Stylogeny combining Art Nouveau × Mechano-Faktura

Try

Style combination · Contrasts

Art Nouveau × Mechano-Faktura

Whiplash curves and ornament against strict mechanical lines.

From the research on Mechano-Faktura & Polish Constructivist Advertising

Mix them and make something Art Nouveau Mechano-Faktura

OrbitArt Nouveau × Mechano-Faktura1890 · 1923
A sample layout drawn from the recipe: shapes from Art Nouveau, their arrangement from Mechano-Faktura, the finish from Art Nouveau. Not a real work, and not an image of either style.

01

What each style brings

Each part of the design comes from the style with the stronger say in it, and each style gives at least two.

Art Nouveau Mechano-Faktura & Polish Constructivist Advertising

Type from Art Nouveau
Colour from Mechano-Faktura
Form from Art Nouveau
Composition from Mechano-Faktura

Art Nouveau avoids modular grid: this is where the two pull against each other, which is the point of the contrast.

Surface from Art Nouveau

02

The type

Open fonts standing in for each style’s own type, which is often hand-drawn or commercial.

Display · Art Nouveau

Orbit

Federant, standing in for Arnold Böcklin (Otto Weisert, 1904)

Text · Mechano-Faktura

Henryk Berlewi's system of two-dimensional pictures built mechanically from rhythmic parallel lines, circles and squares in black, white and red. It rejected the illusion of space and was promptly applied to commercial advertising, brochures and packaging by the agency Reklama-Mechano. Unlike Russian Constructivism, it was a theory of mechanical surface texture sold to business, with no photomontage, diagonals or agitprop. Berlewi quit the research in 1926 and returned to figurative art.

Jost; Mechano-Faktura used Lettering not verified; no typeface attribution confirmed and Geometric sans-serif display lettering is an unconfirmed assumption

03

The colours

The ground and leading colours come from Mechano-Faktura, with a counter-accent from Art Nouveau. The ink reads on the ground at 4.5:1 or more.

Art Nouveau Mechano-Faktura & Polish Constructivist Advertising

  • #ffffff ground · 36%
  • #111111 ink · 14%
  • #d62718 accent · 18%
  • #c9a24b accent · 14%
  • #3f7a75 accent · 10%
  • #d9a6a0 accent · 8%

As CSS

:root {
  --ground: #ffffff;
  --ink: #111111;
  --accent-1: #d62718;
  --accent-2: #c9a24b;
  --accent-3: #3f7a75;
  --accent-4: #d9a6a0;
  --font-display: "Federant", sans-serif;
  --font-text: "Jost", sans-serif;
}

04

The two styles

An illustrated poster headed “RIVERBLOOM” shows a woman in a flowing green dress with long auburn hair entwined with pink flowers, reaching down to touch rippling water. Water lilies, curling foliage and an ornate botanical border surround her, with a river, distant trees and a golden sun behind her. 1890–1910 · Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe, North America Art Nouveau An international 'new art' that sought a modern style free of historical revival, drawing its forms from plant growth and the female figure. Graphic work flows with whiplash curves and stylised flowers, frames idealised women in arches, halos and mosaic borders, and draws custom lettering that bends to fill the space, fusing image, ornament and type into one decorative surface. An abstract poster on a white background features the geometric word “RITMO” across the top, beside a large red circle. Black vertical stripes and stepped rows of black rectangles contrast with diagonal rows of red circles that shrink toward the right. 1923–1926 · Eastern Europe, Central Europe Mechano-Faktura & Polish Constructivist Advertising Henryk Berlewi's system of two-dimensional pictures built mechanically from rhythmic parallel lines, circles and squares in black, white and red. It rejected the illusion of space and was promptly applied to commercial advertising, brochures and packaging by the agency Reklama-Mechano. Unlike Russian Constructivism, it was a theory of mechanical surface texture sold to business, with no photomontage, diagonals or agitprop. Berlewi quit the research in 1926 and returned to figurative art.

05

More combinations

With Art Nouveau

All 28 combinations with Art Nouveau

With Mechano-Faktura

Every style combination