Russian Constructivism Exhibition
Russian Constructivism was a historic movement in graphic design, characterized by its flat graphics, and overall industrial feel. Given the prompt to create an exhibition catalog cover to house the defining designs of the movement, the Constructivism Catalog Cover is flooded with symbolism to represent the Russian avant-garde. The intensity of the classic red, black, and cream color scheme mixed with striking manipulation of sharp, geometric angles amplify some of the key characteristics of the movement. Bold typography is used on the cover of the book to foreshadow the historical designs represented in the exhibition. The Constructivism Catalog Cover takes a unique, modern approach to Constructivist design while successfully paying homage to the great works of the past.
Goal
Create a cohesive identity for a historical exhibition on the works of Russian Constructivism.
The Prompt
"Each student will be assigned a particular period in the history of graphic design to research, with the goal to create an exhibit to house the works of this time period. Students are required to create an exhibition catalog cover along with a timeline of the works, and an advertisement for the exhibition."
Mood Board
REVOLUTIONARY | SHARP | GEOMETRIC | BOLD
Constructivism
My assigned time period was Russian Constructivism. To start off I began researching the period as a whole. Constructivism evolved from the cubist and futurist movements, and with it came the birth of graphic design in terms of what we think of today.
Artists began to distance themselves from the fine arts, and instead focused on functionality and creating designs that served a purpose. The Constructivism style emerged from Russia as a result of World War 1 and the Russian Revolution, and therefore was made up of three principles: tectonics, texture, and construction.
Constructivism design is often bold, utilizing bright reds or oranges, soft whites or creams, and black for contrast. Striking manipulation of geometry can be found in Constructivism works to add movement, emphasis, and hierarchy to the messaging of the project. Text is often the primary focus despite some works including montages of pictures, illustrations, and graphic drawings. Overall, Constructivism is characterized by its flat graphics, and overall industrial feel, as the main focus and primary cause of the movement was to emphasize the need for functionality over feeling in an increasingly industrial world.
