dada






The dadaists and Futurists both really have always held a place in my heart with their expressive type treatments. Even before I had any interest in graphic design or typography, I remember seeing a poem and being struck by the beauty of the lines and letters. Too bad the Futurists were facists. So, let's talk about dada instead.


dada was an exploration in anti-art and anti-bourgeoise, although their interest in type was more in the context of playing with ideas about language than pushing their views. Tristan Tzara, one of the founders of dada, didn't want to be identified with Marinetti (futurist) perhaps this is why they didn't push their political views too heavily with their type.

Anyway, the dadaists held demonstrations and used fliers posted all around to spread their message. They used commonplace and collages to illustrate their concepts and their poetry emphasized their belief that everything was a worthwhile endeavor. They used nonsensical forms and random advertising phrases, emphasizing elements randomly with font, weight, and point sizes. By doing so, they redefined the meaning of everyday signage.
Tzara believed in poetry as a mental state, the lack of grammar and the impressionistic placement of type plays up the dreamlike nonsense that is dada. It was a time of war and uncertainty, but also discovery and self-expression, and what could be a more appropriate way serve language and poetic freedom than these the brilliant examples of that remain of dada type and poetry.