Reading time: 4 – 6 minutes
I’ll admit it – I had a HUGE design crush on El Lissitsky when I was in school. I had just discovered Russian Avant Guard work and was in love with the red and black color scheme, harsh angles and visual punctuation, and geometric simplicity. Whats not to love? We can learn a lot from El Lissitzky’s work and apply it to our own designs.
Visual Hierarchy
Visual hierarchy is the grouping of elements arranged according to emphasis.
Beat the Whites with the Red Wedge (1919) This is one of the most famous examples of El Lissitzky’s work. The design of this poster utilizes direction, movement and hierarchy. Through the use of geometric shapes, color, and size your eye is directed from left to right in the poster. Your eye is first drawn to the large red triangle, and then to the white circle and then the remaining black area surrounding the circle. After this you notice the text and all the secondary elements of the poster.
When designing consider the placement of elements in your composition. Do you want your viewer to see this element first? Consider placing it in the top left. Is it the most important element? Consider making it bold, or large, or using a color that stands out from all the other elements. In the same fashion consider the importance of secondary information.
Not sure if the hierarchy in your design is working? Print out your design, take a step back and squint and see which elements stand out to you. You can also ask others not involved with the design to tell you the order in which they see things.
Visual Punctuation
For the Voice 1923
Suprematicheskii Skaz (About 2 Squares) 1922
Visual punctuation can include space intervals, rules, or pictorial elements to separate, connect, and emphasize words or lines.
Another design element Lissitzky is known for is visual punctuation. In the book and magazine layouts above Lissitzky uses large type, horizontal and diagonal rules to direct your eyes around the page.
When designing consider where you want our users eyes to go and pause within the composition. Add visual elements to direct your user and make sure the direction is clear. Make them stop and read important information with design elements.
Texture & Depth
Texture and depth are another way to add visual interest and direct your users attention.
The Constructor (1925) is a photo montage that features movement, contrast texture and depth. (Can you believe this was all created BEFORE Photoshop?)
Depth adds detail to composition and draws a user in. The users eyes pauses at the illusion of depth created where the hand intersects with the eye. The strong lines and texture of the graph paper also cause the users eye to be directed in a vertical or horizontal motion.
When designing consider adding depth by layering photographs using blending modes in photoshop or through some other means. Add texture that directs your users eye around the composition and directs them towards important design elements.
Looking for more Avant Garde inspiration?
I know I know! I can’t seem to get enough of the dymanic geometric design either! For more inspiration from Russian Avant Garde artists visit: http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2002/russian/
Also check out this flickr photoset of avant garde books: http://www.flickr.com/photos/migueloks/sets/72157612436281954/
What have you learned from designers that came before us?
Share what you have learned from designers past! Leave a comment and let us know what you think!
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9 Responses to “Learning From El Lissitzky”
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August 31st, 2009 at 4:21 amStory added…
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Pingback from My First Designs… | The Design O'Blog by Niki Brown
September 8th, 2009 at 4:05 am[...] when I told you that I had a design crush on El Lissitzky? I wasn’t lying… This was an assignment from one of my first design classes. We had to [...]
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Pingback from Avant Garde Inspiration: El Lissitzky | Work / Play / Create :: Brandon Moller
November 10th, 2009 at 8:20 am[...] great work from El Lissitzky, a Russian Avant Garde artist focusing on the idea of Visual Hierarchy, Visual Punctuation and [...]
Brad C says:
I’ve never heard of El Lissitzky, this work is awesome. thanks for sharing.
Also, when did you get a Typekit invite? *jealous*
August 31st, 2009 at 4:28 am
Niki Brown says:
@brad got an invite last week!
glad you like lissitzkys work! I’ll probably do a series of posts on things we can learn from designers that came before us. Yay for graphic design history!
August 31st, 2009 at 4:42 am
Rob says:
Great post, Niki! I love the way you break down the style and explain how to use it. Fantastic designs featured as well. I, like Brad, wasn’t familiar with Lissitzky’s work, so thanks for the exposure!
August 31st, 2009 at 11:00 am
BebopDesigner says:
Brilliant post! I’ve always admired Soviet graphic design…
I used to have lunch at this little Russian place run by an elderly couple, and they showed tons of printed material like magazines, newspapers and stuff from the 60’s and 70’s. They had it hanging all over the place. Honestly, I was blown away.
Yes, we can learn a lot, but with your brilliant explanation of it, we can learn a lot more.
Thanks for sharing this.
September 1st, 2009 at 8:21 am
carl says:
It was the strong current at the time — objectification of design, the Swiss School — that drove the Weiner Werkstadt, later Bauhaus, constructivism, suprematism: all those potent ideas that virtually gave life to what we know as graphic design today.
In strong contrast today we are reminded that, "Form follows emotion" (Hartmund Esslinger of frog Design (who I used to work for)). I'm not sure how the two (objectivism vs. emotional) diametric theoretical approaches to design can be discussed without looking at the challenging transitional phases that link the present to the past. And how we are to design for the future.
Those challenging transitional phases being
• state propaganda (essentially the co-opting of constructivism and Bauhaus to communicate disinformation to the public)
• mass media consumer-focused advertising (especially in democratic, capitalistic societies lead by USA and UK)
• a globally inter-connected consumer culture that transcends politics: communism (China), quasi-Socialism (Scandinavian), outright democratic and capitalistic design (USA, UK, Japanese)
The idea of designer as author is a recent phenomena granted by the speedy pace of global communications and technology. And a youthful culture with an insatiable appetite for new trends and memes. It is a relief to look at the order Helvetica and a Muller-Brockmann grid contrasts with all the chaos of geek + photoshop + internet! Oh, but all the ideas rehashed, remixed, remembered, recreated fresh and new and invigorating!
November 19th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Kevin M. Scarbrough says:
Grab yourself a big ol' copy of Megg's design history for some va-va-voom design history geek-love. Stylepeida by Mr. Steven Heller is a great primer if you're looking for light reading, and those groovy cats over at Under Consideration do a nice thing-or-two about the famous Women of Design (and a bunch of other bits too.
January 5th, 2010 at 6:06 pm