Friday 1 June 2012

Saul Bass

Saul Bass


Graphic Designer and Filmmaker
Redefined visual language of cinema
Creator of the legendary iconography for brands like AT&T, Girl Scouts of America or Kleenex.
Designer of Film Posters and films titles sequences.

After designing the poster for the film Carmen Jones (1954) got noticed by film director Otto Preminger, who asked him to produce the titles sequences, a film component pretty much neglected at the time, and Bass made it a very important part of films.

Worked with Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Stanley Kubrick, Martin Scorsese

Saul Bass

Art Deco


Art Deco
Products n’ glass wear
1920s - 1930s _ Started to become popular (USA)
Began in France
Great Britain - Glass, coquetry
USA - Suburban, middle class life style

Influenced by Art Noveau
American artists were influenced by current events and the future; past events/inspiration (Egypt theme with futuristic themes)
Aerodynamics
Streamlining - The way speed influences, changes objects
1939 _ New York World Fair
Superman _ First superhero (born in the end of 1930s)

Art Deco Poster

Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper

Influenced by Degas


His Art – Emptiness, the lonely, cinematic, narrative


-Film Noir
Light
Black and white
Contrast
Contrast between characters
Contrast of tones
Main character detective
Villain VS hero
Gangsters
Crime
Sense of isolation
Voyeurism.


Edward Hopper - Self-portrait

Thursday 31 May 2012

Timeline

Some of Design History key moments.


Art Deco poster design influence in contemporary poster design


Strong cubism references, use of geometrical forms
Streamlining; straight lines creating illusion of movement and speed
“Limited” colour palette; use of different tonalities of same colour to create solid forms
Use of different tones within same colour range to create shadows and 3D effects
Representation of speed on the vertical lines in the building
-The strobe lines shot towards the sky
-The train lines creating perspective and movement
Use of contrast, alternating dark colours with light colours - Dark Blues -> Reds and Oranges -> Dark Blues
-Dark Blues -> Yellows, Light Blues -> Dark Blues




Art Deco Poster from 1933
2010 "Black Swan" Posters

Ridley Scott Interview

Ridley Sctott's Interview

Follows his instincts, never has idea of what he's going to do next. But he always has two or three ideas of what to do next, but beyond he doesn't.

Art Student - Design background, uses painting (painters) as reference; Photography.
Errand boy -> New York -> BBC, straight to Graphic Design.
Philosophy: "The only risk in life is not to take risks.
Leaves BBC to direct commercials.
His film school was making commercials.
Was thinking of making films six years before it actually happened.
His first film "The Duellists" was meant to be for TV.
Ridley Scott

Industrial Revolution <-> Steam Punk

Industrial Revolution -> Machinery (Steam Engine)


SteamPunk -> Machinery Inspiration:
Films: The Mysterious Explorations of Jasper Morelo
Wild Wild West (bad film)


Early 20th Cent.
The old and the advanced sharing same environment
Noir, Gothic
Robot


Steampunk flash drive

Words/Reaction/Interpretation to film

Words/Reaction/Interpretation to Various title sequences to film and television that have utilized a rich sense of history in their opening minutes, including: Desperate Housewives, Se7en, Carnivale, True Blood.


(in order)
- TV series, Colonization, Meat, Pre-history, Evolution, Natural Resources, Blur, Falling, Colour, Movement, Energy, Personality, Action, Excitement, War, Imperialism, Architecture, Skyscraper, Renaissance, Egypt, Sardines, Can of Soup, Andy Warhol, Industrial Revolution, Klux Klux Clan -

Wednesday 16 May 2012

Pop Art

Artistic movement (England mid 50s then USA late 50s)
Jack Kerouac
- Influenced Andy Warhol (leading figure in the Pop Art Movement)
- Beat Generation (Rebellion of teenagers against parents, society)
- Book “On the Road” - autobiography
Pop Art Movement - "Rebelling” against the so called fine arts by introducing everyday life elements to art. Making art popular.
Although it is called Pop Art, it wasn’t produced by masses of the population. It incorporated the different kinds of manifestations of the mass culture, culture made for the masses and produced by the greatest information devices/means.
The Movement incorporated elements generated by the industrial society and reveals two sides of its own. On one side it exposes the characteristics of a society deeply influenced and marked by the industrialization, by repeating and creating instantaneous icons and on the other side it challenges the limits of art creation by not making itself casted away, but by embracing and let itself be influenced by the events during its own time/period to generate its own creations.
Influenced by the “re-rise” of the big industrial societies that were deeply affected by WWII. Took as stage the major urban centres in GB and USA and used them as inspirational environments so its first artists could create their work.
Adverts, celebrity images, comic books are some examples.
The Movement attracted the attention of the big masses by inspiriting itself in elements that in theory weren’t considered/recognised as art by taking in consideration that it was an era deeply marked/influenced by consumption.
Big movie stars, comic books, modern cars, electronic devices and canned food were deconstructed by the artists so their impression and ideas could display the power of mass production and the short life period of what industrial age had to offer.

Andy Warhol


Wednesday 25 January 2012

Decade Poster (The Moulin Rouge - Late 19th Century) - Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec

Birth of Poster
Use of the poster to inform, to advertise.
Visual comunication
Graphic Design known as commercial art
Started being very flat, very plain
Opened way to Art Noveau

Wednesday 18 January 2012

Contemporary Graphic Designers

Contemporary Graphic Designers
Just went through the work of some of the most successful contemporary designers and through some insight into Ridley Scott’s perspective, life and career.
Chip Kidd
Learnt that Chip Kidd is famously known for his book covers design. Obviously talented, but lacks a certain continuity or consistency with the quality of his work. Some are really good, some makes wonder how did he achieve success.

Vaughan Oliver

Peter Saville

Jonathan Barnbrook

Oliver Jeffers

Ridley Scott
Amazing film director. Goes by “The only risk in life is to take no risk at all” quote.
Ridley Scott