Postmodernism

Although I like to design with clear structure, as the designers of the International Typographic Style did, I appreciate the work of the postmodernist artists, as they took the rules and structures that they already knew, and pushed their boundaries, following some and breaking others to create an entirely new style.

The unpredictability, often wild typography, and the playful use of colour seems to defy the rules of the world renowned Swiss Style, but although the structure is not as clear to see in postmodernist work, they are still usually easy to navigate for the viewer, creating a synthesis of flashy and dramatic style and user friendly function.

I also researched the impact of culture on the postmodern design movements across the world, for example, in Britain, their art was influenced by the punk music scene which emerged at the same time. Postmodern design also takes inspiration from the surrealist movement in art, which preceded it, for example, the distorted, dream-like worlds in the paintings of Salvador Dalí. Both postmodernism and surrealism used established techniques, pushing them beyond their boundaries.

While conducting my research, interestingly, I found that the influence of postmodernism has spread as far as the Philippines. I discovered Ian Quirante, a Philippino artist inspired by the postmodernist movement. The compositions and seemingly bizarre subjects and themes of his work are reminiscent of earlier surrealist paintings, while he also uses the chaotic typographic style of postmodern works, foregoing the traditional left alignment and uniform type scaling.

Elsewhere in the world, the postmodern movement also coincided with the partition of Germany by the Soviet Union, an example of the political statements conveyed in postmodern art can be seen in the art of the Berlin Wall at the time. On the western side of the wall, it was covered in flashy, colourful pieces of artwork, often in abstract styles. Through the artwork of the people, we can see their freedom, as they enjoyed breaking boundaries with playful, unrestrained styles of art.

In contrast, the eastern side of the wall was plain, highlighting the oppression under the Soviet Union, as the people were not allowed to paint on the wall. After the country was unified again, the eastern side of the wall began to be covered in more traditional, bleak art, in stark contrast from the bright and lively art of the western side, emphasising the disconnect between the cultures of the city, one side carrying the weight of former oppression, and one enjoying a free society.