Alphonse Mucha

Gismonda done by
 Alponse Mucha in 1894

Alphonse Mucha was born in 1860 in Moravia, Czechoslovakia. He was famous and best known for his illustrations and also for his poster creations. While Mucha studied in Munich and in Paris, he designed numerous posters throughout the early 1890s. The designer had a big opportunity during 1894 to design a life-size poster of Sara Bernhardt as Gismonda, which this luxueriously textured poster was sensational at that time, and it still is, leaving remarkable impact on other illustrator designers. 

For the next decade his prolific: embracing posters, magazines, books, calendars, packaging etc.. provided some of the best examples of the Art Nouveau style. His poster involved beautiful women located in the centre of the poster frame. These beautiful women were usually surrounded by plants and flowing organic forms. His success enabled him to travel and work in Paris and America apart from Czechoslovakia. This designer died in 1939.

This poster involves marketing for beer. The design pictures a woman posing with a glass of beer. Surrounding her, there are flowers and flowing organic forms. Despite all these flowing forms, the typography stands out from the rest. It is plain and simple so eventually, it can be easily read. Furthermore, the artist created a contrast between this typography and the rest of the design in a way that his techniques are more appreciated. 

              

Similar to the first design, this poster displays a female figure who is surrounded by ongoing, flowing hair. It is a detailed design especially when it comes the skin colour of this female figure. On the other hand, the background involves flat colours. Through this contrast, the main figure stands out. As a poster, it is not symmetrical even though, he may have used the grid technique prior to the design. This technique is shown in various parts of the poster: for instance, when it comes to the title, the letters fit exactly between the border lines.

Reference

Livingston, A. I., 2003. Graphic Design and Designers. London: The Thames & Hudson.