What Were the Main Ideas of Modernism Graphic Design?

Modernism graphic design is a movement in graphic design that arose in the early 20th century as a response to the traditional ornamental designs of the late 19th century. The goal of modernist graphic design was to create a visual language that was simpler and more direct, allowing for greater readability, legibility, and clarity.

At its core, modernism is about stripping away excess ornamentation and focusing on clean lines, geometric shapes, and simple typography. This style of design was heavily influenced by the principles of Bauhaus, a German art school founded in 1919. Bauhaus focused on minimalism and function over form, using basic shapes and elements to create designs that were both aesthetically pleasing and easily understood.

Modernism also placed an emphasis on typography. Designers used sans-serif typefaces such as Helvetica and Futura to create bold headlines with minimal embellishment. By using sans-serif fonts, designers could avoid the decorative ornaments used in serif typefaces such as Times New Roman.

Colour was another important element of modernist graphic design. Designers typically favored muted tones such as whites, greys, blacks and blues. This allowed them to focus on composition rather than colour when creating their designs.

Conclusion:

The main ideas of modernism graphic design are simplicity, minimalism, legibility, readability and clarity; focusing on clean lines and geometric shapes; using sans-serif fonts for bold headlines; and favoring muted tones such as whites, greys, blacks or blues.