Examining Modern Printing Styles

¶ … International Typographic Style The objectives of the International Typographic Style movement were varied. Predominantly, the aim of this movement was to present information as clearly as possible. In this respect there was a definite social purpose to the movement, which strove to utilize the designer as "an objective conduit for spreading information between components of society" (A History of Graphic Design). Thus, the design strategy emphasized clarity and contrasts. Visual Characteristics: The visual characteristics of International Typographic Style are multiple.

There is a strong reliance on geometric shapes for the foundation of the print, which typically are imbued with lettering that is asymmetrical. Both the design of the wording and the art that accompanies the print (which is usually a photograph) are as clear as possible and objective. Sans-Seriff typography is often used. c. Observation: The primary way which I observe International Typographic Style in present day visual communication is in advertisements for films.

Specifically, these advertisements are found on the cover of DVDs, which are sometimes the same cover for a film that appears on billboards. I also see this particular trend used for advertisements for plays -- again, either on billboards or on the play's pamphlet. i. Trends: The two examples from contemporary works that I have found that adhere to International Typographic Style include the original poster for the early 1980's cult classic movie Scarface, as well as a bottle of Shout (liquid stain remover for laundry) that I have.

The two examples from the original movement include Max Huber's poster for automobile races and Armin Hoffman's poster for the Basel theater production of Gisselle (CSUN, 2015). Ii Similarities: Interestingly enough, the Scarface movie poster I have seen seems to resemble Hoffman's poster, while the bottle of Shout resembles Huber's poster. There is a predominance of dark colors and bright white in the former with a simplicity of words to emphasize the stark imagery, while the latter both have similar light colors and circular motions in their imagery. iii.

Differences: The difference between the two movie posters is actually very subtle, and mostly pertains to the different works of drama they are promoting. Both the lettering and the imagery in Hofmann's work is more prominent than in its counterpart. The difference between the Shout bottle and the other poster is that the colors are brighter and more demanding of attention in the former. d. Different styles and layouts communicate a couple of different things.

For instance, the brighter colors (such as on the Shout bottle) certainly make people take notice of a layout more. This same effect is achieved with slightly less efficacy when contrasting light and dark colors. The busy motion of some of the layouts can possibly seem overwhelming to some people, although it may initially attract their interests. i. Positive Elements: The positive elements of the styles and layouts considered in these examples are that they are efficacious for advertising.

Their usage of contrast and colorization definitely helps to make these prints stand out from the miasma of advertising that typically confronts people. These facets of their style and layout are advantageous for conveying information to people. ii. Negative Elements: The Hofmann and Scarface poster each have elements that might be offensive to some people. Hofmann's work depicts a woman with minimal or perhaps no clothing. Although her features are difficult to.