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 The New Typography: Drop centering, set a left axis, divide areas with rules and space
Type
Set in The New Typography's manner (One sans in two weights, with hierarchy carried by size alone), and let Swiss's lettering (Neutral sans-serif; be bold with size contrast) appear only where you want the eye to catch.
Material
Ground in The New Typography's material (Black and red, halftone photography, plain rules, no ornament); bring in exactly one thing from Swiss (White space and objective photographs; almost no ornament).
Colour
Build on #eee9dc, #d22f26, #1e1d1a and admit one accent from #f1efe8, #ed3b22, #121210.

Where they fight

These two are already listed as related, so the join should come easily.

Caution

  • The New Typography When asymmetry becomes the aim in itself the reading order is never settled, and the page ends up harder to read than the ornamented one it replaced.
  • Swiss Too much tidiness turns anonymous. Keep one strong jump in scale.

Image prompt

An original image that takes its structure from The New Typography (Layout, 1920s–1930s) and its accent from Swiss (Style, 1950s–). Structural cues: Asymmetry; Sans-serif type; Photography; Functional white space. Accent cues, used sparingly: Strict grid; Sans-serif type; Asymmetry; Objective photography. Composition: Drop centering, set a left axis, divide areas with rules and space. Type and lettering: One sans in two weights, with hierarchy carried by size alone. Let one material quality come from the second style: White space and objective photographs; almost no ornament. Mood: Trust, Technology, Exhilaration, Calm. Color: build on #eee9dc, #d22f26, #1e1d1a with a single accent drawn from #f1efe8, #ed3b22, #121210. 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

  • The New Typography 1920s–1930s / Layout / Experimental Typography

    Turned printed matter into rational information structure through asymmetry, sans-serifs, photography and functional hierarchy.

  • Swiss 1950s– / Style / Functionalism

    Puts order front and center and makes the information itself the protagonist.

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