American Modernism: Graphic Design, 1920-1960 [Paperback]

Mr. R. Roger Remington (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2003

This insightful book is the first to present a comprehensive survey of the Modernist movement as it emerged in America between 1920 and 1960 in various graphic media. It identifies and examines great works in advertising, information design, identity, magazine design, print, dimensional design, and posters that by mid-century had defined American graphic design. R. Roger Remington begins by discussing the emergence of Modernism and its major historical influences, including European avant-garde art movements, technology, geopolitical issues, popular culture, educational innovations such as the Bauhaus, architecture, industrial design, and photography. The heart of the book brings together the key works of mid-century Modernism, presenting them chronologically from the 1930s to the 1950s. The final section shows the impact of and reactions to these Modernist influences as graphic design in America matured into the 1960s and beyond. Handsomely designed and illustrated, American Modernism is destined to become a classic text in the study of design and visual culture.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

As twenty-first-century design concerns seem to center increasingly on the depiction as well as the use of technology, this new graphic design book, copiously illustrated and thoughtfully written, provides a comprehensive overview of modernism as applied to American graphics and a look at the explosion of creativity ushered in via digital design.

From Vogue to the Playboy bunny and Show Magazine, Remington and Bodenstedt's energetic and insightful survey covers 40 critical years in American design history, starting with the emergence of the modernist movement in the 1920s, in terms of the enormous, pervasive, and ever-evolving influence of the European avant-garde on advertising, magazine design, posters, and other media. Whitney Scott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

R. Roger Remington is professor of graphic design at Rochester Institute of Technology. His previous books include Nine Pioneers in American Graphic Design (1992) and Lester Beall: Trailblazer of American Graphic Design (1996).

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Yale University Press (October 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0300098162
• ISBN-13: 978-0300098167
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Design it right and they did, December 12, 2003

By 

Robin Benson - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: American Modernism: Graphic Design, 1920-1960 (Paperback)

Roger Remington has written a fascinating survey of American graphic design and I enjoyed looking at the dozens of illustrations especially those from the late fifties onwards when I was familiar with the work of so many American designers. The work of Otto Storch on McCall's, Lou Dorfsman at CBS and naturally the typography of Herb Lubalin was a strong influence on my work as a publication designer.

The author writes about the development of Modernism in Europe and how it spread to the US with the arrival of many European graphic designers escaping the oppression in Europe during the Thirties. In America they found a receptive country open to new ways of designing for print, which flowered, with the explosion of creativity in the Fifties and Sixties. On page 179 there is a list of many great designers, whose work is the basis of this book, who have died and Remington rightly says that their absence denies emerging young designers creative role models.

The design of the book is first-class (a tip of the hat to Brad Yendle) the images are well selected with a good mix of posters, advertisements, corporate graphics, magazine covers and logos. I would have preferred to see more magazine spreads and at least one example of the amazing 'Upper & Lower Case' publication. All the illustrations have good long explanatory captions.

If you are involved with commercial graphic design and want to learn about its history in America this book can't be beat. I mentioned earlier two designers whose work I love and the following two books are well worth searching out, 'Dorfsman & CBS' by Dick Hess and Marion Muller, 'Herb Lubalin' by Gertrude Snyder and Alan Peckolick. The book that really got me interested in expressive typography and I still think is valid in this digital age is 'Typography' by Aaron Burns, published in 1961.

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.