Compose styles
Rather than blending styles toward a middle, this gives them roles. The first one carries the structure, the next comes in as the accent, and anything after that shows up in a single detail. Where they fight each other, 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 #f5dead, #c36766, #272528.
Where they fight
- Constructivism and Vorticism 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
Produce four original images that take their structure from Constructivism (style, 1910s–1930s) and their accent from Vorticism (style, 1914–1918). ## What to make Make the kind of thing Constructivism exists for: campaigns that demand action, or delivering a strong statement in an instant. Choose one subject and hold it across all four. ## Structure comes from Constructivism - Red, black and white - Diagonal axis - Photomontage - Imperative lettering Composition: Collide photography and type along a diagonal spine. Type and lettering: Heavy condensed type in capitals. ## Accent comes from Vorticism, used sparingly - Diagonal machine-cut lines - Blunt heavy type - The BLAST/BLESS lists - The dynamics of the vortex Let one material quality come from it: Close to a single black ink on coarse-surfaced stock. ## Colour and feeling Build the ground on #e8ddc7, carry the structure in #d8251d and #11100e, and let a single accent come from #c36766. These are read off real works, so a direction rather than a fixed palette. Feeling to carry: rebellion, exhilaration, technique. ## Where they fight - Constructivism and Vorticism both belong to Avant-garde, so the difference is small. Push the roles further apart than feels comfortable. ## What goes wrong - 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. ## Across the four Keep the roles fixed in all four. Vary the framing, the scale and the arrangement so the set shows what this pairing can do rather than four versions of one picture. ## Constraints - Do not imitate, reference or name any specific artist, studio, brand, character or copyrighted work. - Do not reproduce the composition of an existing work. - Produce original compositions 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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