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for the visual.

Explore the movements, methods and ideas that shape how we see.

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Armin Hofmann’s typographic poster for 4 Bildhauer, 1959
In focus
Swiss International Style
Look. Understand. Make.

A working index of movements, aesthetics, letterforms and the processes behind them.

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69 entriesGraphic design / Illustration / Type
Contemporary acid-graphics asset system with distorted display forms and saturated layered surfaces.
AestheticUndated

Acid graphics

Distorted lettering, abrasive surfaces and synthetic imagery assembled into deliberately unstable compositions.

Warped display type
For the airbrush article. A Paasche F#1 single action external mix airbrush
ApparatusUndated

Airbrush

Soft tonal transitions and precise masks create polished volume with an almost seamless surface.

Feathered edges
Contemporary Art Deco-style commercial illustration poster, 2026.
Stylec. 1920–1939

Art Deco

Geometric ornament and stylized volume give the page a monumental, carefully staged presence.

Stepped silhouettes
Contemporary Art Nouveau poster reinterpretation, 2025.
Stylec. 1890–1914

Art Nouveau

Organic lines connect lettering, figures and ornament into a continuous decorative surface.

Whiplash curves
The Arts and Crafts Movement and the Prairie School gallery in the American Collection at the Milwaukee Art Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (United States).
Movementc. 1880–1919

Arts and Crafts

Dense page texture, considered borders and integrated illustration give printed matter the character of a crafted object.

Textured type blocks
Stilisiertes Hochhaus. Postkarte aus der Folge der 20 Postkarten, die aus Anlass der Bauhaus-Ausstellung in Weimar 1923 erschienen.
Movementc. 1919–1933

Bauhaus

Geometric form, asymmetrical organization and economical typography make communication feel constructed and purposeful.

Primary geometric shapes
Widely referenced shot mixing stat, photo and text tiles of varied spans in soft rounded cells.
StyleUndated

Bento grid

Content is split into rounded tiles of different sizes, packed into one tidy grid like a bento box.

Modular tiles of varied size
Specimen of the Caslon type foundry's Ten-line Pica blackletter typeface
Letterform1050

Blackletter

Dense, broken letterforms create a dark typographic texture with sharply differentiated strokes.

Angular joins
Brutalist-influenced festival website, 2019.
StyleUndated

Brutalist web design

Exposed structure, blunt typography and deliberately plain controls give the interface a direct, unvarnished character.

Visible page structure
Chromolithograph recruitment poster printed by Erie Lithograph Company.
TechniqueUndated

Chromolithography

Multiple lithographic color passes combine to reproduce richly colored illustration.

Layered color
Shows a full clay design system: puffy pastel cards, inner shadows, inflated buttons and chart widgets.
AestheticUndated

Claymorphism

Rounded, inflated shapes with soft inner and outer shadows make interface elements look like pressed clay.

Puffy rounded forms
Collage of watch parts of the Lutzmann motor car Opel model Pfeil 1 B
TechniqueUndated

Collage

Separate materials or image fragments retain their edges while forming a new composition.

Visible seams
Nikke, ca. 1935, Japan
Movementc. 1917–1933

Constructivism

Heavy typography, diagonals and geometric structures make a page feel active and forceful.

Diagonal axes
A sample of copperplate script with offhand flourishing. The pen-holder in the photo (an oblique pen-holder) is commonly used by copperplate calligraphers. The quotation is by Isaac Sharpless, president of Haverford College, from a speech given in 1888.
LetterformUndated

Copperplate script

Slender connecting strokes and swelling curves produce a flowing, highly controlled writing rhythm.

Slanted letterforms
Illustration in the Corporate Memphis style
AestheticUndated

Corporate Memphis

Simplified figures and large flat shapes create friendly, approachable scenes with little surface detail.

Exaggerated proportions
A photogram of Algae, made by Anna Atkins as part of her 1843 book, Photographs of British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions, the first book composed entirely of photographic images. At https://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/id?419608 as retrieved 12 August 2009, the image details are as follows: "I
TechniqueUndated

Cyanotype

Light silhouettes against a deep blue field emphasize contact, exposure and the shape of an object.

