Marc Schenker
September 2, 2021 · 13 min read
The Origins of Futurism Design
This movement can be traced back to a particular man and location. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti founded this design trend back in 1909 in Milan. An art theorist and poet, Marinetti was the author of the Futurist Manifesto (1909) as well as the Fascist Manifesto, later on. Described for the first time in his Futurist Manifesto, Futurism was envisioned by Marinetti as a stalwart rejection of everything that made up the past. Springing forth from its pages was a philosophy that praised machines, speed, youth, industry, and violence while pushing for a cultural modernization of Italy.

- Funeral of the Anarchist Galli by Carra
- The City Rises by Boccioni
- Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash by Balla
- Dynamic Hieroglyph of the Bal Tabarin by Severini
- Woman With Absinthe by Carra
- Spiral Expansion of Speeding Muscles by Boccioni

The Characteristics of Futurism Design
So far, we’ve talked about the main themes of this short-lived design movement, which were:- Speed
- Violence
- Machines
- Youth
- Industry

- Separating colors into individual groups
- Forcing the viewer to combine said colors optically (as opposed to physically combining pigments)
- Breaking down light and color into specked stripes and dots
- A focus on modern, urban scenes and objects in motion
- The use of lines of force, which communicate the directional thrusts of objects through space
- The use of simultaneity, which mixed the elements of memories, current impressions, and future-event anticipation
- The presence of emotional ambience, which is the linking of feeling between interior emotion and the exterior scene
- Reliance on intuition, defined in design and art as an indelible experience of sympathy that causes the viewer to be moved enough to an object’s inner quality to discover what’s unique about it
- The perception of continuous movement
Futurism in Graphic Design
Though short-lived, Futurism contributed interesting approaches to graphic design that are still captivating to look at today.Manifestos
The place to start is the Futurists’ own Futurist Manifesto, which was published in 1909 in both Bologna’s Gazzetta dell’Emilia and Paris’ Le Figaro newspapers.
- Very close tracking (spaces between letters)
- Serif fonts for both the body copy and headlines
- Line spacing is very close
- Very little white or negative space

- A lot of white or negative space
- Serif fonts for body copy and headlines
- The use of sentence case
- Minimalism
- Color contrast
Books
Another noteworthy contribution is French poet Guillaume Apollinaire’s posthumous 1918 book, Calligrammes: Poems of Peace and War: 1913 – 1916. It displays a graphic design based on the unique art form of a calligram, or a visually arranged text that creates an image related to the meaning of said text. For example, a calligram relating to Moby Dick could be visually represented as a sperm whale—with the text forming the outline of the whale.


Magazines
Fortunato Depero, a graphic designer, sculptor and painter, experienced notable success in designing covers for big American magazines during the 1920s and 1930s. His designs appeared on covers for Vogue, Vanity Fair, and The New Yorker, to name just a few.

- Striking, vibrant colors
- Sans serif typography
- Geometric shapes like strong lines, curves, angles, circles, triangles, and right angles
- Heavily stylized elements
Sketches and Illustrations
No look at Futurist graphic design would be complete without mentioning Antonio Sant’Elia, a Futurist architect who is an anomaly because he left behind practically no finished architectural works. However, his big contribution to graphic design turned out to be the volume of design sketches and illustrations of his plans that he left behind.

- Grand scale
- Clean, strong lines
- Elliptical and diagonal lines
- Geometric shapes
- An emphasis on technology and machines
- An almost surgical and clinical approach to planning
Aeropittura (Aeropainting)
Aeropittura was a highly interesting style of art because it was produced by the Futurists when their movement was already well in decline, from about 1929 to the 1940s. In spite of its production in the dying days of Futurism design, aeropittura is still a gripping and visually striking approach to painting.
- Realism
- Decorative art
- Religion
- Portraiture
- Dynamism
- Abstraction
- Quiet Umbrian scenery

- A grand vision in terms of projection
- The idealization of aerial technology, sometimes bordering on the fanciful
- A documentary approach to aeronautics
- Distorted angles
- Vibrant colors
- Dramatic scenes
- Aerial battles
Futurism in Architecture
Our look at Futurism design wouldn’t be complete without covering the style’s contributions to architecture, which was also a major focal point for the short-lived movement. Futurist architecture was characterized by the following traits:- Long, powerful lines
- The suggestion of speed and motion
- Urgency

Futurism Design: A Very Memorable Flash in the Pan
Futurism design is almost a paradox of sorts. It’s still remembered today for its influence on western culture, yet it lasted a very short time and was then increasingly ostracized by the world because of its association with fascism. Undoubtedly, the Futurist revolutionaries had radical ideas that turned the design world on its head, but the movement’s fascination with violence and war proved to be its undoing, as many of its prominent members were killed in World War I.Products Seen In This Post:

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Marc Schenker
Marc is a copywriter and marketer who runs The Glorious Company, a marketing agency. An expert in business and marketing, he helps businesses and companies of all sizes get the most bang for their ad bucks.
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