Type Journal: Burtin, Cieslewicz, and Mongguzi

Our type blog assignment this week was to explore "Thinking with Motion." We researched three designers, Will Burtin, Roman, Cieslewicz, and Bruno Mongguzi, three men who had a grand impact on typographical posters that stirred up their viewers with motion.

Will Burtin was a German designer who pioneered many fields within graphic design. He pushed designers to consider and utilize scientific visualization, information design, corporate identity, and multimedia (or in his terminology, integration).

"The creative person who can find himself or herself in this expanding universe is not only fortunate, but indispensable."

Within this spread, Burtin utilizes the full potential of white space, or orange space. His clean, vector image is balanced compositionally by a simple line of text. The limited color palette also helps maintain focus on movement throughout the spread.

I always try and pay special attention to instances where designers take fine art and integrate it within spread and layout design. These two pages present superb contrast within the positioning of the eye within both works. 

Pattern, pattern that creates movement, is also an element of design that I struggle with. In varying color, texture, and scale, Burtin is able to achieve pattern within the numerous objects in this spread.

Roman Cieslewicz is a another designer who had a great influence within graphic design history. A Polish man, he had an impressive work ethic. Between 1955 and 1978, Cieslewicz designed 380 posters.

"Posters need powerful occasions and significant subject, which they can't find at the movement. As a means of communication they belong to another age and have very little future."

This was a smart use of color and texture. These elements create a central focus that draws the eye in to read further about the event. 

Limited color palette is one element within this design that allows for movement. It's interesting that although the main focuses on both pages are about equal in size, their color and texture contrast; making the eye move.

Scale is also a great way to create movement and in addition to pushing the limits of color, Cieslewicz uses scale to create movement between these two spreads.

The texture within these spreads is magnificent and is something to aim to achieve within my designs.

Bruno Mongguzi is a Swiss designer focusing on designing posters that emphasize typography, photography, and the gestalt theory.

"Design is the intellectual and pragmatic process aimed at giving an appropriate form to a given function."

Side note: I kind of went nuts on these examples, they were all so great, I couldn't choose. 

A great example of combining photo, graphics, and typography to create a spread with impact. 

Simple, yet sophisticated color palette that emphasizes in a graphical way. 

Great combination of art and design. After designing the Mary Cassatt book, I know that coming up with a combination that works is not easy. 

Great experimentation. A fluid mix of type and black and white image. 

Another great example of combining art and design. 

A composition that not only utilizes color to create movement but also shapes and repetition.