{"id":4099,"date":"2019-05-31T10:41:09","date_gmt":"2019-05-31T14:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/?p=4099"},"modified":"2022-02-22T17:24:34","modified_gmt":"2022-02-22T22:24:34","slug":"back-to-the-ussr-soviet-graphic-design-keeps-its-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ceros.com\/inspire\/originals\/back-to-the-ussr-soviet-graphic-design-keeps-its-cool\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to the USSR: Soviet Graphic Design Keeps Its Cool"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading Time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>\n

In 1982, when Ronald Reagan consigned Marxism and Leninism to the \u201cash heap of history,\u201d he failed to consider the durability of the revolutionary design movements that were inextricably interwoven with those ideologies. Early Soviet graphic design, a movement marked by bold experiments in typography, hypnotic geometries, and surreal effects, is everywhere these days. Apparently, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez isn’t not the only one making socialism<\/a> cool again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The influence of the legendary designers and artists of that era never really went away, and it\u2019s fair to say that their visual language has returned to the forefront. Have a look at the enduring legacy of three of the Soviet Union\u2019s most remarkable graphic designers<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alexander Rodchenko<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Alexander Rodchenko began his career as a painter, his work heavily influenced by the Cubists and Futurists. In 1921, however, he declared painting dead and turned his talents to helping the state, largely through graphic design and photography. Perhaps the most famous piece of graphic design of the Soviet era, his 1924 advertisement for Gosizdat, the state publishing house, features Lilya Brik<\/a> yelling the word \u201cBooks!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Books (Please)! In All Branches of Knowledge<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

If it was the only thing Rodchenko had ever produced, his legacy would still be unquestioned. The image is everywhere, from literal quotations, such as the cover of Franz Ferdinand\u2019s 2005 album You Could Have It So Much Better <\/em>to the February 2019 cover of The Economist, <\/em>which you can click through below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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