Jan Tschichold

Jan Tschichold

Jan Tschichold was a German typographic advisor, author and typeface designer that was a very important figure in the development of typography.  Tschichold was interested in calligraphy at an early age; he studied at the Leipzig Academy, and eventually worked as a traditional calligrapher with Insel Verlag. After attending a Bauhaus exhibition, he was impressed by the new concepts of the Bauhaus and the Russian constructivists and started implementing them in his work becoming a pioneer of the new typography – die neue Typographie.

Elementare Typographie

Tschichold demonstrated and explained asymmetrical typography to designers, printers and typesetters by writing a twenty four page insert named ‘Elementare typographie’in a magazine. Printed in red and black – the colours of the constructivists, it featured an article explaining the avant-garde approach to design. German printing at that time still made use of symmetrical layouts and medieval blackletter. Tschichold on the other hand used a functional and economical approach, sans serif typography as well as asymmetrical layouts. He condemned typefaces which were not sans serif and brought forward a fundamental concept – functionality was to be the most important aspect of the New Typography.  Unnecessary decoration and symmetrical compositions were to be discarded. He stated “Asymmetry is the rhythmic expression of functional design.” Furthermore, he made use of angles and diagonals along with Bauhaus typography in order to produce a unique signature look.

The Pelican History of Art cover

by Tshichold

Tschichold created a brochure for the book which advocates this new radical typography.   It however was not as functional since the modern movement looked for spirituality and beauty in the materials used. Dynamic forces should become visible in every design made for typography ought to be in motion and not stationary. Therefore, he made use of uneven lines of different lengths along with headlines in the left margin. White space was used as part of the design. Photography was favoured over illustrations due to its objectivity and accuracy. In 1933 the Nazis arrested Tschichold and his wife as he was accused of “Cultural Bolshevik” and using “un-German” typography.  After he was released, he left to Switzerland. He started rejecting the new typography in favour of Roman, Egyptian as well as script styles. In his opinion, graphic designers should use a humanistic approach that reflects the accomplishments and understanding of old master typographers.

'The tragedy of King

Lear' cover 1949

Jan Tschichold has also redesigned most of the penguin books using his new approach of design. His designs had a realistic look that worked very well with the content of the books. In addition they were also very balanced, consistent and legible. One of the many books he designed was Shakespeare’s ‘The tragedy of king Lear'.As previously mentioned, this composition is very symmetrical and conventional, it is well balanced as well as very legible. It is also enclosed within a solid black frame and it is stylized in design. This style contrasts greatly the new typography he used to used when he was still in Germany.  

References:

Philip B. Meggs, 2011. Meggs' History of Graphic Design. 5 Edition. Wiley.

Steven Heller, 2012. 100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design. 3.3.2012 Edition. Laurence King Publishing.

Jan Tschichold : Design Is History. 2014. Jan Tschichold : Design Is History. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.designishistory.com/1920/jan-tschichold/. [Accessed 02 November 2014].

The Bauhaus

Bauhaus School designed by Gropius in Dessau 

The Bauhaus (The building house) was founded by the Walter Gropius, a German architect, in 1919. Gropius wanted to create designs for the world. Bauhaus revolutionised the way art and design were taught, and was a major influence on all aspects of art and design. It also influenced various artists and art movements. Gropius asked artists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee in order to come teach in his school. The Bauhaus objective was to use machinery and other aspects of the material world, in order to create something beautiful and artistic. This art was to be functional, clean and clear. There was an elimination of unnecessary ornaments; they striped the design to its minimal form whilst creating harmony between craftsmanship and mass production. The importance was on clarity, rationality and utilitarian simplicity, whilst their posters made use of a well divided grid. They were very much interested in the relationship between form and function. They tried to look at things differently in order to create something innovative an exciting. The Bauhaus were very much influenced by der blaue reiter in aspects such as form, colour and space as well as Kandinsky’s spiritual principles of colours. In addition, the Bauhaus were also influenced by the works of de stijil, especially typography.

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy cover for Broom (1923)

When Laszlo Moholy-Nagy entered the school, he brought in new techniques along including photomontage, the photogram as well as other visual aspects that could be incorporated such as kinetic motion, light and transparency. He also contributed greatly to the development of typography which was to be organized, justified and functional – Legibility was the most important thing. If one looks at Moholy-Nagy`s cover for Broom (1923) we can see an innovative design. The influences of cubism and Lissitzky can be seen clearly. He uses strong verticals and horizontals as well as sans serif typography of different sizes. The composition is avant-garde, it is fresh and dynamic. It is not decorative but clear and direct which leaves an impact on the viewer. Furthermore, he uses limited yet bold colours.

Kandinsky`s Sixtieth birthday exhibition poster
by Herbert Bayer

Herbert Bayer, Moholy-Nagy`s student, then took over the typography and advertising workshop. He very much followed the

principles of de stijil and constructivists. He was responsible for creating a new letterhead for the Bauhaus. He created a universal typeface based on geometry. It made use of clear, simple and rational sans serif fonts whilst getting rid of capitals, claiming that they are incompatible in design. Furthermore, he started using ragged right and flush left typesetting. In addition, he experimented with different contrasting type sizes and weights which created a sense of hierarchy capturing the attention of the viewers. Bayer used open and dynamic compositions, implied grids, shifted axis as well as colours influenced by the constructivists; red and black, as can be clearly seen in the exhibition poster made for Kandinsky’s sixtieth birthday exhibition.

Bayer`s Typography

The Bauhaus was active for fourteen years, under three different directors and in three different locations within Germany. The Nazis however, pressured the Bauhaus and so, in 1933 it eventually closed down with several of its students and teachers immigrating to other countries such as America and Switzerland. Even though it was open for a short period, it made a great impact on art and design throughout the world, and designs created by the Bauhaus can still be seen and are still popular today.

References:

Philip B. Meggs, 2011. Meggs' History of Graphic Design. 5 Edition. Wiley.

Steven Heller, 2012. 100 Ideas that Changed Graphic Design. 3.3.2012 Edition. Laurence King Publishing.

Bauhaus documentary (1) - YouTube. 2014. Bauhaus documentary (1) - YouTube. [ONLINE] Available at: http://youtu.be/wZOqTFtEHAw. [Accessed 01 November 2014].

The Bauhaus, 1919–1933 | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 2014. The Bauhaus, 1919–1933 | Thematic Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/bauh/hd_bauh.htm. [Accessed 01 November 2014].

Bauhaus-Archiv. 2014. Bauhaus-Archiv. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.bauhaus.de/en/. [Accessed 01 November 2014].