Stylogeny combining Indian Calendar × International Typographic Style

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Style combination · Contrasts

Indian Calendar × International Typographic Style

A neutral grid and grotesque type make a calm frame for one lush calendar image, letting it read as the single focal point.

From the research on Indian Calendar & Bazaar Art

Mix them and make something Indian Calendar International Typographic Style

FormIndian Calendar × International Typographic
A sample layout drawn from the recipe: shapes from Indian Calendar, their arrangement from Indian Calendar, the finish from Indian Calendar. 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.

Indian Calendar & Bazaar Art International Typographic Style

Type from International Typographic Style
Colour from International Typographic Style
Form from Indian Calendar

International Typographic Style avoids abundant decoration: this is where the two pull against each other, which is the point of the contrast.

Composition from Indian Calendar

International Typographic Style avoids central symmetry: this is where the two pull against each other, which is the point of the contrast.

Surface from Indian Calendar

02

The type

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

Display · International Typographic Style

Form

Inter Tight, standing in for Akzidenz-Grotesk

Text · Indian Calendar

Mass-printed images of Hindu deities, epic scenes, saints, nationalist heroes and film stars, sold in bazaars and given away as business calendars, from the chromolithographs of the Calcutta Art Studio and Ravi Varma Press to Sivakasi offset. Frontal, idealised figures painted with academic naturalism glow against dreamy landscapes, in saturated colour with gold, haloes and ornate frames above the sponsor's name and calendar pad.

Archivo; Indian Calendar used Hand-drawn Devanagari display lettering and Hand-lettered Tamil and Bengali titles

03

The colours

The ground and leading colours come from International Typographic Style, with a counter-accent from Indian Calendar. The ink reads on the ground at 4.5:1 or more.

Indian Calendar & Bazaar Art International Typographic Style

  • #f2f0e9 ground · 36%
  • #111111 ink · 14%
  • #e1251b accent · 18%
  • #e8822a accent · 14%
  • #1f4e9c accent · 10%
  • #7a7a7a accent · 8%

As CSS

:root {
  --ground: #f2f0e9;
  --ink: #111111;
  --accent-1: #e1251b;
  --accent-2: #e8822a;
  --accent-3: #1f4e9c;
  --accent-4: #7a7a7a;
  --font-display: "Inter Tight", sans-serif;
  --font-text: "Archivo", sans-serif;
}

Use it with care

Indian Calendar & Bazaar Art: These are devotional images that many viewers worship, so do not crop, distort or deface deities or place them on footwear, floors, underwear or in mocking contexts. Many original painters went uncredited; name the artist and press where known.

04

The two styles

1878–present · South Asia Indian Calendar & Bazaar Art Mass-printed images of Hindu deities, epic scenes, saints, nationalist heroes and film stars, sold in bazaars and given away as business calendars, from the chromolithographs of the Calcutta Art Studio and Ravi Varma Press to Sivakasi offset. Frontal, idealised figures painted with academic naturalism glow against dreamy landscapes, in saturated colour with gold, haloes and ornate frames above the sponsor's name and calendar pad. The words “Urban Systems” appear in large black and red lettering at the upper left of an off-white cover. Tall blue, black and grey rectangular blocks rise from the bottom, with fine vertical dividing lines and a red circle at the upper right. 1950–1975 · Central Europe International Typographic Style A post-war refinement of the New Typography in which the mathematical grid, objective photography and neo-grotesque sans-serifs were used to communicate with clarity and neutrality. Taught at the Basel and Zurich schools, it became the default language of international corporate and institutional communication.

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More combinations

With Indian Calendar

All 14 combinations with Indian Calendar

With International Typographic Style

All 97 combinations with International Typographic Style

Every style combination