1940s Graphic Design History

Design Articles based on this decade

Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content

The Work of Bradbury Thompson for Westvaco Inspirations for Printers

Westvaco Inspirations was founded in 1925 by the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company. Bradbury Thompson’s produced approximately sixty issues, experimenting with typography, photography, and illustrations.

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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Paul Rand and Erik Nitsche: Promoting Ohrbach’s Department Store

These advertisements marked a move away from the illustrated American ads of glamour and American life, and instead used modernist principles and illustrated animals and characters to have a friendlier, more distinctive style of communication.

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Design Archive Feature, Illustration, Members Only Content, Poster Design

Hanns Lohrer. Award-winning posters and illustrations from Gebrauchsgraphik, 01, 1951

In 1949, the Bund Deutscher Gebrauchsgraphiker held the first Die besten Plakate des Jahres competition to showcase top German poster design. Hanns Lohrer was one of eight award winners. Designs scanned from Gebrauchsgraphik, 01, 1951.

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Design Archive Feature, Magazines & Publishing, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Drukkersweekblad en Autolijn: Compiling Dutch Design History

Each year, leading Dutch artists were commissioned to design the covers and inner pages of Drukkersweekblad en Autolijn. Including designers included Dick Elffers, Willem Sandberg, Jan van Toorn, Wim Crouwel, and Jurriaan Schrofer. The journal documented important design trends and developments in The Netherlands.

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Design Archive Feature, Designer Profiles, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Willem Sandberg – Life and Legacy

This 1,500 word essay is about the life and work of Willem Sandberg and is illustrated with part of my collection of over 100 pieces of Sandberg’s work, including books, Stedelijk Museum catalogues, and various individual printed items.

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Gebrauchsgraphik – Almost a Century of Design Reference

Design Archive Feature, Magazines & Publishing, Members Only Content

Germany

Gebrauchsgraphik – Almost a Century of Design Reference

The dedication of Gebrauchsgraphiks editors and publishers significantly influenced the spread and impact of graphic design, documenting countless designers who might otherwise have been forgotten over the last century since its first issue hit newsstands. Design magazines play a crucial role in supporting the design profession and remain vital resources for designers and historians alike.

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Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Poster Design, Regional Histories

25 years of Swiss poster art, 1941 to 1965

“Der Druckspiegel” typographic supplement May 5, 1967, was focused on a selection of the winning entries from Die besten Plakate des Jahres featuring over fifty winning entries.

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Advertising Design, Design Archive Feature, Members Only Content, Regional Histories

Erberto Carboni and his work for Radio Italiana, 1940s and 1950s

These one-colour forms have a playful but structured aesthetic through their geometric forms, they remind me of the abstract line drawings of Picasso blended with Jan Tschichold and the New Typography.

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