- By the mid-1970's, modernism
seemed to have run its course.
The philosophy of rational, objective, and rule-oriented
design didn't answer the needs of a generation
interested in self-expression and intuition.
Graphic designers began exploring ideas such as
decoration, pop culture, and historical, classical forms.
The term applied to this is postmodernism.
Postmodernism is a complex subject.
Entire sections of libraries are devoted
to books on the idea.
But there are a few constants in graphic design.
Rejecting the tenets of modernism,
form does not follow function.
Design can be expressive, and ignore the function.
Elements can be appropriated from anywhere.
Typography can be self-referential
and have alternative meanings.
Irony is a large component.
The piece might borrow a form or idea
from somewhere else, and treat it satirically.
Or it may be ironic itself, mimicking
another piece of design.
Architects Robert Ventruri and Denise Scott Brown
introduced the concept of vernacular design
as a component of postmodernism
in their book "Learning from Las Vegas".
Vernacular design refers to the language of common design.
In graphic design, rather than presenting
the world in Helvetica, post-modern design
borrowed from the language of the street.
Typography borrowed from a car wash sign
was as relevant as refined Caslon.
A classical form was recycled in a new way.
Michael Vanderbyl's poster, "Connections",
contrasts a stylized classical column with a modern grid.
The line of runners communicates a value
of the pre-modernist ideas of classical harmony.
Postmodern design incorporated a relentless
attention to the written langage.
Words could be reconstructed to change meaning,
or broken apart to highlight a meaning.
The representation of a word was
more important than the information.
For example, a poster by Stefan Sagmeister
for an AIGA conference, has typography
made from chicken feet.
Rather than simply being a word in chicken feet,
the postmodern approach was to deconstruct
the meaning of chicken feet letter forms.
All work in the postmodern genre
was designed to be analyzed from a historical,
semiotic, and psychological point of view.
The meaning of a collaged image, letter-spaced
typography, and colors was dissected and examined.
To most viewers, postmodern design seemed friendlier
and more humorous than the hard-lined Swiss modernism.
The solutions were nostalgic and warm.
The design world, however, deconstructed
every element, reviewing the complex interplay
of political and cultural meaning.
In postmodern design, a rose was not just a rose.
As the movement evolved, the playful connection
of vernacular typography and appropriated imagery
evolved into a niche conversation
of the dystopia of the world
aimed at a smaller and smaller audience.
Design was poised for a split.
Between those who maintained a focus
on postmodern critical theory,
primarily in academia, and those focused
on the larger mass-market in practice.