Art Deco Graphic Design revolutionized print media and set a new standard for mass advertising...
The invention of the printing press in the 1920s made it easy to mass produce books, newspapers, magazines and other literature.
This huge demand for advertising dollars led to massive developments in the realm of Art Deco Graphic Design. Advertising agencies sprung up everywhere producing a variety of advertising media - posters, travel brochures, postcards, invitations...the list goes on.
Students in 1921 learning how to use a printing press. Photo source: Delgado90.com
Dubonet Art Deco Ad by AM Cassandre. Image source: Flashbak.com
1920s Lucky Strike Cigarettes Ad. Image source: Tobacco.stanford.edu
They all had the classic Art Deco look - streamlined, geometric and sexy as hell. To complement the imagery, a new font, was created which was more angular and straight than its cursive predecessor, Art Nouveau.
Furthermore, as beauty and the 'decorative aesthetic' became increasingly important in all aspects of design, this style shift also affected Graphic Design. Where in the past, utility and functionality were enough, now beauty and style could not be ignored either.
Product packaging, book jackets, billboards, building signs and other common objects had to reflect beauty, as well as functionality. The sentiment of the day was that "the street was the art gallery for the public" (Aynsley, 2003) and nowhere is this sentiment most obviously expressed, as in the area of Graphic Design.
