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 Postwar Japanese Poster: Run a central axis, fix the margins, then cut down to a few elements
- Type
- Set in Postwar Japanese Poster's manner (Tighten Japanese text into a block and divide roles between calligraphy and type), and let Ukiyo-e's lettering (Brush letters or a disciplined mincho fitting the subject; no meaningless Japanese) appear only where you want the eye to catch.
- Material
- Ground in Postwar Japanese Poster's material (Flat printed color, photographic tone, the white of the paper, few inks laid heavily); bring in exactly one thing from Ukiyo-e (Keylines and few color blocks; use the paper as one of the colors).
- Colour
- Build on #eee8dc, #d13b31, #25231f and admit one accent from #e6d7b5, #285b7e, #c9a260.
Where they fight
- Roughly 1933 years apart. Keep one of them recognisably period rather than letting both drift into the middle.
Caution
- Postwar Japanese Poster Placing traditional motifs is only borrowing. Do not flatten the work into one Japanese look, and check how construction differs by designer, decade and advertised subject.
- Ukiyo-e Not a kit of 'Japanese-style' signs. Research the artist, carver, printer, period and subject.
Image prompt
An original image that takes its structure from Postwar Japanese Poster (Style, 1950s–1990s) and its accent from Ukiyo-e (Style, 17th–19th century). Structural cues: Bold flatness; Photography and calligraphy; Personal symbols; Precise construction. Accent cues, used sparingly: Clear outlines; Flat color; Bold cropping; Overlapping space. Composition: Run a central axis, fix the margins, then cut down to a few elements. Type and lettering: Tighten Japanese text into a block and divide roles between calligraphy and type. Let one material quality come from the second style: Keylines and few color blocks; use the paper as one of the colors. Mood: Exhilaration, Luxury, Rebellion, Calm, Nostalgia. Color: build on #eee8dc, #d13b31, #25231f with a single accent drawn from #e6d7b5, #285b7e, #c9a260. 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
- Postwar Japanese Poster 1950s–1990s / Style / Regional Graphics
Photography, flat color, calligraphy and traditional motifs, recomposed differently by each designer.
- Ukiyo-e 17th–19th century / Style / Japanese Woodblock Prints
Fixes a passing moment of daily life or landscape into strong composition with contour, flat color and daring crops.
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