During the turmoil of the first world war, several art and design movements sprouted across Europe.
Der Stijl
Started in 1915
Based in the Netherlands and headed by Piet Mondrain and Theo van Doesburg
Simple geometric forms, solid colors, straight lines
Sought to create a universal visual language devoid of nationalistic overtones
Suprematism
Started in 1915
Russian movement
Kasmir Malevich's "Black Square"
Abstraction is the purest form of expression
Informed propaganda posters and lead to Constructivism
Constructivism
Blossomed with the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917
Simple geometric forms
Photomontage
Some main players: El Lissitzky, Alexander Rodchenko, Anton Lavinsky.
Bauhaus and Elsewhere in Germany
Postwar Germany was in a shambles politically and economically.
Walter Gropius and Maholy-Nagy formed the Bauhaus School to teach and move forward
modernist/avant garde aesthetic and technique
The Bauhaus developed the field of graphic design by focusing on practical applications such as advertising and printing.
Was shut down when the Nazis came to power
Designers in Germany, ElLissizky and Hans Richer, Jan Tschichold and others pushed the envelope in creating artistic and innovative advertisements.
The New Typography
After the Futurists and Dadaists had shattered the rules of typography and the movers and shakers in Europe advocated rewriting typography
Sans-Serif typefaces became the standard
Photomontage and Typophoto
Photomontage, a technique popularized by the Dadaists and Constructivists, was combined with the principles of "the new typography" to to create typophoto techniques.
All these principles, centered in Germany and focused on advertising spread throughout Euorupe and and given it's own regional flair.
