Bauhaus Graphic Design vs The New Typography
The New Typography evolved from Bauhaus Graphic Design — codified the Bauhaus and avant-garde experiments into a teachable set of rules.
Bauhaus Graphic Design
The functional, geometric graphic language forged at the Bauhaus — lowercase sans-serif type, asymmetric layouts, primary colors, and the marriage of typography with photography into a rational visual system.
- Geometric sans-serif type, often lowercase only
- Asymmetric layouts on a horizontal-vertical structure
- Integration of typography with photography (typophoto)
- Primary colors with black, white, and bold rules
- Functional, grid-organized white space
The New Typography
The rigorous modernist program codified by Jan Tschichold — asymmetric layouts, sans-serif type, and the functional grid presented not as art but as a rational set of rules for clear, efficient communication.
- Asymmetric, left-aligned layout replacing centered composition
- Sans-serif (grotesque) type as the modern standard
- Functional grid where every element earns its place
- Active white space and rules directing the eye
- Standardized formats and integration of photography
At a glance
| Bauhaus Graphic Design | The New Typography | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 1919–1933 | 1925–1935 |
| Discipline | Graphic Design | Graphic Design |
| Region | Germany | Germany, Switzerland |
| Family | Modernism, Bauhaus | Modernism, Typography |
| Formal traits | asymmetric, sans-serif, geometric, grid-based | asymmetric, sans-serif, grid-based, functional |
More comparisons
Advertisement