Design Inspiration
For centuries, artists have learned from the work of Masters that came before them. Whether it is the adaptation of a color palette, a printing technique or a design idea, artists have been inspired to build upon the work of another, thereby continuing the legacy of their predecessors.
The Art Nouveau print by Manuel Orazi, c 1900, (left) brought artistic quality to commercial advertising. Orazi's lithographic technique of blending colors was relatively a new use of the technology of the day. The effect lends an almost ethereal quality to the poster that reflected the performance style of dancer Loie Fuller. It changed the way audiences viewed advertising and pushed "form" ahead of "function" resulting in a secondary market: selling "art".
The "groovy" feel of the print by Peter Max, c 1967, (center) revived the color blending technique of Orazi. The flowing hair of the profiled female face is indicative of the psychedelic design style of the "Summer of Love".
Though my own 2005 self portrait (right) closely follows Max's illustration and color palette, it also takes some design elements from the Orazi piece: the flowing hair and floating floral detail. The "body" is implied to be in nature while the "universe" is inspiring creativity in the mind.
An excellent example of "art inspiring art" in advertising is the banner header currently (January 29, 2013) on the Adobe Illustrator page. The image (below) uses current technology to a enhance a rastorized Photoshop file with Illustrator vector elements. The result is a beautifully artistic advertising piece...much like a combination of techniques of both Orazi and Max.
It's kind of cool how advertising art from the past can resurface today—using very different technologies and media distribution (print vs. digital)—for the same purpose: mass appeal.
"May the words of my mouth, the thoughts of my heart,
win favor in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer."
— Psalm 19:15
