First Plan and Tutorial

Dissertation Plan

Question –

What was the impact of early 20^th Century Russian graphic design at the time and how has it informed modern day graphic design?

Intro –

Impact was massive. Changed art into design at the time and created the idea of functional design. The style can still be seen in current design. Concept driven.

But was the concept really there at the beginning or were the designers just excited by revolution and later censored

Chapter One –

Beginnings of design over art. 

Modernism, Constructivism – why these movements occurred

How the movements changed the art/design scene – typefaces, sans serif, photography, collage, and colour.

How Constructivism shaped propaganda

Chapter Two –

The tactics of design

Russian propaganda – Support of revolution, love of the industrial, censored, controlled. Red, heavy imagery, women and men used, strong type, eye catching, aggressive.

American propaganda – Uncle Sam, fighters, and illustration, America in ruins if it turned to communism – scared

English propaganda – countryside, duller colours, family orientated – more gentile

Chapter Three –

How has the constructivist style influenced design world

Bauhaus – teachings of modernism, constructivism. Still the same today?

Shepard Fairey

Lumpen Magazine

Richard Hollis

Bibliography/ Reading List

Aulich, J., and Sylverstova, M., 1999. Political Posters in Central and Eastern Europe 1945-95. Manchester and New York: Manchester University Press

Benjamin, W., 1936. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Translated from German by J.A Underwood, 2008. London:Penguin Group.

Heller, S., and Chwast, S., 2011. Graphic Style from Victorian to new Century. 3^rd edition. New York: Abrams.

Hollis, R., 2001. Graphic Design, A concise history. 2^nd Edition. London: Thames and Hudson Ltd

Rodchenko, A., 2005. Experiments for the future; Diaries, essays, letters and other writings. Translated from Russian by J. Gambrell. New York: Department of Publications The Museum of Modern Art.

The art of Russia. Part 3/3 Smashing the Mould. 2009 [DVD] Graham – Dixon, A. London: BBC

Reggie Yates’ Extreme Russia, Far right & Proud. 2015 [TV Documentary] BBC, BBC Three, 13 April 2015 21.00

This was the original plan and some of the books and programs I had began to look at. The plan stayed the same in terms of chapters etc. Amber added some ideas to make sure the chapters made sense, had context and triangulation. 

In this tutorial the question was decided and finalised. 'What was the impact of early 20th Century Russian graphic design at the time and how has it informed modern day graphic design?'

I want to write about this topic because Russia is a great interest to me also the country has seen such social and politcal change throughout the years, the art and design must have changed somehow and I want to find how and why.