DRB 4: Brutalist / punk / anti/anarchic design

Trellick Tower is a brutalist style building

Brutalism is a design style which originally began as architecture. In the 1950’s, after the effect of the war, architects began to use more raw materials such as concrete. These buildings were very harsh and to some, were depressive and unattractive. The word comes from a French term, ‘beton brut’ – meaning raw concrete (McKnight, 2022).

 

An example of brutalism inspired design

Brutalism has also bled into graphic design. The core principals remain, with the design being visually heavy and structural – similar to a building. Thick, impactful fonts, textured surfaces and flat colours are often found in these designs. These designs are the opposite of delicate, and are instead more daring and experimental (Moran, 2017)

Punk fan magazine from 1976

Punk design is similar in the way that it rejects what is seen as the ‘norm’. Punk originated in 1970s England, and was centred around self-governing and non-conformist behaviours. Punk design is most recognised for looking like ransom notes – especially following Jamie Reid’s work with the Sex Pistols, whose style became synonymous with Punk culture (3cc London, nd). 

Anti design example album cover

Anti design is another style which goes against traditional rules. Anti design is usually more chaotic and doesn’t follow rules regarding hierarchy or grids. The result of this is challenging and provocative. 

My design of The Batman inspired by punk styles.
The inspiration for my design. Jamie Reid's art for the Sex Pistols.

I have taken inspiration from punk design to create this poster. It shows Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, from The Batman. In the movie, The Riddler (villain) sends anonymous letters in a ransom note style. I have copied this by layering news papers from the film and a photo of Bruce Wayne. I covered his eyes to create anonyminity, and placed one of The Riddler’s quotes there, using a ransom-note font. I also added ‘The Riddler’ on the mouth as a sign off. I was inspired by the work of Jamie Reid, so I placed the image in a oval shape, similar to his design for the Sex Pistols. 

A brutalist design I made for footballer Reece James

Inspired by brutalism, I made a design for Reece James, a footballer. I used the threshold tool to reduce the image to shadows and highlights, cutting him out and pasting him to the right hand side of the frame. I recoloured the image to be blue, the colour of Chelsea, the team he plays for. I then added a blue rectangle for structure and added his name, going vertically for variation in direction. I then added his shirt number, the Chelsea badge, and Nike logo (Chelsea’s sponsor). I made this text white to contrast, whilst keeping with the singular colour theme. I then added a texture overlay for a more messy, roughed out effect.

Brutalist design for Kendrick Lamar's latest album

This is a design I made for Kendrick Lamar’s new album, Mr Morale And The Big Steppers. I screenshotted images from his music video and manipulated them with the threshold tool for a gritty look. I arranged them into three rectangles, with the largest image at the bottom for balance. I added a maroon outline, matching the colour of the design. I added a rectangle, where I placed the track list. I halved the list and placed them at either side to create more balance horizontally. I added the album title and artist, running vertically for leading lines. I also added information such as the copyrights, record label, and an explicit warning for a more authentic album cover effect. I added noise for some grain and texture to finish.

Poster for the Disney+ show, Moon Knight

I decided to make a portrait oriented poster. I made this for the show ‘Moon Knight’. I began by taking a still from the show and cutting the characters out, along with the desert sand. I used a gradient map and colourised the images blue. I placed this image at the bottom of the frame, and added three squares running down the left hand side – showing some of the main characters of the show. I then added a Moon Knight quote on the opposite side, but turned the opacity down so it didn’t disrupt the balance. For the final line, I brought the tracking down so ‘I am Moon Knight’ was emphasised and shown as important. I then added noise to make it feel more brutalist and ‘gritty’.