Blue-and-white contrast
Wireframe globe, repeated outline type and black-field layout distill cybercore into editorial graphic design.
AestheticUndated

Cybercore

Digital grids, neon light and computer imagery build a future imagined through technology.

Neon on black
3. Platz des Wikipedia-Wettbewerbs bei en:Animexx in der Kategorie Beste Idee.
AestheticUndated

Cyberpunk aesthetic

Dense technological environments combine luminous interfaces, urban texture and a sense of friction or decay.

Layered signage
Jean Hans Arp, bois gravé et collage pour la couverture de Dada 4-5 (Tristan Tzara dir.), Zurich, 1919
MovementUndated

Dada

Disjointed type, found material and abrupt changes in scale interrupt ordinary reading and visual expectation.

Found typography
Front cover of the Tenth Anniversary issue of De Stijl, vol. 7, nr. 79/84.
Movementc. 1917–1931

De Stijl

Horizontal and vertical relationships organize flat geometric fields into an asymmetrical equilibrium.

Orthogonal divisions
The Soldier and his Wife (B VIII, 62, Holl.70, ii/ii). Etching, a good strong impression though with corrosion marks at edges of plate, with margin or thread margin on three sides, trimmed on the platemark upper left edge and lower right edge, repaired tears in left corners, corners thin. With Funck
TechniqueUndated

Etching

Fine incised lines and layered hatching build tone through a dense, tactile drawing surface.

Delicate linework
Ejemplo del uso del Diseño Plano generado en Adobe Illustrator
AestheticUndated

Flat design

Simple silhouettes and clear color separation reduce the appearance of physical depth.

Solid fills
Close-up of green grass seen from the ground, floating bubbles in the air bathed in the sunlight, trees and a yellow sky in the background.
AestheticUndated

Frutiger Aero

Glossy, translucent surfaces combine idealized nature with a clean, optimistic digital atmosphere.

Glass-like panels
Electricity Museum, Belem, Lisbon, Portugal In PUBLICO NEWSPAPER, Edition dated from 24/03/2015 Techniques: Acrylic matrix carved with a burin Material: BFK Rives paper Collection : Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, Modern Collection, Lisbon, Portugal Inv. : GP1005 ORPHEU Orpheu: “O primeiro grito moderno
Movementc. 1909–1929

Futurism

Explosive typography and competing directional forces turn text into a visual expression of motion.

Mixed type scales
Isolates frosted, refractive glass components over saturated gradients, showing the 2025 Liquid Glass evolution.
AestheticUndated

Glassmorphism

Translucent, blurred panels float above colorful backgrounds like sheets of frosted glass.

Background blur
this is a glitch sample of my movie Kodak Moment (2013) The actress is Mae Murray, and the source film is a Kodachrome test from 1922.
AestheticUndated

Glitch art

Displacement, corruption and interrupted repetition make the image appear to malfunction.

Channel offsets
Distressed, fabric-texture display type, 2025.
StyleUndated

Grunge typography

Eroded letterforms and unstable spacing give type a worn, abrasive and imperfect surface.

Distressed outlines
Screens. Halftone process in printing. Purple Screens. Angles 165.
TechniqueUndated

Halftone

A regular field of marks translates continuous tone into a printable pattern.

Visible dot screens
These event posters were printed during a letterpress printing workshop taught by by Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. at Washington University in St. Louis during the 2011 SGC International conference. Kennedy designed the posters and set the type, and workshop attendees helped print them.
TechniqueUndated

Letterpress

Pressure and raised printing surfaces produce crisp edges, ink variation and sometimes a visible impression.

Tactile type edges
Contemporary Brussels animation concept art with a ligne claire homage, 2024.
StyleUndated

Ligne claire

Even outlines and clean color areas keep figures and environments equally readable.

Consistent contour weight
1945 linocut of a street scene of figures with an umbrella, by Byron Randall
TechniqueUndated

Linocut

Cut marks and broad printed shapes make a composition feel direct and tactile.

Bold silhouettes
Poster: "The Black Patti, Mme. M. Sissieretta Jones, The Greatest Singer of her Race". Color lithograph ; sheet 77 x 50 cm. Restorationist's Note: I hate the text on this. Hits some of the worst Victorian ways of writing about other races than white. I did this restoration for Jones, not the copyist
TechniqueUndated

Lithography

A drawn image can retain fluid lines and tonal variety when reproduced from a prepared flat surface.

