted to get away from traditional art and try new angles and techniques, has encouraged me to want to do the same. It has encouraged me to start to look at the most modern trends in art and design, in particular UI/UX design. So I started to search the internet to find the most relevant trends and findings that are new to the design industry today.

This is what I have found.

UI UX Design Trends 2020
Summary: 8 UI/UX design trends for 2020
  • 1 Animated Illustrations.
  • 2 Microinteractions.
  • 3 3D Graphics in web and mobile interfaces.
  • 4 Virtual Reality.
  • 5 Augmented Reality.
  • 6 Neumorphism.
  • 7 Asymmetrical Layouts.
  • 8 Storytelling.

I found some of the most popular trends that are exciting modern UI/UX users in the year 2020 and 2021 on a website post this year.

Animation:

Mobile app and website animation in UI design has become the most loved thing among users. Studies have shown that users of all ages and generations enjoy to watch engaging animations and interactions on screen. Some digital products use funny animated characters to help assist the user or gives them tips on how to use the product etc.

Dark mode:

Another trend that users are loving is ‘Dark mode’. Dark UI design is really popular this year and many brands are using the aesthetic in their web designs. The dark mode is considered as one of the best UX practices as it allows minimising the user eye fatigue and scrolling an application or website with heightened comfort for eyes. Black is a timeless colour, it is elegant and sophisticated and never goes out of style and UI design is no exception.

 

Neumorphism:

Neumorphism makes apps seem even more real than real. It mimics reality and brings clean interfaces to life by adding a physical element and material design to a flat UI paradigm. As a user of apps myself I can completely understand the appeal of this, quality makes all the difference for the user and my experience personally. Like dark mode, this trend focuses on the colour spectrum. Being just the reflection of real life, neumorphism turns mobile applications and web solutions into digital experiences that look like part of our aroundness.

Overall this research has opened my eyes to the modern trends and discoveries in UI design and has gotten me very excited to see what is next in this industry.

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