OUGD401 | STUDY TASK 2 | MODERNISM & POSTMODERNISM

In this session the differences and overlaps between modernism and postmodernism were discussed. 

Modernism:

• Rejection of ornament (anti-decorative).
• Form follows function - purpose comes before the appearance.
• Swiss designs.
• Uses a grid.
• Features Helvetica/Aksidenz Grotesk.
• No illustrations.
• Flush left, ragged right.
• Universal, purely functional.

Postmodernism:

• Exhaustion.
• Pluralism.
• Disillusionment with the idea of absolute knowledge.
• Modern life.
• Technology, new materials.
• Communication - overlaps with modernity.

We also went through some designers for each of these categories and watched a few clips of them talking about their work in regards to modernism/postmodernity.

This is a piece of design by Carlo Vivarelli which clearly demonstrates modernist principles. Firstly, notice how minimal this piece is, there is no element existing purely for decoration, it is purely functional type. The purpose of this design is prioritised before its appearance. Vivarelli's design features Akzidenz-Grotesk, a font similar to Helvetica which is predominantly used in Swiss-style graphic design. You can clearly see the grid system exercised in this piece of design, with a flushed left and ragged right, a feature commonly included in modernism. There are also no illustrations included here.

And here is an example of a postmodern design by David Carson. There is such a distinctive difference between postmodernism and modernism that you can see immediately. Rather than function being the main goal, postmodernist design is decorative and experimental. Here, Carson used Zapf Dingbats instead of a legible font for this piece as he simply did not like the article on Bryan Ferry.

"Don't mistake legibility for communication"
- David Carson