Even / also in the design world, the manufacturing process, it’s easy to incorporate change in the relatively simple parts and the transition to the new style was quick. Art deco, which swept Europe in the 20s and 30s, soon spread to the U.S. and signs of it were soon seen in parts of print expression.

In the late 1920s, straight-line illustrations and geometric designs appeared in magazines and other types of publications, and the bright colors and daring layouts of art deco spread to all sorts of media. The rather elegant style of the initial stages, with economic and media development, in just a short time changed, and with the spread of color printing, it became an original and very direct thing. At this time in the U.S., graphic design was valued not as a beautiful ornamental art, but as an excellent communication tool with strong appeal.

In the beginning of the 1930s, Roosevelt hammered out a large-scale economic recovery program and the possibilities for graphic design became even more widely recognized. The artist support program included in the WPA (Works Progress Administration) used artists for advertising work in the promotion of tourism and other industries, resulting in many beautiful posters. Posters composed of simple geometric shapes like Jerome Roth’s See America, and Blanche Anish’s Training in Art are strong in their messaging but their structure also contributes to the exceptionally polished presentation.

Other posters representative of this era are those for the 1933 Chicago Worlds Fair and the 1939 New York Worlds Fair and other official posters for fairs, none of which can be overlooked. In particular, the images on the posters for the New York Worlds Fair, full of the modernism of an America that had managed an economic revival, were impressive both in the U.S. and abroad. The theme was The World of Tomorrow, and the world’s first television broadcast was performed. Many souvenirs were produced for this fair, but their designs and the images on the advertising materials were objects with such appeal that they too were not to be missed.

The significance of artists and designers being given these kinds of positions at this time is enormous; the influence and role of design in society were accepted and widely recognized in American society. Their work went beyond designing official printed materials; graphic design for product packaging was stressed as a strategy and sometimes built the images of manufacturers and brands.

■Exhibits

Winter Sports/Year: 1935/Designer: Sascha Maurer (Left)
Hawaii/Era: 1940s/Designer: Unkown (Center)
Atlantic City/Year: 1935/Designer: Sascha Maurer (Right)

Yosemite/Year: 1935/Designer: Sterett-Williams (Left)
See America/Era: 1930s/Designer: Jerome H. Roth (Center)
Colorado Rockies/Year: 1930/Designer: H. M. Veemstua (Right)

Texas/Year: 1936/Designer: Florian (Left, Center)
America’s Exposition San Diego/Era: 1930s/Designer: Unkown (Right)

Indian Court/Year: 1939/Designer: Siegriest

New York World’s Fair/Year: 1939
Designer: Nembhard N. Culin (Left)/Designer: Joseph Binder (Center)/Designer: Atherton (Right)

New York World’s Fair/Year: 1940/Designer: Unkown (Left, Center)
Chicago World’s Fair/Year: 1933/Designer: Weimer Purcell (Right)

Sinclair/Era: 1930s/Designer: Unkown (Left)
Foreign Trade Zone/Year: 1937/Designer: Jack Rivolta (Center)
Red Cross/Era: 1930s/Designer: Day Lowry (Right)

Sky Ride/Year: 1934/Designer: Sandor (Left)
National Air Races/Year: 1933/Designer: Sandor (Center)
RUR/ Era: 1930s (Right)

Music Inspires/Year: 1942/Designer: James Axelrod (Left)
Federal Art Project/Era: 1930s/Designer: Unkown (Center)
Training In Art/Year:1937/Designer: Blanche Anish (Right)

Design Museum Collection Exhibition Series vol.11
30s Graphics−American Art Deco Graphic Design
Concurrently with the spread of media, graphic design gained a strong influence on daily life. In this exhibition, in addition to presenting a diverse array of graphic expression focusing on posters, magazines and advertising, we displayed official expo posters of the 1930s, as well as souvenirs and other artifacts.
Period: March 18 – April 17, 2005
Venue: Design Museum, International Design Center NAGOYA
Organizer: International Design Center NAGOYA Inc.