This article explores the evolution of typography in the 1920s, highlighting two influential typefaces: Futura and Erbar-Grotesk. It discusses the rise of graphic design as a discipline, the impact of Art Deco and the New Typography movement, and the enduring appeal of these geometric sans-serif fonts.
The 1920s saw incredible transformation in typography and graphics more broadly. It was, in fact, the decade when the term ‘graphic design’ was first coined in 1922 by William Addison Dwiggins to describe his book design process, which combined typesetting, illustration and design. With the end of WWI,marked graphic design becoming an academic discipline and profession, and Art Nouveau’s curves evolved into the geometric styles of Art Deco .
“The first research leading to the creation of Futura is a source of inspiration for the diversity it offers and the extreme manipulation of letter forms, which demonstrates the full potential of expression in the Latin script,” Damien continues.
“The font that sums up this movement was the font commissioned by the Bauhaus director Walter Gropius from the designer Herbert Bayer. It was meant to be an ‘idealist typeface’, resulting in Universal,” says Chris. “With a simple geometric sans-serif font that abandoned all adornment and had no upper and lower case, Bayer's rationale was to simplify typesetting to its basics and to abandon any pretence to calligraphy or sensitivity to previous letterforms.
“Gill Sans is a great example of the challenges of separating the art from the artist. It’s hard to think of a more iconic British typeface, but its, designer and typographer. “While I won’t be proposing Gill Sans for any projects it’s hard to deny how elegant, functional and influential the typeface is.
History Typography TYPOGRAPHY DESIGN HISTORY ART DECO NEW TYPOGRAPHY FUTURISTIC
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