New York School

The International Typographic Style engulfed the world, and remained popular until the 1980s. Designers began to use the style but without the creativity and innovation of those in the previous story map. The result was often a bland look void of innovation that blended with everything else designed in this style. A counterpoint to the International Typographic Style arose in New York City. While influenced in many ways by ITS, designers like Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Cipe Pineles, and Alex Steinweiss used their personal expression to create memorable, unique, and effective visual communication. Known as the New York School, it wasn’t actually a physical school, but a way of designing. Its epicenter was New York, where the individuals above and many others worked. New York was extremely influential in American culture and graphic design was no exception. This style flourished from the 1940s to the 1990s and, in most respects, it provided an effective antithesis for the International Typographic Style. Think about the differences between the movements as you review the characteristics and philosophies of the New York School below.

• More eclectic use of typography (not just sans serif)
• Use of handwriting in place of typography
• Intuitive sizing and placing of elements
• Influence of mathematical grids for body text
• Hand-drawn images that were often powerfully symbolic
• Use of photography but images were creative, unique, and less objective

• Design is a useful part of society
• Principle of play is used (less formal, more experimental)
• Personal expression is prized
• Design solves a client's problems/needs

There are many designers who are conisdered part of the New York School:

• Alvin Lustig (and his wife Elaine Lustig Cohen)
• Bradbury Thompson
• Chermayeff and Geismar (Pronounced Sure-MY-eff and GUYS-mar)
• Alexey Brodovitch
• Otto Storch

And many others. We'll be focusing on 5 that had unique and highly influential contributions:

• Paul Rand
• Saul Bass
• Cipe Pineles
• Alex Steinweiss
• Georg Olden