Genre-bending, era-defining graphics in a book of 20th century Chinese design

Date
10 May 2012

Hot dog damn it the internet is good. More specifically, 50 Watts, because it’s not everyday and just anywhere you see such extraordinary graphic design. These images, taken from a book called Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century by Scott Minick and Jiao Ping, depict changing styles and traditions in Chinese design as wider art movements began to influence the eastern aesthetic and technique. It’s totally fascinating, contextually and artistically, to see such strong parallels between individual designers in the 1920s and 1930s and, say, the German expressionists. Rare and beautiful work.

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Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century: China Sketch, December 1936 “The End of Science” (back cover). Illustrator: Zhong-xin

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Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century: A Great Love, 1930. Designer: Qian Jun-tao

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Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century: Modern Student, June 1931. Designer: Chen Zhi-fo

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Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century: Military Magazine, April 1937

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Chinese Graphic Design in the Twentieth Century: Modern Woman, 1933. Designer: Qian Jun-tao

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About the Author

Bryony Quinn

Bryony was It’s Nice That’s first ever intern and worked her way up to assistant online editor before moving on to pursue other interests in the summer of 2012.

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