Post-modernism, at its core, was a movement made out of a reaction to the order and utility of modernism. Designs from this movement often use bold colours, unusual typography and collage-esque elements, but at its core, it’s about pushing what’s “allowed” in design and personal expression.
Wolfgang Weingart is known as the father of New Wave design. He was born in Germany in 1941 and studied under Armin Hoffmann and Emil Ruder at the Basel School of Art, both prominent members of the Modernism movement. From there, he got a teaching position at Basel, developing his style. Unintentionally, by not imposing a style on his students, he inadvertently spread his style, and it became known as the Weingart style, to his dismay.
He caught my eye during my research on the Swiss Style after last week’s lecture. His demeanour and mentality around design and creativity seem very intriguing. During his interview promoting his exhibition in the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, his process of coming up with his revolutionary ideas seemed to very often start with “messing around” or plainly seeing what he can do.
“I try to make images where you don’t always get ‘the message’ straight away. But these things leave a hook in you. Leaving some space for interpretation is important.”
Vaughan Oliver very quickly became one of my all-time favourite designers, from designing album covers for a couple of my personal favourite albums to his surrealist approach to design, using photographs and illustrations to achieve such a dreamlike, almost unnerving feel.
He played a huge role in establishing the 4AD music label, from designing the logo to record sleeves for the label; he quickly became an indispensable part of 4AD. Before this, much of his career was already centred around music design for notable bands such as the Pixies, the Cocteau Twins, and the Breeders, with his work under the name 23 Envelope, a collaboration with photographer Nigel Grierson.
“Oliver is that rare designer whose work speaks to people empathetically, as co-enthusiasts, not as consumers.”
