Field Journal #6: Plakatstil

Plakatstil, poster style, is a type of design that incorporates flat background colors, large, simple images, and product names. While this may seem simple enough, some rejected this type of design due to its lack of complexity, but within time and positive superior influence, it was accepted. Plakatstil, from my understanding, follows the phrase "less is more," meaning that there doesn't need to be a million things, objects, or shapes going on in a portrait in order to be considered good, even great. Now what successful companies have utilized this same technique in their logo/trademark?

http://entertainmentagentblog.com/2010/06/20/in-the-immortal-words-of-gary-gilmore-and-nike-just-do-it/

http://50report.com/2013/05/16/sony-sets-1-4b-african-electronic-markets/

Although these were not painted and there are no pictures, Nike and Sony incorporate plakastil as their advertisement. These logos have been established for many years and very little to none has changed, aside from the shining light behind the Sony logo in commercials/videos and sound effects with matching animation bringing in the "swoosh" and "Just Do It." Now, these are the only companies that utilize this style as their logo, but the point I can see is that the more direct and simple the image is, the easier it would be to recognize it after minutes, hours, days, months, years, and even to memorize. No, I'm not saying that flashy and complex images aren't bad, but using plakatstil as a marketing tool/advertisement for companies is very efficient, well most of the time. Playing devil's advocate, there is a limit to how many companies use this technique if it only consisted of words, and plakatstil does use pictures as well in the present day.

http://onceuponasketch.com/2013/06/disney-animation-and-story-building-a-look-into-the-process/

http://www.hitfix.com/motion-captured/what-to-watch-for-now-that-disney-owns-lucasfilm

The first image is Walt Disney Pictures plakatstil and the next image is the same logo, but obviously not plakatstil. This example demonstrates that sometimes evolving away from it's original outlook, plakatstil in this case, can be better not just for the company, but for the consumers and viewers due to the technology available. 

In retrospect, plakatstil is still incorporated today in some ways, but can be looked at obsolete, even using the variant sachplakat, which is more concise and hyperrealistic. Some things can remain simplistic, whereas others are more direct through other methods and techniques.