Seznam děl umělce Sutnar Ladislav

ladislav sutnar was a graphic designer and design theorist.
sutnar, understood practical function and the need to control
and organize the plethora of information that was fast bombarding
contemporary life of the 1940s-1960s.
was a pioneer for functionality in design, what is now called
'information design' (he designed one of the most common yet
revolutionary graphic devices - the parentheses around american
telephone area code numbers).
although somewhat overshadowed in western europe by his
contemporaries, including russian constructivist el lissitsky
and bauhaus master laslo moholy nagy, sutnar was nonetheless
well-known in prague - a 1934 exhibit, ‘ladislav sutnar and the
new typography’ earned major notices at the time.

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graphic design
sutnar became one of the leading graphic design forces of the
1940s-1950s. he harnessed certain avant garde design principles
and injected visual dynamism into even the most routine content
without hindering accessibility.
the basic structure was rational; juxtapositions, scale and color
were curiously abstract : he used geometric forms to build signs
that would attract and guide the eye from one level of information
to the next. repeating symbols and forms helped him express
an industrial sensibility.
for magazines he developed strict, though mutable, typographic grids,
framing sans-serif modern typefaces with white space in a way
that prefigured the precise, architectonic compositions of post-war
swiss design. sutnar was a constructivist in the purest sense.

ladislav sutnar published many articles and books but is perhaps
best known for his book: 'visual design in action'.
in the 1940s when sutnar introduced the theoretical constructs that
defined good design, american commercial art rarely addressed
this issue. sutnar was stern about matters of order and logic and
fervently sought to alter visual standards by introducing businessmen
and commercial artists to 'the sound basis for modern graphic
design and typography,' which he asserts in this book ,
'a direct heritage of the avant-garde pioneering of the twenties
and thirties in europe. it represents a basic change that is revolutionary.'

'without efficient typography, the jet plane pilot cannot read his
instrument panel fast enough to survive. ' he said.
his 'catalog design' (1944) and 'catalog design progress' (1950)
were guidebooks to clear the chaos of printed material.
new means had to come to meet the quickening tempo of industry.
graphic design was forced to develop higher standards of performance
to speed up the transmission of information.

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product design
his work as a product designer is less known to day.
he designed toys, glass tea sets, and porcelain dishes...


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ladislav sutnar (1897 – 1976)
was born in pilsen, czechoslovakia in november 9, 1897.
educated in prague.
he taught at the state school of graphic arts, prague, from 1923-36.
at the height of his powers as an exponent of czech modernism
and after having designed graphics, products and exhibitions,
he travelled to new york as exhibition designer for the 1939
world's fair czech pavilion.
just after the fair opened, hitler's armies marched on czechoslovakia,
and dismembered the country.
the pavilion closed immediately, and sutnar, decided to remain in
new york.


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more writings by sutnar
- periodical articles
-'commercial symbols in architecture.'
architectural record 120 (september 1956): 256-261.
-'how important is the surface to design?'
print 13 (january-february 1959): 29.
-'ladislav sutnar: ecology and the needs for visual design.'
idea 21 (march 1973): 58-63.
- books
-and lönberg-holm, k. 'catalog design'.
new york: sweet's catalog service, 1944.
-'design for point of sale.'
new york: pellegrini and cudahy, 1952.
-'package design: the force of visual selling.'
new york: arts, inc., 1953.
-'visual design in action: principles, purposes.'
new york: hastings house, 1961.
- 'an interval of design freedom'
signature from 'visual design in action: principles, purposes.'
- 'transport: next half century.'
new Yyrk: canterbury printing co. 1950.

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more info on ladislav sutnar
http://www.sutnar.com In: http://www.designboom.com/history/sutnar.html

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