“Art in advertising is a type of art seen by everybody... It is street art pure and simple.” - Albert Hahn 

I wanted to explore how art movements from the 1850’s to the present day have impacted graphic design, in particular, the design of posters. The investigation will not only focus on the direct visual impact but also consider how the principles and philosophies of certain movements have been applied to poster design. 

I have chosen to explore the impact of modern art movements on poster design as posters combine a variety of graphics and are intended to be seen by all members of the public. 

My intention is to challenge the view that commercial art has intrinsically less value than fine art displayed in galleries and I will do this by exhibiting exceptional works of poster art. I think that many people believe fine art has little or no relevance in to their lives despite the fact we come into contact with design products influenced by it, like posters on daily basis. Indeed, many of the movements I explored were born out of a desire to represent the modern world and how it was changing; for example the Futurists’ embrace of technology or the Dada artists’ hatred of war. 

The reason I decided to focus on late 19th, 20th and 21st century movements is because mass production of posters as a ‘medium for visual communication’ began in the 1870s yet despite the emergence of new technologies such as the internet, the poster is still a vital tool for visual communication in a time when the printed word is in decline thanks to its immediacy and the lasting effect of the combination of text and image on the viewers. I think the appeal of posters is that they are able to communicate message quickly and publicly unlike other mediums such as fine art or books. This makes them an ideal form of communication for everyone from governments to promoters. 

Contemporary graphic design draws on practices established by the early 20th century modernists such as the application of reductive, geometrical shapes. Works such as the Black Swan posters are evocative of Art Deco and Constructivist images but still manage to look new and dynamic. 

The world of fine art has and continues to influence graphic designers aesthetically as well as in philosophical sense. In conclusion, I have learnt from my research how over time, graphic designers have applied the aesthetics and principles of various art movements in posters and the effect of this. 

It has been most interesting to learn how designers have been less obviously influences by art movements and making connections between the art and design world.  The exploration has also made me think about the individual posters I have looked at and how little connects some of them aside from the fact that they are of the same medium, could the ‘Hope’ poster be considerd ‘Art’ in the way Koloman Moser’s work could be? Ultimately, the greatest examples of poster design have been created with legibility in mind. In my own work, I would like to experiment using the same principles and similar influences as some of the artists and designers I have looked at, and possibly combine contrasting styles of poster design in a poster. The project consists of 18 different poster designs influenced by art movements from 1850’ till now, and the book chapters include the artists that have worked in these art movements.

The Whole Project will be Published in October