Keedy, J (1984), Graduate Studies in Fiber, No More Rules, Lawrence King Publishing 2003Rick Poyner says in his introduction to postmodernism in graphic design, "where modernism frequently attacked commercial mass culture, claiming from its superior perspective to know whats best for people, postmodernism enters into a complicitous relationship with the dominant culture."
Keedy explained this image as an attempt at 'doing everything wrong.' This complies with what Poyner says about postmodernism having a 'complicitous relationship' with the status-quo. The artist himself talks about this piece being an exercise in postmodernism.
"Its typographic manner is revivalistic, its image is a neo-classical quotation, its atmosphere is historicist, but its effect comes from the fact that none of these constituent elements would normally find use in combination on a rock album cover."
In the above quote, Poyner lists reasons why this image is a piece of postmodern graphic design. It is historicist where as modernism was anti-historicist, it refers to neo-classicism. It is a hybrid, its effect comes from the blend of styles being out of place on a rock album cover.
Vanderbyl, M (1983), Connections Promotional Poster, 'No More Rules' Lawrence King Publishing 2003
In 'No More Rules' Rick Poyner notes that in this image "a stream of figures leap(s) from a modernist skyscraper symbolised by a grid, across a void, and on to the top of a classical column - a clear, if somewhat literal, appeal to the value of pre-modern cultural forms."
If postmodernism seeks to contradict modernism, and modernism values anti-historicism, this metaphor of leaping from a modernist skyscraper to a classical column can easily be interpreted as an illustration that shows support for the postmodern movement.
Weingart, W (1978/79), Kunstkredit, http://www.jameskurtz.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/weingart-kunstkredit-1979.jpg
"The collage-like 'Kunstkredit' eshibition poster (1977) was constructed from seperate pieces of film layered together and fixed to a film base, then transferred directly to the offset litho printing plate. Weingart's complex pictorial spaces, unprecedented at the time, fused typography, graphic elements and fragments of photographs on equal terms. He exposed sections of the grid, violating its purity with jagged outlines."
Since this style was previously unknown, and it breaks the rules of modern graphic design, I would argue this piece is postmodern. Not only does it break the rules, it does it deliberately and purposefully, cutting across the perfection of the square grid with its jagged torn edges and rough triangles.
Friedman, D (1971) Typografische Monatsblatter No.1 magazine cover, http://www.uartsgd.com/GD40/Friedman/FriedmanTypography.jpg
Rick Poyner says in his book 'No More Rules', "a minimalist poster based on the letter 'N', created in 1968 for a film showing at the Hochschule fur Gesaltung un Ulm (where Friedman also studied), is in his own words, 'simple, restrained, orderly, static, exclusive, abstract, pure, reduced, harmonious, systematic, and integrated'. By contrast, a 1971 cover for Typografische Monatsblatter, in which a series of letterforms found in Times Square, Manhatten, float above the city, is 'complex, excessive, chaotic, dynamic, inclusive, vernacular, contextual, expanded, dissonant, random, and fractured.'
This is a postmodern piece of graphic design. Friedman demonstrated his knowledge of modern graphic design by following the rules in his minimalist film poster, then demonstrated how he can break those rules totally and still create an aesthetically pleasing piece of work.
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