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 New Wave: Shift the grid; hold several angles at once
- Type
- Set in New Wave's manner (Mix condensed, geometric and vertical setting), 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 New Wave's material (Yellow, red, blue, dots, thin rules); bring in exactly one thing from Swiss (White space and objective photographs; almost no ornament).
- Colour
- Build on #f1dfca, #f03d51, #3156af and admit one accent from #f1efe8, #ed3b22, #121210.
Where they fight
- New Wave and Swiss share no intent, so the contrast has to become the subject rather than something to smooth over.
Caution
- New Wave Don't multiply small decorations. Choose one starring deviation.
- Swiss Too much tidiness turns anonymous. Keep one strong jump in scale.
Image prompt
Produce four original images that take their structure from New Wave (style, 1970s–1980s) and their accent from Swiss (style, 1950s–). ## What to make Make the kind of thing New Wave exists for: editorial heat for culture media, or adding surprise to serious content. Choose one subject and hold it across all four. ## Structure comes from New Wave - Irregular grid - Dots - High chroma - Rotated type Composition: Shift the grid; hold several angles at once. Type and lettering: Mix condensed, geometric and vertical setting. ## Accent comes from Swiss, used sparingly - Strict grid - Sans-serif type - Asymmetry - Objective photography Let one material quality come from it: White space and objective photographs; almost no ornament. ## Colour and feeling Build the ground on #f1dfca, carry the structure in #f03d51 and #3156af, and let a single accent come from #ed3b22. These are read off real works, so a direction rather than a fixed palette. Feeling to carry: play, rebellion, exhilaration, trust, calm. ## Where they fight - New Wave and Swiss share no intent, so the contrast has to become the subject rather than something to smooth over. ## What goes wrong - New Wave: Don't multiply small decorations. Choose one starring deviation. - Swiss: Too much tidiness turns anonymous. Keep one strong jump in scale. ## 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
- New Wave 1970s–1980s / Style / Counterculture
Keeps punk's freedom while re-editing color and grid with urban polish.
- Swiss 1950s– / Style / Functionalism
Puts order front and center and makes the information itself the protagonist.
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