Jens Müller

R. Roger Remington

Examine the distillation of modernism in graphic design with this vast collection of approximately 6,000 logos from 1940-1980. Ranging from media outfits to retail giants, airlines to art galleries, these clean, clear visual concepts may be seen as the visual birth of corporate identity.

Logo Modernism

This is the first comprehensive survey of Modernist graphic design as it emerged in America in the period from 1920 and 1960 in various media—advertising, information design, brand identity, magazine design, book design, and posters. It examines the great works which by mid-century had defined American graphic design. The book begins with a section devoted to the emergence of Modernism and its major historical influence, such as European avant-garde movements, popular culture, educational innovations such as the Bauhaus School, architecture, industrial design, and photography. The heart of the book includes the key works of mid-century Modernism as it matured into a fully-formed American style, bringing together such great names as Alexey Brodovitch, Lester Beall, Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Will Burtin, and Alvin Lustig. The final section looks at the impact of and reactions to this new movement as graphic design in America matured in the 1960s and beyond.

Graphic Design 1920 to 1960

American Modernism

Barbara J. Hodik

In this splendidly illustrated book, graphic designer R. Roger Remington and art historian Barbara Hodik profile the careers and contributions of nine men who shaped American graphic design from the 1930s to the 1950s: Mehemed Fehmy Agha, Alexey Brodovitch, Charles Coiner, William Golden, Lester Beall, Will Burtin, Alvin Lustig, Ladislav Sutnar, and Bradbury Thompson. The book explores each designer's milieu, education, personal philosophy of design, body of work, client relations, and problem-solving approaches. The more than 200 illustrations, 55 in color, are drawn from almost every medium of graphic expression, including posters, advertisements, magazines, book jackets, business graphics, and signage. Both authors teach at Rochester Institute of Technology. R. Roger Remington is professor of graphic design and Barbara J. Hodik is professor of art history.

Nine Pioneers in American Graphic Design

Robert S. P. Fripp

It has been said that Will Burtin (1908-1972) was to graphic design what Albert Einstein was to physics.Burtin pioneered important contributions to international typography and visual design. He is best known as the world leader in using design to interpret science; as a proponent of 'clean', uncluttered sans-serif typography; and for his large-scale three-dimensional models, which carried the craft and the art of display to new heights. His walk-through models included a human blood cell (1958) and brain functions (1960). His major achievement, his clarity and ingenuity with models and graphics' made complex information easy to assimilate.Early success in his native Germany brought Burtin unwelcome attentions from Nazi leaders courting his services. He fled with his Jewish wife to the United States. Within months he won the prestigious contract to create the Federal Works Agency exhibit for the 1939 New York World's Fair. The wartime Office of Strategic Services drafted Burtin to create Air Force gunnery manuals, cutting recruits' training from six months to six weeks. In 1945, with the U.S. still at war, Fortune magazine lobbied to extract Burtin from the Army in order to appoint him Art Director. By the late 1950s he was designing the walk-through exhibits for which he is renowned.The first monograph on Burtin, Design and Science illustrates his leadership in five fields: using graphics to visualize science and information (pre-war); corporate identity (from the mid-1940s); multimedia (which he called 'Integration', from 1948); large-scale scientific visualization in 3-D (from 1958, foreshadowing computer-assisted virtual environments, i.e. CAVE-space); and, with others, promoting Helvetica in North America. Illustrations of Burtin's work that have never before been published make this invaluable book essential reading for design professionals and all those interested in design, visualization, imaging and information technology.

The Life and Work of Will Burtin

Design and Science

The Display of Visual Knowledge

Will Burtin

Sheila Pontis

Communicating Knowledge Visually presents a timely, in-depth examination of information design pioneer, Will Burtin. Using a methodical approach, the authors analyze Burtin's way of working and nine of his seminal projects, including his exhibitions for The Upjohn Company and diagrams for SCOPE magazine.Excerpts taken from Burtin's unpublished writing offer insight into his thinking process and explain how he transformed complex scientific information into easy, accessible visual forms. Scientists, designers, educators and students will gain valuable knowledge from Burtin's unique design approach in meeting the current challenges of communicating complexity in their respective fields.

Will Burtin's Scientific Approach to Information Design

Communicating Knowledge Visually

Lisa Bodenstedt

Presents an account of a key period in American graphic design as it manifested itself in various media, covering major historical influences and significant works.

R. Roger Remington

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