To some extent, Scandinavian graphic design has become a particular variety of contemporary art, like it has become a brand. They appear not only in web designs but also to other art forms like architecture, posters, magazine layout, fashion, t-shirt prints, graffiti, and music.
The artists and the nations consisting of Scandinavian graphic design are varied, from the Danes and Norse to even Dutch and Icelandic. It depends how you classify the geographic scope of what is Scandinavia. As other art forms transcend to each other?s realms, what is evident is that so is a nation influencing its neighbors.
Instead of cataloguing the artists, which are limitless, what we did is list down the qualities that make Scandinavian graphic design distinguished from other regional graphic designs.
Fundamentally, the qualities listed here revolved around three major concepts: minimalism, functionality, and individualism. These three intercede with each other. The rest in the list falls under these three, either as a hybrid or as a subcategory prominent enough to need its own definition.
1. Minimalist. Stripped of excess figures but never boring, most Scandinavian designs are easily noted for their being minimalist. Clean lines. Basic but vibrant colors. Geometric patterns. Sometimes, the designs can be bare with just one tiny detail, but this tiny detail can be very crucial in sending a loud message. They?re clean, fuss-free, and playful.
2. Abstract. Coming from a tradition of high abstract art, contemporary Scandinavian designs still resemble the early 20th century artists like Picasso or Miro, but somewhat in ?toned down? variants. What we mean by toned down is the influence of minimalism to become clean abstract.
3. The negative space. This may be sub categorized under minimalism, but most of the time the ?positive space? is not minimalist but made of chaotic patterns and colors. The ?negative space? or the ?empty space? came from the tradition of Taoist and Japanese art. The negative space compliments the positive space in a harmonious way, both defining each other.
4. Sustainability. In the last decade, the keyword for designs is ?sustainability? or the ability of the design to incorporate itself with its environment without intervening with the natural order. At the same time, sustainable design can also help and promote to maintain this natural order.
5. Ergonomic. Ergonomics is a discipline in design that helps create devices to function well with the human body. Nowadays, graphic designers are mindful how typeface, font size, colors, shapes, and other visual factors affect the audience?s visual capacity. This is also important how pleasing and attuned the design is to the function of the human eyes.
6. Medium conscious. Like how an architect is selective of his or her material, graphic artists take important choices to what medium to use: watercolor or oil, scanned or direct to software, even choosing which graphic manipulation software, or what kind of drawing device. These seemingly simple choices affect how they well express their creativity. Mostly opt for direct-to-software illustration as paper and other materials are costly.
7. Individuality. What every artist and design need is character. This is when the audience can easily recognize the works of particular artist, tradition, or nation. This is where personal traits emanate from the designs. Individuality can be evident in many forms: style, subject matter, images, and figures. Designs can be playful, dark, or romantic.
8. Thematic. One of the individualistic characteristics is the theme an artist conveys. An example is the arts inspired by apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic images of landscapes, extraterrestrial, mystical, and cosmic events, a collage of industrial and nature images, and many more, haunting photographs inspired by music and horror films.
9. Crossover. Subject themes in Scandinavian graphic design cross over from one art form to another. This is when the different forms like fashion, architecture, photography, graffiti, and music intercede and influences each other. Most graphic designers are not just graphic designers. They are also architects, musician, fashion designers, wherever they can experiment their creativity, and enriching the experiential quality of their graphic designs.
10. Humanism. Unlike the beginning of 20th Century where most artists felt the isolation of humanity, the beginning of 21st Century saw the rise of a worldwide community. The Internet has been very means of this creative circulation. Even if the styles where mostly inspired from the era of Abstract, Dadaism, Cubism, Minimalism, to reflect the jaggedness of human soul, never has these been jaggedness warmer to its audience. We reflect on simple lines and empty space and we can relate to this jaggedness. Life is distorted, but we are not alone.
Minimalism, functionality, and individualism merely replicate whatever that is human. As everywhere else, Scandinavian graphic designs are not merely design but art with purpose. What is important is that the humanity we see in them.
Thus, Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish graphic and web solutions providers instinctively put these design aspects and elements to their art not only as preferred visuals but as something inherent to their social, political, and aesthetic landscapes.
Jasper Dela Cruz is a business blogger. He blogs for KTJ-Media.dk, a Danish web solutions site.
Source: http://toptenpk.com/10-outstanding-elements-of-scandinavian-graphic-design/
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