The New Wave movement in graphic design showed
evidences of the influence of Postmodernism; a form that by definition resists
definition, as applied to literature, art, philosophy, architecture, fiction,
and cultural and literary criticism, is inherently paradoxical and playful.
In the early 1960’s, designers were growing sick of
the strict rules of the Swiss Typography School of Design. Many factors
contributed to this rise of dissent. The increase in technology, the shift
towards new global and political thinking, and the overuse of the Swiss style
in commercial ad campaigns all contributed to the demise. Wolfgang Weingart and
his followers founded what became to be known as the “New Wave” movement. They
proved that Modernist ideas can be applied to Postmodernism without sacrificing
creativity. His typographic experiments served as a model for typography in the
1980’s. He believed he and his students could start a new era of typography out
of creative expression, not formalism. His students carried the “New Wave” idea
from Switzerland to the rest of Europe and the United States. The new wave
movement strived to bend the rules and find the artistic expression in
typography
Postmodernism in graphic design for the most part
has been a visual and decorative movement. Postmodernism was not a style, but a
group of approaches motivated by some common understandings. It wasn't a
theory, but a set of theoretical positions, which have at their core a
self-reflexive awareness of the tentativeness, the slipperiness, the ambiguity,
and complex interrelations of culture and meaning. Some argue that the
"movement" had little to no impact on graphic design. More likely, it
did, but more in the sense of a continuation or re-evaluation of the modern.
1."After Modernism." An Introduction to the History of Graphic Design. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://designhistory.org/Post_mod.html>.2. Halinda, Jennifer. "Colophone: A Typographic Exploration." Raynor Design. Oct. 2008. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://raynor-design.com/fullsize/raynor_colophon.pdf>.
3."A Brief History of 20th Century Graphic Design." Upload & Share PowerPoint Presentations and Documents. July 2009. Web. 11 Oct. 2011. <http://www.slideshare.net/JenniferJanviere/a-brief-history-of-20th-century-graphic-design>.
Links:
1. http://www.slideshare.net/JenniferJanviere/a-brief-history-of-20th-century-graphic-design
2. http://designhistory.org/Post_mod.html
3. http://raynor-design.com/fullsize/raynor_colophon.pdf
4. http://www.snap2objects.com/2009/10/13/movements-and-styles-after-modernism/
