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141140
“Tension is the great integrity.”
RichaRd BuckminsteR FulleR (1895–1983), American, Architect, Author, Inventor
tension
14
ten·sion \'ten(t)-sh n\ n
3 c: a balance maintained in
artistic work between opposing
forces or elements
The principle of tension
in visual communica-
tions is critical to effective
graphic design. Tension
is primarily a visual, as well as psychological, attention-getting
device. It is also a tenuous balance maintained between opposing
formal elements, often causing anxiety, stress, angst, or excitement,
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Job No:11-22360 Title:RP-Language of Graphic Design
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19 23
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Piet Zwart (1885–1977), a Dutch crafts-
man, draftsman, and architect, was born
in Zaandijk, an industrial area north of
Amsterdam. From 1902 to 1907, he attended
Amsterdam’s School of Arts and Crafts,
where he became interested in architec-
ture. His early work involved designing
textiles, furniture, and interiors in a style
that showed his affinity for de Stijl.
Zwart was influenced by many of
the modern, avant-garde movements of
the early twentieth century, as well as
Tschichold’s The New Typography. He was
one of the first modernist designers in
Holland to apply the principles of de Stijl
and Constructivism to commercial adver-
tising during the 1920s.
From 1921 to 1927, Zwart worked for
h. p. Berlage, the most influential Dutch
architect of the era. While working in
Berlage’s office, he received his first typo-
graphic commission and designed the first
of many advertisements for Laga Company,
a Dutch flooring manufacturer.
These dynamic and arresting adver-
tisements are early examples of Zwart’s
interest in typography, pure compositional
form, and asymmetrical tension. Here, he
mostly used found type and letterforms
from various printers’ cases. While pho-
tographs and photomontage were used
sparingly, when he did rely on these forms,
they were never used as embellishment or
decoration. Every visual element, whether
typographic or photographic, was used to
collectively create a more meaningful and
powerful message.
With this early work, Zwart rejected
conventional symmetry and traditional ty-
pographic rules. He considered the design
of a visual composition as a “field of ten-
sion” brought to life with a combination of
exuberance, and joy for the viewer. Tension
and balance are interrelated principles in
visual communications. Like balance, tension
is an obvious and constant presence in our
everyday lives. Unfortunately, we cannot
experience one of them without the other.
When something is out of balance in our
life, we feel tense and anxious. For example,
when we observe a daring feat, such as a
high-wire act at a circus, it makes us feel
uneasy and tense since there is always a
potential for the performer to fall. The same
experiences and emotions can be conveyed
and ultimately felt in any visual message.
(continued on page 145)
casa rex
São Paulo, Brazil
p
Poulin + Morris inc.
New York, New York, USA
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