Style combination · Contrasts

Art Nouveau × Plakatstil

It was conceived against Jugendstil ornament; set a bare object poster beside a floral frame to dramatise clarity versus decoration.

From the research on Plakatstil / Sachplakat

Mix them and make something Art Nouveau Plakatstil

A sample layout drawn from the recipe: shapes from Art Nouveau, their arrangement from Plakatstil, the finish from Art Nouveau. Not a real work, and not an image of either style.

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 Plakatstil / Sachplakat

Type from Art Nouveau: Hand-lettering
Ornamented display
Colour from Plakatstil: Flat fields
Limited spot colours
Form from Art Nouveau: Whiplash line
Biomorphic curves

Plakatstil avoids whiplash line: this is where the two pull against each other, which is the point of the contrast.
Composition from Plakatstil: Isolated object
Single focal point
Surface from Art Nouveau: Flat

The type

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

Display · Art Nouveau

Bloom

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

Text · Plakatstil

The German 'object poster' launched by Lucian Bernhard's Priester match poster and printed by Berlin's Hollerbaum & Schmidt. It strips the advertisement to a single product rendered in flat, saturated colour and the brand name in bold hand-drawn letters on a plain ground, so the message registers instantly from a passing tram or across the street.

Oswald; Plakatstil used Lucian Bernhard's hand-drawn block lettering and Block

The colours

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

Art Nouveau Plakatstil / Sachplakat

#151515 ground · 36%
#efe5cf ink · 14%
#d2382b accent · 18%
#c9a24b accent · 14%
#3f7a75 accent · 10%
#24418f accent · 8%

As CSS

:root {
  --ground: #151515;
  --ink: #efe5cf;
  --accent-1: #d2382b;
  --accent-2: #c9a24b;
  --accent-3: #3f7a75;
  --accent-4: #24418f;
  --font-display: "Federant", sans-serif;
  --font-text: "Oswald", sans-serif;
}

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.

A tall, slender red-orange dog stands facing right against a black background, with angular black cutouts defining its features and limbs. Large cream capital letters spell “VELOX” beneath its paws.

1905–1920 · Central Europe Plakatstil / Sachplakat The German 'object poster' launched by Lucian Bernhard's Priester match poster and printed by Berlin's Hollerbaum & Schmidt. It strips the advertisement to a single product rendered in flat, saturated colour and the brand name in bold hand-drawn letters on a plain ground, so the message registers instantly from a passing tram or across the street.

More combinations

With Art Nouveau

All 28 combinations with Art Nouveau

With Plakatstil

All 12 combinations with Plakatstil

Every style combination