Grace Wilson Final Book: Alexey Brodovitch

AB ALEXEY BRODOVITCH 1

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“I The Consensus of Opinion Article in Harper’s Bazaar March 1936

saw a fresh, new conception of layout technique that struck me like a revelation: pages that bled beautifully, cropped photographs, typography and design that were bold and arresting.

Within ten minutes I had asked Brodovitch to have cocktails with me, and that evening I signed him to a provisional contract as art director.”

-Carmel Snow Editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar

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A Change of the Industry

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LEXEY BRODOVITCH was known for his beautiful type design in the magazine Harper’s Bazaar. He became the art director at Harper’s Bazaar in 1934 when the editor-in-chief, Carmel Snow, had offered him the job. Snow had seen his work, a very simple black text with whitespace, and she knew it was going to become something big, Brodovitch was creating his trademark. However, before Harper’s Bazaar, Brodovitch was not a happy person. He was born in Russia in 1898 and was in and out of the military throughout most of his teenage days. In 1920 he and his family and future wife had fled Russia and moved to Paris. There in Paris he started designing posters that had won him many awards, from there on his name was known.

Brodovitch had eventually moved to the United States in 1930 where he had became a professor. He was teaching his students European design but was also doing freelance work on the side. And in 1934, Carmel Snow had saw his work and got him his claim to fame.

Harper’s Bazaar Cover February 1952 Issue Designed by Alexey Brodovitch

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1941

Complete Simplicity BRODOVITCH HAD BEEN RECOGNIZED in the commercial arts for many years. From 1931 to 1935 he had won many awards and medals for his advertising work by the Art Directors Club of New York. The members of the club were very impressed with Brodovitch’s work. He was very well known for his designs for Steinway and Climax Molybdenum. They had made widespread recognition.

In 1934 the club members were so impressed with his work that they asked Brodovitch to design the “13th Annual Art Directors Exhibition” from that party, was where Carmel Snow had asked him to be art director over a cocktail. Harper’s Bazaar would not be the same if it was not for Brodovitch. He revolutionized their content, got them to become one of the biggest magazines in the world, and everyone knew what the magazine was. Brodovitch was inspired by many European artists during his 15 years at Bazaar. He had brought in and introduced Emigre photographers Lisette Model and Robert Frank to the company, who had also made very well names of themselves. Brodovitch had introduced white space and his type columns would mimic the photos that were used for the article that would create a sense of “flotation” of the American models that were posed in gowns as well as the athletic images. Everything was working as a whole.

Tips in Your Fingers Article in Harper’s Bazaar April 1941

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A spread from 1935 shows how he truly worked.

Photographs, typography, and whitespace. It was such a fluid spread of repetition. The pictures were very similar to film strips and move you through the left hand page to the right hand page.

1 Ramon and Renita Article in Harper’s Bazaar 1935 2 Two Guys and the Devil’s Advocate Article in Harper’s Bazaar 1955

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The Flow of Type This spread is a great representation of the way he would use type. Brodovitch preferred working with the typeface Bodoni, but sometimes would use a Stencil or Typewriter style font. He would always match the typeface with the feeling of the spread, and legibility was not a concern.

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1971

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The Leader of Fashion Photography

number of years ago Brodovitch was in the hospital and they said he was dying. I went to the hospital thinking it would be my last visit. There he was lying on the bed and I said hello. He said, “Thank you, Penn, for sending me a copy of your book, but frankly, I must tell you it was terrible.” I thought, is that the last word I would ever have from him? He really let me have it right there and I just took it…

You see, he was not charming.

He was a special person and they don’t come often. There isn’t a designer or photographer in our time who hasn’t felt the influence of Brodovitch. The waves that went out from Harper’s Bazaar since his first issue are still rippling.”

- Irving Penn

BRODOVITCH HAD ALSO MADE SURE EACH ISSUE was published with fashion photography. Fashion photography was hardly ever used during the time. Fashion magazines were fashion illustrations included with type. Brodovitch had influenced many photographers to work with him as well as to work with Harper’s Bazaar. One particular photographer that Brodovitch enjoyed working with was Irving Penn. Irving Penn loved working with Brodovitch as well.

Irving Penn was a student that worked under Brodovitch. Penn knew he was going to be a very powerful man. When Brodovitch passed away, Irving Penn had seen him right before then and showed him his book. Alexey Brodovitch passed away on April 15, 1971 in Le Thor, France. He had not worked in a very long time and had retired on a small farm in Le Thor. The very last photo taken of Mr. Brodovitch is featured on the back cover.

The photo was taken after he had broke his hip in 1967. Alexey Brodovitch will forever be known as the man who had changed the industry. A man with a powerful voice and a powerful mind, who knew just how to put that to print.

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Avedon, Richard. “Richard Avedon Alexey Brodovitch,

Biography by Andy Grundberg. “Alexey Brodovitch.” AIGA |

Graphic Designer, Le Thor, France February 9, 1970.”

the Professional Association for Design, www.aiga.org/medal-

Richard Avedon. Alexey Brodovitch, Graphic Designer, Le

ist-alexeybrodovitch.

Thor, France. February 9, 1970 | MoMA, www.moma.org/

Alexey Brodovitch, www.iconofgraphics.com/alexey-brodo-

collection/works/44507.

vitch/.

Grundberg, Andy. Brodovitch. Documents of American Design, 1989.

Purcell, Kerry William., and Alexey Brodovitch. Alexey Brodovitch. Phaidon, 2011.

“LIFE.” Google Livres, Google,

Designed and written by Grace Wilson Composed in Bodoni 72, typefaces designed by Giambattista Bodoni Printed from a Kyocera TASKKalfa 3252ci onto Hammermill 60# text.

Copyright © 2018 Grace Wilson, Portland, Maine, Maine College of Art