Conceptual Image

To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master. - Milton Glaser

Post World War 2 conceptual image was popular in Poland, Germany, the US and Italy. Technology enables the photograph to end the golden age of illustration however a new trend in illustration emerged which were known as the Polish illustrations.

American Conceptual Image

After the 50s photography had stolen the illustration’s traditional function such as the creation of narrative and descriptive images and the new. New approaches to illustration emerged.

The most significant emerging graphic artists who had been classmates at the Cooper Union were:

Seymour Chwast

Milton Glaser

Reynolds Ruffin

Edward Sorel

In the 1954 they shared a loft studio – from this the Push Pin Studio emerged. Milton Glaser and Seymour Chwast used images ranging from the Renaissance to cartoon strips. They merged eclectic sources into innovative unexpected forms.

Milton Glaser

Milton Glaser is the most well known graphic designers in the United States. In 1954, Glaser and other graphic designers who were Reynold Ruffins, Seymour chwast and Edward Sorel founded the Push Pin Studio. He and Chwast directed the Push Pin Studios which they left a huge impact on the direction of   world graphic design.

Book Covers 

In his works (like this one below) reflect the contemporary pop art of the time but with conceptual solutions and maintained a formal look. He stood out as a force in a new conceptual image of design.

 Feedom-Not License!(1966)

Milton Glaser& Vincent Ceci

During the 1980s and 90s, Glaser became very interested in illusions and dimensionality. His drawings are presented as dimensional objects in ways that strength their meanings. For Glaser the geometric forms, words and numbers are tangible entities that can be interpreted by motives. Glaser explores the dialogue between perceptual and the conceptual iconography.

 

1960’s Developments…

Although design was dominated by the International style designers looked at the alternatives. Some even reacted against the purity and discipline of the International style. Designers were more eclectic and combined the imagery in popular culture and the directness of comic books and the sophistication of the modern art movements such as Cubism and Surrealism.

References

Csun.edu, (2015). Lecture10. [online] Available at: http://www.csun.edu/~pjd77408/DrD/Art461/LecturesAll/Lectures/Lecture09/ConceptualImage.html [Accessed 27 Jan. 2015].

Csun.edu, (2015). The American Conceptual Image. [online] Available at: http://www.csun.edu/~pjd77408/DrD/Art461/LecturesAll/Lectures/PublicationDesign/postmodernTime/ConceptualImage.html [Accessed 27 Jan. 2015].

Milton Glaser | Biography, (2015). Milton Glaser | Biography. [online] Available at: http://www.miltonglaser.com/milton/c:biography/ [Accessed 27 Jan. 2015].