Drawn mark character
Contemporary maximalist poster and motion system, 2026.
StyleUndated

Maximalism

Abundant pattern, layered references and competing scales create a deliberately full visual field.

High density
1980s design movement started in 1981 by Ettore Sottsass and a group of young designers who wanted to challenge the established notions of good design at the time.
MovementUndated

Memphis

Playful geometry, surface pattern and unexpected proportions deliberately unsettle conventional visual order.

Squiggles and pattern
Contemporary heritage poster series in a mid-century modern language, 2025.
StyleUndated

Mid-century modern

Economical shapes and expressive composition balance a clean structure with warmth and visual wit.

Simplified organic forms
Warm contemporary minimalist home-decor identity, 2025.
StyleUndated

Minimalism

Reduction concentrates attention on a few elements, their proportions and the space between them.

Limited visual vocabulary
Acid-yellow ground, heavy black borders and hard offset shadows on every card and button.
StyleUndated

Neo-Brutalism

Thick black outlines, hard offset shadows and flat bright colors give an interface a bold, deliberately blunt look.

Heavy black borders
Exemple d'éléments adoptant les style neumorphique
AestheticUndated

Neumorphism

Controls seem pressed out of, or into, one soft surface through paired light and dark shadows.

Same-color surfaces
Contemporary type experiment selected for its asymmetric compositional hierarchy and active typographic contrast.
MovementUndated

New Typography

Asymmetry, directional relationships and clear typographic contrast organize the page around communication.

Flush-left text
Experimental typographic editorial design, 2025.
Stylec. 1968–1989

New Wave typography

A disciplined typographic foundation is stretched through layering, altered spacing and unconventional reading paths.

Expanded letterspacing
High-contrast contemporary optical poster treatment, 2022.
StyleUndated

Op art

Repeated geometric relationships make a static surface appear to vibrate, shift or recede.

Alternating bands
Silver Reed Colour PenGraph EB50 Plotter: cover taken off
ApparatusUndated

Pen plotter

Continuous paths and repeated strokes expose the logic of a drawing machine.

Monoline paths
A small, much used Xerox photocopier in the library of GlenOak High School in Canton, Ohio, USA.
ApparatusUndated

Photocopier

High-contrast reproduction, grain and repeated degradation create a rough documentary surface.

Crushed shadows
Phot omontage - Composite of 16 different photos which have been digitally manipulated to give the impression that it is a real landscape. Software used: Adobe Photoshop
TechniqueUndated

Photomontage

Photographic fragments are combined to create an image that a single camera exposure would not produce.

Cut photographic edges
Pixel-art identity across character, logo, and app, 2023.
StyleUndated

Pixel art

Discrete pixel placement defines contours, texture and shading at a deliberately limited resolution.

Stepped contours
Contemporary Plakatstil product-advertising study, 2021.
Style1906

Plakatstil

A reduced object and a commanding name make the advertising message immediately recognizable.

Isolated object
Contemporary Pop Art exhibition poster, 2025.
StyleUndated

Pop art

Bold outlines, repetition and familiar commercial imagery give the image an immediate, graphic impact.

Repeated motifs
Contemporary art-publication identity chosen for its layered, expressive graphic composition.
Stylec. 1968–1999

Postmodern graphic design

Layered references, expressive typography and visible contradictions challenge the idea of a neutral visual language.

Historical quotation
Contemporary psychedelic illustration with Afrofuturist influence, 2025.
Stylec. 1960–1979

Psychedelic art

Interlocking shapes and vibrating color relationships produce an immersive, visually unstable field.

Swelling letterforms
Contemporary punk poster series with halftone and type collage, 2025.
StyleUndated

Punk graphics

Cut lettering, rough reproduction and abrupt juxtaposition create an urgent, improvised visual voice.

Ransom-note type
Riso RZ 970 im Atelier von Herr und Frau Rio in München (2020)
ApparatusUndated

Risograph

Spot-color layers and small variations in registration produce vivid, tactile printed surfaces.

Overprinted inks
Scrapbook (19th or early 20th century?) The Women's Museum, Dallas, Texas
StyleUndated

Scrapbook

Photos, paper scraps, tape and handwritten notes are layered as if pasted into a personal album.

