MOVEMENTS!

I used the same book to do this assignment that I used for a design blog earlier.  It is Gig Posters: Rock Show Art of the 21st Century.  I thought it would be interesting to see how many of these posters resemble the posters from the Victorian, Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Early Modern, and Art Deco movements.

VICTORIAN:

On the left is a poster for Hank Williams, and on the right is an example from the textbook.  I think the busy, intricate illustrations are very similar.  Although the illustration on the left is within an oval frame, the borders surrounding both illustrations are nearly identical.  Also, though not shown in the text book example, text within banners was very popular in Victorian design, which can clearly be seen in the Hank Williams poster.

ARTS & CRAFTS:

The Neko Case poster and the textbook example have extremely similar line characteristics within the illustrations.  I think the bold use of black and white is apparent in both.  The Neko Case poster could easily be mistaken for a woodcut illustration, which the textbook example (from The Hobby Horse, 1886) just so happens to be.  Intricate woodblock illustrations were the essence of what William Morris stood for during the Arts and Crafts movement.

ART NOUVEAU:

I think this one is pretty self explanatory.  The resemblance is uncanny.  The Art Nouveau artists had a fascination with the woman figure, particularly from a side angle.  The stylized hair pattern was a hallmark of the era.  The Nine Inch Nails, Tool, Moximo Park, and Hot Hot Heat poster is a direct descendant from the work of Alphonse Mucha in his Job cigarette paper poster.

EARLY MODERN:

The flat color, the simplicity, the self-explanatory design.  These two are alike in almost every way.  Even down to the black background.  The Wilco poster is for a concert in Washington, DC.  The Washington Monument is the center of attention, and it is followed with the largely printed "Wilco" underneath it.  Minimal information gets the point across quickly and effectively, and that was the whole point of Plakastil.  This can be seen in both the Wilco and Priester posters.

ART DECO:

These two aren't really as similar as the others have been.  I do think that the Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab for Cutie poster has some Art Deco qualities.  When I look at both of these posters side by side, my eye is forced upwards, which is a HUGE characteristic of Art Deco design.  Aside from just that fact, I think the interesting typography on both is something to be noted as well.