Typography can be divided into the these periods:
Pre-modern, Early Modern, Avant-garde Modern, Commercial Modern, Late Modern, Electric Modern and Postmodern.
The new Typography was published during avant-garde period, after Jan Tschichold's visit to Bauhaus; while David Carson is a postmodernism designer.
1.
History of typography has a norm and steady progress until modernism. Utility, aesthetics and legibility are the considerations that rules type design since the beginning of the industry. (p.17, Heller and Fili, 1999.)
2.
"Modernism" in American commercial art was reduced to a few conceits lifted from the pages of The New Typography, including asymmetrical layout and san serif type. but the style was practiced without thr moral underspinning of the Europeans, reducing Modernism to little more than a style of the moment. (p.141, Heller and Fili, 1999.)
3.
For Modernism to work in american market place, it had to shed the dogma yet retain the progressive spirit. Reversing his own ideological claims, even Jan Tschihold renounced the dogmatic rules of the new Typography. Nevertheless, the ideals that were fronted by such typography were still valid. (p.145, Heller and Fili, 1999.)
4.
De Stijl was an anti-art art movement. In a 1927 manifesto published in De Stijl titled "The End of Art", Theo van Doesburg declared that nobody knows, hinders the function of life. For the sake of progress we must destroy art." Ironically, the results of his rebellion against art are considered exemplary artifacts of Modern period today. (p.90, Heller and Fili, 1999.)
5.
The Creative Revolution in advertising, which began in early 1950s, was a new phase of Modernism and a new era of type. The composing Room, a New Yoke type shop, fostered experiment type in the Modern tradition. The Late Modern Typography distinguished by the clean and simple compositions of both classical and modern typefaces, was changing the look of advertisement from chaotic to eloquent. (p.148, Heller and Fili, 1999.)
6.
An experiment is a variable way to test a typeface in real world, but a typeface designed to be experimental as an end itself suggests a lack of confidence in its utility.
Much so-called experimentation today appears on public stage simply because it exists; distributed over the internet, it may find its way to designers hungry for happiness.
My thinking
History of typography is far more complicated than my expectation, I was confused in diffrentiate the styles and sometimes I see no difference in the works of each periods. Just by reading this book is not enough to understand the whole history, but a systematic study is needed for it. However, deadline is set for this assignment, therefore I will just research the part that is relevant to essay. I am worrying of the point of view in the essay could not achieve holistic quality as my knowledge is limited.
I have understood the relationship between the New Typography and David Carson. New typography was released long before Carson was born, and he is under influence of it. But Jan Tschichold renounced his own theory because the rules are too strict, and it goes to the same notion as Carson's.
Example of "The End of Art" by Theo van Doesburg was picked because the title is similar to "The End of Print" by Carson, as Theo's opinion results to be total oppose to his intention, is Carson's Print not comes to the end too? What is the meaning of him giving this title?
Based on the reference book, experimental typography comes in during postmodernism, does type experiment doesn't exists before it?
Reference
Typology: Type Design from the Victorian Era to the Digital Age
Steven Heller and Louise Fili
1999
