Class Session, February 17, 2010 --Avant Garde and USSR Design

• DADA’s usage of photo collage influenced Russian design
• Photography creates myth -- not to restate reality
• Rodchenko: Photographs became the primary design elements in his work.
• Photoraphs had greater capacity to engage vierwwes.
• Early Russian design was very structured ‘mechanical’, emotions had no place
• Attempt to create the USSR, and attempt at a utopia
• El Lissitzky co-edited with Hans Arp. 
• Pictorial spreads
• Advertisements were created for USSR monopolistic companies
• Designs were constant
• Designs promoted equality and unity between the sexes.

The lecture today shows what happens when we need ads for monopolistic companies. It also helps us view the old attempts and propaganda to develop the USSR before it fell. The hype regarding the development of the USSR was also interesting because they made it seem like a different world, and showed us a lot about what the minds were thinking at this time.