The Brief
Reacción is a personal take on the history of different graphic design movements and how they connect to the human experience. Each bag features a character that personifies its respective movement with a lesson that can be taken from it.
Why?
Graphic design can seem intimidating or alien to many people. The purpose of this collection is to show the human side of design, and to illustrate how design is ultimately a very human reaction to life.
Who is this For?
The collection is targeted at people who are interested in graphic design but don’t know where to start.
A reflection of the human experience.
While the tote bags work as a stylish accessory to grab people’s attention, the price tags on each bag contain information on the movements and include quotes and examples of their key designers.
The meaning
Constructivism
Origin: 1920s in Russia
Constructivists believed that art and design should serve a social purpose rather than just being a decorative piece. One of its most famous proponents, Alexander Rodchenko, believed it was necessary to examine something from multiple perspectives to fully understand it. In life, any situation can be seen from many different perspectives to find opportunity for growth and purpose.
Art Nouveau
Origin: 1890s in Europe and United States
Art Nouveau was an ornamental style that sought to modernize art and free it from the historical styles that were popular at the time. Its focus was on creating art and design that had good craftsmanship and beauty. It is important to find beauty in all aspects of life and have the freedom to do what you consider is important.
Dada
Origin: circa 1916 in Europe
Dada was a reactionary anti-war movement that wanted to break away from traditional art styles and any kind of rationality. Its mockery, wit, and absurdity powerfully criticized European culture – Dada means nothing. Though the origin of its name is not confirmed, a popular tale is that slid a paper knife at random into a dictionary, where it landed on "dada”. A similar technique was used to choose the quote for this bag to honor Dada’s philosophy of the absurd and randomness of life.
Swiss Style
Origin: 1920s in Europe
Also known as International Typographic Style, the Swiss Style emphasizes cleanness, readability, and objectivity. They placed a lot of importance in the clear communication of ideas. When it comes to life, the best answers to life’s questions and problems can be found in simplicity.
Postmodernism
Origin: Late 20th century
Postmodernism emerged as a reaction to modernism and includes skeptical interpretations of culture and art. It focused on deconstructing life and encouraged new interpretations of it. Our own reality can really be anything we wish to be, and it is important to form our own opinions instead of following the crowd.
The ideologies and characteristics of each movement are given a personalized take in the form of fun characters with phrases that refer to life lessons that can be taken from important figures of their respective movement.