Taped and torn edges
Photos from the production process of the promo materials (posters and tote bags) of the fourth edition of Open Source Conference Albania that takes place in Tirana Albania in the second weekend of May 2017. The materials were printed using the silkscreen method.
TechniqueUndated

Screen printing

Separate ink passes produce strong silhouettes, opaque color and purposeful overlap.

Flat ink areas
Contemporary tactile interface reference using depth and material-like controls to signal interaction.
AestheticUndated

Skeuomorphism

Familiar materials and object-like controls help a digital surface suggest its physical function.

Material cues
Modern poster illustration explicitly presented by its creator as a digital take on early Socialist Realism imagery.
Movementc. 1932–1956

Socialist Realism

Idealized figures, emphatic scale and clear narrative framing make a political or civic message immediately legible.

Heroic scale and idealized figures
Contemporary Streamline Moderne-inspired residential development, 2023.
StyleUndated

Streamline Moderne

Long horizontal movement and rounded, aerodynamic forms give objects and compositions a sense of flow.

Rounded corners
Superflat flowers recontextualized within contemporary ikebana, 2021.
StyleUndated

Superflat

Flattened space and crisply bounded forms place characters, pattern and surface on a shared plane.

Shallow pictorial space
Suprematism
MovementUndated

Suprematism

Elementary geometric forms float in open space, with balance produced through position, angle and scale.

Isolated geometry
John Frum appears frequently as a character in the paintings of Leigh Cooney. This piece titled "Flow My Tears, John Fruma Said" features Cooney's interpretation of John Frum as a Christ Figure to represent the absurdity of turning to Gods as a source of answers for aspects of life we don't understa
MovementUndated

Surrealism

Unexpected relationships between familiar things make the image feel dreamlike, impossible or psychologically charged.

Impossible juxtapositions
Contemporary Swiss-style poster series, 2025.
Stylec. 1950–1979

Swiss International Style

A precise grid, asymmetrical balance and economical typography give complex information a clear visual order.

Modular alignment
"First animation test with Blender 2.8 Beta and Eevee. Followed the great Ducky 3D tutorial (link below). Enjoy the music ;) Video edited with Davinci Resolve. Music: Mt Fuji by Timecrawler 82 (freemusicarchive.org) cc by 3.0 Ducky 3D channel - youtube.com/channel/UCuNh... Social: Official Website:
Aesthetic2005

Synthwave

Luminous horizons, reflective surfaces and receding grids build a stylized electronic atmosphere.

Neon-like edges
Ukiyo-e visual language reactivated for contemporary urban billboards, 2026.
StyleUndated

Ukiyo-e

Clear contour, patterned surfaces and cropped compositions create a strong relationship between figure and surrounding space.

Flat color areas
Vaporwave art example created by me.
Aesthetic2009

Vaporwave

Detached commercial imagery, artificial surfaces and disrupted digital space create an atmosphere of mediated nostalgia.

Collaged consumer imagery
Contemporary decorative work mixing Victorian-era references with a new digital material treatment.
Stylec. 1850–1899

Victorian graphic design

Ornate lettering, detailed illustration and layered framing create a rich commercial page.

Decorated display type
The authorisation for taking photos of this object was provided by the World Wide Fund for Nature Italy.
MovementUndated

Vienna Secession

Stylized ornament and geometric discipline bring decorative surfaces into tension with structural order.

Rectilinear framing
Woodblock print, Shimada Station from the series 53 stations of the Tōkaidō in pairs (or "53 Parallels for the Tōkaidō Road"). (extracted).
TechniqueUndated

Woodcut

Carved lines and printed solid areas turn the contrast between ink and paper into an expressive surface.

Strong cut contours
Contemporary poster study explicitly inspired by the WPA poster tradition.
Stylec. 1936–1943

WPA poster design

Reduced illustration and clearly organized lettering turn civic messages into direct, accessible posters.

Broad flat shapes
Contemporary identity project described by its makers as using Y2K visual language.
AestheticUndated

Y2K aesthetic

Glossy surfaces, synthetic forms and compact digital typography evoke an imagined technological future.

Metallic effects