Art Deco Design Pamphlet
For this Graphic Design I assignment, we were instructed to make a tri-fold, double sided, educational pamphlet that exemplified a design movement. I selected Art Deco, confining it to to the era that preceded America's introduction into WWII.
Meant to exemplify more than inform, the first side focuses on the masculine side of Art Deco. Here, industry is king, generating massive amounts of machine-made wealth. It is characterized by strong geometric lines and angles. The mentality that informed this design also built the first modern skyscrapers, thus making the image of the city an intrinsic part of the movement. In my design, the gilt silhouette of a city emerges through blocky paper-craft cutouts. Original typography balances the shining spotlights that direct the eye to significant poster designs, all framed by an industrial bridge and luxury train cut-out.
The second side stands in sharp contrast to the first. It is effeminate—organic—embodying the luxurious lifestyle of the Art Deco over the machines that created it. Here, waifish figures by Erté preside, framing decadent fashion publications and exotic travel posters. At their back, a custom deco pattern cutout provides structure. The movement is very much a romantic fusion of cultures newly accessible to the west. The discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922 sparked 'Tutmania,' introducing foreign motifs and features like the papyrus into American design.