Reference:

3cc London (nd) Punk’s influence on graphic design [Article]. Available online: https://3cc.london/blog/40/picturing-punk [Accessed: 16.04.2023]


Calmatic (2022) Kendrick Lamar Rich Spirit Music Video [Screenshot]. Available online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toBTPGfurLc [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


Chelsea F.C (2023) Chelsea FC Badge Logo [Image]. Available online: https://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Chelsea_FC.svg [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


Disney (2022) Moon Knight Arthur Harrow [Image]. Available online: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/896075657088832918/ [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


Disney (2022) Moon Knight Episode 2 [Image]. Available online: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/896075657088832932/ [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


Disney (2022) Moon Knight Episode 3 [Image]. Available online: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.comicsbeat.com%2Fmoon-knight-episode-3-recap-review%2F&psig=AOvVaw2svKZNm-sR2TgER3Ne71i9&ust=1681754012111000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBAQjRxqFwoTCIDh74X8rv4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


Disney (2022) Moon Knight Layla Episode 8 [Image]. Available online: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/896075657088833063/ [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


Marvel Comics (1990) Moon Knight Vol 116 [Quote]. Available online: https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Marc_Spector_(Earth-616)/Quotes#:~:text=I%20became%20Moon%20Knight%20to,darkness%20inside%20my%20own%20heart.&text=I%20am%20Moon%20Knight.,of%20the%20mantle%20of%20Khonshu. [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


McKnight, Christopher (2022) Your Art is Boring: The Rise of “Brutalist” Design [Article]. Available online: https://wearetribu.com/your-art-is-boring-the-rise-of-brutalist-design/ [Accessed: 16.04.2023]


Moran, Katie (2017) Brutalism And Antidesign [Article]. Available online: https://www.nngroup.com/articles/brutalism-antidesign/ [Accessed: 16.04.2023]


Nike (2023) Nike swoosh logo [Image]. Available online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swoosh#/media/File:Logo_NIKE.svg [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


PGLand (2023) PGLand logo [Image]. Available online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGLang#/media/File:PGLang_Logo.jpg [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


Phung, Koah (2022) Mononke Cover [Image]. Available online: https://www.shutterstock.com/blog/anti-design-inspiration [Accessed: 16.04.2023]


Reid, Jamie (1976) Anarchy In The UK Fanzine [Image]. Available online: https://designobserver.com/feature/the-art-of-punk-and-the-punk-aesthetic/36708 [Accessed: 16.04.2023]


Reid, Jamie (1977) God Save The Queen [Image]. Available online: https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/db657b16011ca28578b55b3782f2f53901224fed/0_244_4280_2568/master/4280.jpg?width=1200&height=900&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&s=68988b6d07aa3a45cd0cdf33b531b689 [Accessed: 16.04.2023]


Unknown (nd) Gotham Newspaper [Image]. Available online: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fbmoserff%2Fnewspaper%2F&psig=AOvVaw2zwhdwQ51gWB1rhR4Qftc9&ust=1681753346795000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBAQjRxqFwoTCJi1ysj5rv4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


Unknown (1996) Parental Advisory Label [Image]. Available online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parental_Advisory#/media/File:Parental_Advisory_label.svg [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


Unknown (nd) Reece James [Image]. Available online: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mirror.co.uk%2Fsport%2Ffootball%2Fnews%2Fchelsea-injuries-james-chalobah-kante-27873923&psig=AOvVaw3hZmxL60_cZ_qB7f1_mCGY&ust=1681753445529000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBAQjRxqFwoTCJCr2vf5rv4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAH [Accessed: 12.04.2023]


Unknown (nd) Trellick Tower [Image]. Available online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trellick_Tower#/media/File:Trellick_Tower_front_view_(colour_brightness_adjust).jpg [Accessed: 16.04.2023]


Unpopular Content (2023) Valendie [Image]. Available online: https://www.behance.net/gallery/163771085/Valendie?tracking_source=search_projects%7Cbrutalism+poster+design [Accessed: 16.04.2023]


Warner Bros (2022) Robert Pattinson in The Batman [Image]. Available online: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rollingstone.co.uk%2Ffilm%2Fnews%2Frobert-pattinson-says-the-batman-is-sad-and-his-bruce-wayne-is-a-weirdo-11037%2F&psig=AOvVaw1oPeJpfsLL_BEOqiSCExRK&ust=1681752946442000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CBAQjRxqFwoTCNDi4on4rv4CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE [Accessed: 12.04.2023]