Compose two styles
Rather than blending two styles into a middle, this assigns them roles: one carries the structure, the other appears as an accent. Where the two fight, it says so before you start.
How to divide the work
- Composition
- Follow Constructivism: Collide photography and type along a diagonal spine
- Type
- Set in Constructivism's manner (Heavy condensed type in capitals), and let Vorticism's lettering (Very heavy caps, one word per line, tight leading) appear only where you want the eye to catch.
- Material
- Ground in Constructivism's material (Coarse halftones, cut-out photos, three colors only); bring in exactly one thing from Vorticism (Close to a single black ink on coarse-surfaced stock).
- Colour
- Build on #e8ddc7, #d8251d, #11100e and admit one accent from #e9e6dd, #67635d, #171615.
Where they fight
- Both belong to Avant-garde, so the difference is small. Push the roles further apart than feels comfortable.
Caution
- Constructivism Carries strong propaganda associations. Check the ethics of context and message.
- Vorticism Borrowing only the habit of naming enemies leaves a page whose targets mean nothing to today's reader, and nothing but bravado remains.
Image prompt
An original image that takes its structure from Constructivism (Style, 1910s–1930s) and its accent from Vorticism (Style, 1914–1918). Structural cues: Red, black and white; Diagonal axis; Photomontage; Imperative lettering. Accent cues, used sparingly: Diagonal machine-cut lines; Blunt heavy type; The BLAST/BLESS lists; The dynamics of the vortex. Composition: Collide photography and type along a diagonal spine. Type and lettering: Heavy condensed type in capitals. Let one material quality come from the second style: Close to a single black ink on coarse-surfaced stock. Mood: Rebellion, Exhilaration, Technology. Color: build on #e8ddc7, #d8251d, #11100e with a single accent drawn from #e9e6dd, #67635d, #171615. Constraints: do not imitate, reference or name any specific artist, studio, brand, character or copyrighted work. Produce an original composition in the general period languages described above.
Related entries
- Constructivism 1910s–1930s / Style / Avant-garde
Turns a message into motion with diagonals and hard contrast.
- Vorticism 1914–1918 / Style / Avant-garde
Britain's avant-garde detonated in the magazine BLAST: diagonal machine-cut lines, blunt heavy type and lists of blasts and blessings turning typography into a declaration of war.
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