British Modern: Graphic Design between the Wars (Art Deco Design) (Paperback)

by Steven Heller (Author), Louise Fili (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
If Britain surprises you as a source of graphic innovation, think of those posters from the 1920s and '30s promoting London's new subway system, The Underground--the bold red circle with the horizontal slash set in some futurist illustration of urbanity. It's true that England was slow to accept modernism as a vehicle for advertising British goods and industry. While France, Germany, and the U.S. were leaving decorative ornament behind in favor of more bold, industrial, and progressive techniques, English graphic artists held fast to their late-19th-century traditions. But not for long. By the 1920s, young English designers had not only accepted the methods of the Continent, but had made them their own. With the support of British trade and marketing organizations, English posters, packaging, typography, and book designs won international recognition.

The Underground posters are some of the most famous, but they are by no means the only remarkable images to come from this period. British Modern: Graphic Design Between the Wars collects what the authors call "the masterpieces of function and simplicity that characterize the best of the modern as well as the excessive concoctions that evolved or devolved." Constructivist-influenced covers of The Rag Rag magazine; flat, rich color fields of Austin Reed and Kestos clothing advertisements; and heavy-handed, austere wartime propaganda posters are just a few of the hundreds of illustrations that make this book a useful reference for anyone interested in design. The book's horizontal format allows for many images to fit on a page, but it works against the full-page illustrations, which tend to bleed off the page. The text is short, readable, and best of all, very informative, explaining the history, trends, and exhibitions that contributed to Britain's particular surge in creative activity. --Manine Golden

Review
Another book in the Art Deco series on graphic design by Chronicle which includes Spanish, Italian, Japanese, French and Dutch design as well as Deco Type and Streamline. These are fun books with great graphics depicting culture, communication, fashion, industry, furnishings, travel, typography and more.

A design style wedded to Cubinism, Futurism, and Vorticism, British modern created fresh and exciting images of a society in motion. This strikingly illustrated volume presents British commercial graphic design through a generous sampling of posters, magazine covers, packages, advertisements, typography and other design ephemera that presents an engaging portrait of the time and place in which they were created. -- Chicago Art Deco Society

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Product Details

• Paperback: 132 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (May 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811813118
• ISBN-13: 978-0811813112
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #177,423 in Books (See Bestsellers 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 Deco Lovers Delight, November 17, 2004

By	L. Bernstein (Chicagoland, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Anyone who collects or has an interest in Art Deco must own a copy of this collectible book. In fact, you'll love the artwork so much, you may want to order two copies. A friend told me he pulled his first copy apart and framed some of the ads for decoration -- a great idea. The smaller size of some of the artwork makes it perfect for displaying two or three different designs in a frame, separated by matting. (Hint: Have the mats cut in deco style.) Hmmm . . . I may copy that idea!

You will love this book.

4.0 out of 5 stars All it needs to be, March 31, 2009

By	outernationalist "Natasha" (Ft. Lauderdale, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: British Modern: Graphic Design between the Wars (Paperback)

This book is all it needs to be: a big, varied collection of British graphic design from the 20s, 30s, and early 40s. There is enough work here that I believe anyone could pick this book up and find *something* inspiring enough to warrant the $8 (used) spent.