Graphic Design History Flashcards

Flashcards covering the key figures and movements in graphic design in the Netherlands and Switzerland, plus Art Deco in France, from the early 20th century.

Piet Zwart

A Dutch designer whose personal symbol was the letter P and a black square (zwart means black in Dutch). He emphasized geometry in his work.

H.P. Berlage

An architect and theorist, and Zwart's mentor, who believed that geometry was of absolute necessity in the creation of artistic form.

J.L.M. Lauweriks

An architectural colleague of Berlage who taught at the School of Arts and Crafts in Dusseldorf and encouraged the use of a grid system based on subdivisions of the square.

De Stijl (The Style)

Holland's avant-garde movement in art and architecture, identified by rectangularity and exemplified by Piet Mondrian's abstract paintings.

Theo van Doesburg

An energetic spokesman and theorist for De Stijl, who was a painter, architect, and poet. He edited the De Stijl magazine and produced geometric graphic designs.

Mécano

A Dadaist magazine published by Theo van Doesburg (1922-23).

Die Scheuche (The Scarecrow)

A small book of a fairy story produced by Schwitters and Käthe Steinitz, emulating Lissitzky's To Be Read Out Loud, using only materials from the printer's type case.

Hendrikus Wijdeveld

An Amsterdam architect and follower of Lauweriks, who edited the magazine Wendingen and used printers' brass rules to construct letters and geometrical ornaments.

Nederlandse Kabelfabriek (NKF)

The Dutch Cable Factory, for which Piet Zwart designed nearly three hundred advertisements over ten years, moving from pure typography to combining photographs and photomontages.

Gerard Kiljan

A colleague of Schuitema who used diagrams and photographs with minimal text to convey messages quickly and clearly, as seen in his instruction leaflet for state telephones.

H.N. Werkman

An artist whose output deliberately exposed the printing process, using abstract printing letters and areas of color from torn paper, often printing without a press.

De 8 en Opbouw (The 8 and Construction)

The journal published fortnightly by two groups of architects, launched in 1932, typifying the manner of Schuitema and Zwart with improvised assemblages of alphabet and image.

W.H. Gispen

An industrial designer who created publicity material and catalogues that matched the clear, mechanical elegance of his products, often working with Schuitema.

J.F. van Royen

The head of the PTT (Dutch Post, Telegraph and Telephone service) who integrated advanced contemporary design with a public company, employing established designers like Jan Toorop.

Niklaus Stoecklin

Swiss designer known for posters needing no caption, such as the enlarged ear for Radiohaus Scheuchzer or sunlight soap butterfly.

Ferdinand Hodler

Swiss Painter who designed the poster for the 19th Vienna Secession exhibition and made important contributions to design outside Switzerland.

Emil Cardinaux

Swiss designer of the Zermatt poster (1908). Simplified two-dimensional manner in images and lettering.

Otto Baumberger

Swiss designer who designed the hat shop Baumann poster in Zurich.

Herbert Matter

Swiss designer who designed tourist brochures and posters in careful montages and superimpositions of cut-out photographs which often give the effect of full color.

Anton Stankowski

Pioneer of 'Industrial Graphics' who presented the product in as clear a way as possible, with essential information, arranged asymmetrically in Zurich.

Jan Tschichold

Sought refuge in Switzerland in 1933. Produced asymmetrical typography poster for 'The Professional Photographer' exhibition.

Max Bill

Swiss painter, sculptor, architect, industrial designer, and theorist. Famous poster for Negerkunst, Pre-Historic Rock Paintings of Southern Africa exhibition.

A.M. Cassandre

Celebrated and consistently brilliant affichiste, eating, drinking, smoking, enjoying entertainment and travel given monumental expression.