Neshan 37

Before the 1905 Constitutional Revolution in Iran, women were assigned a very insignificant role in the society. In fact, the Constitutional Revolution marked the beginning of a new era of political, social, and cultural activity for Iranian women and gradually engaged them in social issues, unlike the Qajar era and the sex segregation imposed on all segments of the society. The Constitutional Revolution’s main feature was the simultaneous presence of women and men in the society. Although women had no say during the Movement, they were influe... > more

et’s Rewind. Over half of the prospective students seeking to enroll in the Bauhaus were women. However, the Bauhaus women were placed into a separate “women’s facility” due to the threat their talents posed to the men. Although the Bauhaus declared equality between men and women when it opened in 1919, Walter Gropius’ decision to segregate these women was undeniably wrong. Yet, this did not keep the skill, passion, or production of these women at bay...... > more

1. Despite its glamorous name and image, graphic design can be a burdensome profession and literally disastrous at times! Professional graphic design involves dealing with sets of professional challenges, interactions and conflicts, putting up with a range of diverse (and sometimes irrelevant) clients, possessing a series of technological and technical skills, tackling overt and covert competitions with colleagues, coping with trivia, writing, speaking, managing, convincing, working in teams, etc. Thus, successful designers are often the most ... > more

Mitra Shahsavand has never designed a poster, but customer transaction forms she designed for a bank help thousands of people perform banking tasks easier, faster, and with greater peace of mind. Although my colleagues and I display posters proudly in galleries, I doubt we could have resolved such a serious design problem as effectively as Shahsavand did for that bank...... > more

In September of 2002 I first entered Anette Lenz’s studio. Two young graphic artists had recommended her to me; they had followed her work intently since the end of the 1990s and considered her the embodiment of graphic design in France. One must hear feminine undertones in the silent vowel ‘e’ in ‘graphisme’, designating a female creator. The French scene, for all its libertarian engagements, is — and has remained — quite negligent and irresponsible with regards to its female graphic artists. I wanted to make an impact, so I wrote a heavy-ha... > more

You were interested in becoming a writer and journalist. You said you loved Paul Auster and Jorge Luis Borges. You remarked elsewhere, “I design, I write, I educate, I am passionate about what I do.” How did you end up as a designer? Labels are just labels. I am a design writer, journalist, editor and a graphic designer. But I also do many other things, such as curating and teaching. I give workshops and lectures... > more

It was praised in the English magazine “The Architectural Review” in 1940: “Swiss typography is always good.” The subject of this praise was the rational typography of the “Zürich School” that Max Bill, Ernst Keller, Richard Paul Lohse and Haus Neuburg belonged to at that time. In the years that followed, younger graphic designers from Zürich and Basel came along and contributed further to the modern ideas of the school. The works produced here were so original that England and America began referring to the “Swiss style.” ... > more

Lucille Tenazas is certainly the kind of person who welcomes all sorts of experiences with open arms and lets them sink into her mind and feelings to purify her personality. All bits of her experiences, particularly those with a cultural and social aspect, have turned her into an exceptional figure — a figure that is respectable to everyone.... > more

Design Women: The Fall of Meteors* The following article may be revised or further developed in the future due to its archival nature—and since much of the related historical evidence is undocumented. Before the establishment of an industrial profession called graphic design, its primary form was developed by talented painters of the previous century. These painters created spaces and used various techniques in commercial painting.... > more

The Type Directors Club is the leading international organization supporting excellence in typography, both in print and on screen. Since 1946, the Type Directors Club has promoted excellence in the fields of typography and type design. The organization was initially formed in 1943 by a group of type specifiers from New York advertising agencies who met to discuss their work over lunch. Pete Tolles from J.Walter Thompson led the group.... > more

From the modernist art perspective, text is the center of meaning in rational graphic design. It manifests itself in the form of simple typography and is superior to image as illustration. Therefore, a successful and functional graphic design carries its message through legible typography, clear imagery and balanced compositions void of ornamentation. As Alice Twemlow points out, historically there have been ongoing debates (mostly hostile) about ornament and its position in art and design. The questions are whether it is dishonest and flawed... > more