Week 4 - Wes Wilson and Paula Scher
Wes Wilson
His very first poster was a protest against America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. Featuring the American flag motif and a giant swastika, its a bold statement against how involved the Us was getting in the war. A self published poster, it displays the need for equal respect among all people. This poster caused a massive stir at an anti war rally, people said it was too much and they questioned his design choices. However this bold poster ended up introducing Wilson to professional poster design, starting his illustrious career.
Wilson primarily worked in poster design for music, places and events, having started designing for a small company right at the beginning of the San Francisco jazz and poetry beat transformation. Wilson responded to these changes in the music scene by pioneering psychedelic poster designs, which later ran rampant throughout the late sixties. This style consisted of filling all the space he could with letterforms, using fluid forms to do so, and also dignified depictions of the female nude. The lines in these posters were often free flowing, Art-Nouveau styles. These San Francisco designers that worked during this period, and Wilson himself too, considered the overall feeling of the piece to be overall more important than the legibility of the writing, forming arguments of interested people would work to figure it out. But ultimately, the fluid letterforms became immensely symbolic of this period of design and art.
Wilson was also incredibly appreciative of the feminine form, some of his posters from this era of psychedelic designs, features a feminine nude. Although, none of these posters resemble erotic imagery as they show a clear respect, admiration and appreciation of the feminine figure.
Influenced by famous artists such as Van Gogh and Klimt, Wilson was struck by a 1908 poster by artist Alfred Roller that used similar imagery that Wilson was aiming for and showed the direction he wanted. Wilson decided to absorb this letterform design, having altered the parts he wished to.
Ultimately Wilson responded culturally to the shifting music scene, politically, he used his anger towards the US involvement in the Vietnam War to design his first poster as an anti-war statement. His communications of dates and bands through his revolutionary psychedelic styles revolutionised this period of design history.
Paula Scher
Paula Scher has been an incredibly iconic and hardworking Graphic designer and painter for upwards of 4 decades. From reviving historical typefaces and some design styles, she became a the first female partner in the New York side of Pentagram. She has Involved in designing things for Adobe, Coca-Cola, The Museum of Modern Art, Walt Disney, and many more. Her hard work has earned her multiple Grammy nominations, the Beacon Award in 1996 and many more recognitions throughout the ages.
Her artwork ‘Best of Jazz’ was influenced by designer El Lissitzsky. The angular lines of text and the colours of this artwork mimic the Russian Contructivists. This design throwback to the period of precise and perfect lines acts at odds to the smooth melodies of jazz, making this artwork standout as a cover for jazz albums. However this artwork also references Dadaism, its rejection of a grid forces these letters into a flow that subtly rejects the traditional way of design. The cover is memorable, beckoning back to the evolving and memorable sound of Jazz music.
Alot of Scher’s work has been for famous brands such as Adobe, Tiffany and Co., Coca-Cola and more. Her designs reflect change within the company’s culture and their shifting values. Her updated logos reflect this change in a positive, healthy and sophisticated manner. Her work for branding reflects the shift in a capitalistic society, catering to the audience and user rather than the world around us, deeming designs as a commodity for brands rather than the important political and societal comment it can be used for.
Scher’s work references pop culture in a classic and accessible way, whilst also maintaining the sophistication and quality of works of fine art. Her art is immediately familiar and is accessible to everyone, as a visual and creative aid to help us to experience brands. Her pioneering promotional strategies, packaging innovations and designs for publications is what makes these brands accessible, showing excellence for the brand in the simple way she executes her designs.
Paula Scher is a very successful graphic designer that has worked in innovative and unique ways that influence the way we see and experience our world, through branding, promotional strategies and covering for albums
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