Essay Plan

Title

Bauhaus typography and the development of the Grid System 

Introduction

The introduction will aim to introduce what typography is about. It will also target to discuss the importance of typography communication and what it aims to. The introduction will also cover a brief overview of typography in the 20^th century including Bauhaus typography and the Grid system and their development throughout centuries, reaching through what we are in now.

Main Body 1 - Typography at the Bauhaus:

This part of the essay will aim to discuss the conceptual and historical values of typography throughout the School of Bauhaus. It will also evaluate the influence that such typography has on our world today. This part of the essay will be divided as follows:

1) Introduction of what the school of Bauhaus is including its historical background, what are its origins and how the big idea of such a school came along.

2) Big contributors of typography- Johannes Itten: His contribution to the Bauhaus through teaching the preliminary course will be noted along with examples of some of his work.

3) Laszlo Moholy-Nagy: Areas that Laszlo had the most stimulus in, his use of types, his experiments influenced from other teachers along with some of his famous quotations will be explored.    

4) Herbert Bayer: The major changes that occurred in the same year that he joined the Bauhaus School, features of Bayer’s typography and examples of his work will be reviewed.

5) Discussion of the development of 3D type within the Bauhaus School featuring most famous works done by a group of typographers and the influence of such works on today’s works with examples to be shown. 

  

Main Body 2 - The Grid System:

The second part f the essay will discuss and evaluate the emergence of the grid system and its effects and uses through out history. This part will be divided as follows:

1) Historical overview of the grid system with a brief definition of what a grid is and how it’s used.

2) Discussion of the works done by typographers using the grid system since the 1920’s. The works of Max Bill, Emil Ruder and Josef Muller-Brockmann will be analysed.

3) Overview of the concerns Ruder had when designing a typographic poster including leadings, spacing and line lengths.

4) The emergence of the International Typographic style in Switzerland and its use of the gird system and sans serif types will be analysed. Also, discussion of the key figures such as Ernst Keller, Theo Ballmer and Max Bill will be stated.  

5) The inspiration of historical works on today’s graphic design works will be appraised including works of typographers using the grid system around the globe. 

6) Finally, the use of the grid system from the 20^th century will be compared with today’s work.

Bibliography:

Books:

1) Gottshall, E., 1989 – Typographic Communication Today. Ney York: International Typeface Corporation

2) Elam, K., 1990 – Expressive Typography. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold

Websites:

1) Agrayspace (2004) - Researching Josef Müller-Brockmann. Available at: http://www.agrayspace.com/ncsu/04_fall/img/Brockmann.pdf

[Accessed: 12^th February 2011]

2) Anneserdesign (n.d.) – History of Graphic Design, Bauhaus. Available at:

http://anneserdesign.com/Bauhaus.html

[Accessed: 10^th February 2011]

3) Swisstype (2009) – International Typographic Style. Available at:

http://swisstype.wordpress.com/

[Accessed: 12^th February 2011]

What is a Grid?

A grid is a very old method, used since the Japanese-Zin Buddhism. It was first introduced into typography in 1930. Contributors included Max Bill, Herbert Bayer and Richard Paul Lohse. A grid today is of the well-known column typography of newspapers. Columns produce a vertical typographic structure and a grid adds a horizontal-orientated structure. Grid can produce modules that can be shapes other than squares.

The grid system is very basic and it can be applied for different typographic tasks. It adds simplicity to all the complex tasks such as newspapers, catalogues, magazines etc.

Grids are used everywhere. Here are several examples of works done using the Grid system. 

Bauhaus Typography

Although typography was not a priority initially, it increasingly became important under figures like Moholy-Nagy and Herbert Bayer, the graphic designer. The first typographic poster made for the Bauhaus was in 1923.

Typography at the Bauhaus consisted of both empirical means of communication along with artistic expression, which was clearly stressed. By time, typography became connected to corporate identity and advertising. At the Bauhaus workshop, Sans- serif typefaces were prepared. Also, incorporation of photography was a key element, which served as a visual symbol. Furthermore, the designs made were with a balanced layout, vibrant colors, harmony, geometric shapes and universal type.

Here are several examples of works done for Bauhaus:  

Bauhaus (Cartel infográfico) 

Leaflet design by László Moholy-Nagy

 Escuela Suiza

Bauhaus 93 

Wassily Kandinsky Post Card c.1923

Wolfgang Weingart

Wolfgang Weingart was a famous teacher and a design philosopher. He was born in 1941 and was trained as a lead-typesetter. He taught typography for several years in Switzerland. He also taught what is knows as Swiss typography.

Swiss typography was founded in Germany upon the teachings of the Bauhaus soon after World War II. It became a rational approach to typography. The use of grid systems and sans-serif typefaces for clear functional communication contributed to the logical disposition of type and images on the page.

Weingart’s work is characterized by his application of graphical and typographical elements. The emotionally-charged lines, the potent, image-like qualities of his type, the almost cinematic impact of his layouts, all speak of his great passion of creating with graphical forms. His typographic layouts are compelling yet lucid, free yet controlled.

Wolfgang Weingart also went through more experimental and expressive style of typography. He was known to contribute to what was known as New Wave typography which soon grew into Post-modernism. Graphic designers were employing all sorts of methods in the creation of their work. Here is an example of one of his works.

Wolfgang Weingart rejected the international style and laid the foundation for the New-wave typographic movement.

Image: "Typographic Process, Nr 4. Typographic Signs," Wolfgang Weingart, 1971-1972

Typography: The origins of Graphic Design

The earliest origins of graphic design lies within the arrival of the mechanical printing press in the 15th century. As moveable type was introduced - individual letters cast in metal - printed material did not only include volume, but predetermined ‘design’ could be made by arranging the letters in the printing grid. The grid remains an organising principle in both print and digital design.

Movable type blocks made out of metal 

Grid it! Notebooks designed by Astrid Stavro 

From moveable type comes typography which is the selection and layout of letters in a space, as well as typeface design. Both of them are important elements in graphic design. A major  movement is the International Typographic Style, or Swiss Style, which was originated in Switzerland in the 1950s. Its clean, ‘objective’ aesthetic uses sans-serif and often ‘geometric’ type set on a grid and tends to favour photography over illustration. 

This style is exemplified in a poster advertising a production of Giselle by the Municipal Theater in Basle, created by Swiss graphic designer Armin Hoffman in 1959.