- The way we digest information as a culture
forces design to evolve.
In the Victorian era, when books were the primary modes
of communication, design was dense and relied on text.
In the 1920s, radio changed that,
and as we heard information in a more sequential way,
typography opened up and became more dynamic.
By the 1950s television and film
revolutionized our society dramatically.
And design responded.
Design evolved from a primarily
text-based solution in the 19th century,
where text and pattern were
the only elements for communication.
To solutions in the 1930s, that combined text and image,
using both the image and typography to tell the story.
And then by the 1950s, designers used
a singular image as the primary element.
The image however, wasn't simply a pretty picture.
It needed to communicate an idea and tell the entire story.
Symbols and metaphorical images
are strong ways to telegraph an idea.
A symbol of a heart is fairly universal,
and is faster to read than words.
Designers used the power of symbols as a technique
to use images in place of complex verbage.
In the 1950s, many designers employed
the concept of a fused metaphor.
This takes one image, a film strip for example,
that is a symbol for film or movies,
and combines it with a series of flags
that communicate international.
When fused, the two symbols read together
and tell the story without needing to read the copy.
The most successful solutions merged
the two symbols and created something new.
Think of it as one plus one equals three.
This is Paul Rand's cover for an exhibition
of modern art in daily life.
He takes the symbol of a paint palette
and paint brush to read as art.
Then he combines them with a fork,
turning the paint palette into a plate.
A complex idea like modern art in daily life
is told quickly and surprisingly.
One of the most exquisite examples of this approach
is Louis Danziger's catalog cover
for an exhibition of American paintings.
A paint brush is paired with a gesture of an American flag.
The simple white background, minimal typography,
and black and white paint brush
are paired with not a perfect image of the American flag,
but with the painted version of one,
relating back to the subject matter.
The genius of this approach
is the interaction with the viewer.
When he or she sees the solution,
they need to decode it.
They are riddles that may take a few seconds to understand.
The more time the viewer spends with the image,
the better they will remember it.
And the discovery of the meaning
provides a sense of delight,
as in, "Of course, now I get it."
Chermayeff and Geismar designed a series
of covers for Architectural and Engineering News,
using the fused metaphor approach.
Like Danziger's American painting cover,
the issue for the American Institute of Architects
in Washington, D.C., removes any complex background
and uses a flag and an architect's drafting pencil.
Their covers for Pepsi-Cola World are lively and humorous,
asking the viewer to solve the riddle,
and then providing the answer
with a small type for the month of the year.
A collection of bottlecaps and football play diagram
can only mean Pepsi-Cola and football season.
This is a solution that is still viable today,
and can create surprising and unexpected results.
Make a list of symbols for one subject,
and a list for another, and combine them one by one.
Lunch and art, for example.
The strength of this image-driven approach
is evidence of the wider gap between advertising
and graphic design that began in the 1950s.
Designers began to drop the slogan and turn directly
to image-based solutions that didn't rely on words.
Advertising was and still is
dominated by copy and tag lines.
The standard ad composition was to show an image,
place a slogan below it, and copy to support the product.
One way is not better than another.
Done well, either approach can be sublime.
The fused metaphor answered the public's desire
to read images rather than text.
As television and film became the dominant
communications media, it was clear that the second half
of the 20th century would be the age of images.