Visual Examples

"Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge"by El Lissitzky.

http://www.designishistory.com/images/lissitzky/BeatTheWhites.jp

The red wedge represent the russian bolshevik and the white is the imperial regime. This poster is an example of constructivist and modernist work.There is no traditional forms or decorative purpose is an aesthetic work.The abstracts geometric shapes and the colours chosen make the perfect function of the poster.

Schmidt, Joost. Bauhaus poster 1923

http://www.bauhaus.de/uploads/pics/plakat_748_02.jpg

This was the first Bauhaus poster full of geometric forms and text into abstract compositions of diagonal bars. It demonstrates early characteristics of the new typography using a sans-serif type. The Bauhaus logo is really visible close to the Bauhaus letters.

Mondrian, Piet. Composition II in Red, Blue and yellow. 1930

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/fe/Mondrian_Composition_II_in_Red%2C_Blue%2C_and_Yellow.jpg

It is not a graphic design piece but the ideas of reduction of form and colour are major influences on modernist graphic designers. Limiting himself with just a few colours and the experiment of the relocation of elements it can change the feelings of the viewer. It would not be the same visual reaction if the red square becomes small, and the blue square bigger.

Hofmann, Armin. Giselle, 1959

http://www.internationalposter.com/pimages/SWX01112.jpg

The sans-serif typeface in a vertical direction and the carefully use of the space between letters tell us is a Swiss style piece. Its simple and clear enough. Using a soft photography as the background with a geometrical and strong typography, makes a simple but balance piece.

Crouwel, Wim. The Stijl stamps, 1983

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v681/LouisXIV/art/Mondrian_Stamps.jpg

Even if it is not from the Modernist period, we could say this is a modernist work. Crouwel tried to use typefaces from De Stijl movement but he decided to use helvetica for the final design because the illustration was already from the period. He said in Helvetica (2007) There you can see the solution by the analysis and experimentation he made.