Lithography vs Plakatstil / Sachplakat

石版画／リトグラフ / プラカートシュティール／即物ポスター

Lithography comes from Planographic Printing and Plakatstil / Sachplakat from Advertising Posters. One is technique and the other style. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.

Lithography

Lithography — ロートレック『ムーラン・ルージュ』1891 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainLithography — ドーミエ『トランスノナン街』1834 — Wikimedia Commons / CC0Lithography — シェレ『ムーラン・ルージュ舞踏会』1889 — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Uses the repulsion of oil and water to reproduce crayon and tusche drawing from stone or plate, keeping all the softness of the hand.

Plakatstil / Sachplakat

Plakatstil / Sachplakat — Lucian Bernhard, Priester Matches poster, c. 1905 — People’s Graphic Design Archive より引用Plakatstil / Sachplakat — ホールヴァイン アウディのポスター — Wikimedia Commons / Public domainPlakatstil / Sachplakat — ホールヴァイン レーゲンスブルクのポスター — Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Cuts advertising down to the product and its name, delivering meaning at a glance from across the street.

LithographyPlakatstil / Sachplakat
Era1796–1900s–1910s
FamilyPlanographic PrintingAdvertising Posters
KindTechniqueStyle
CuesGreasy crayon / Stone or metal plate / Painterly tone / Multicolor overprintingA single product image / Bold contours / Flat color / A short brand name
Best used forLimited editions and art books that must keep the touch of crayon and charcoal · Large posters that need rich tone from a small number of colorsOutdoor advertising that fixes one product in memory · Betting everything on a single feature
TypeDraw the lettering onto the stone by hand instead of setting typeA short, heavy hand-drawn headline
CompositionSplit areas and lines between plates, planning for colors to overprintOne large product, one line of name, a solid ground
MaterialGreasy crayon or tusche on stone, tone held by oil against waterTwo to four colors, shadowless imagery, clean contours
CautionPencil texture is not it, and neglecting density control crushes the tone into a merely blurred image. Learn how oil against water, the stone, damping, the roller and overprinted plates shape line and color.Simplification is not omission. Choose the one thing to keep from what makes the product itself.

Put these two together

Planographic Printing ／ Advertising Posters

IndexStyle