Modern Design and Large Fonts – from African Masks to Web 2.0
A rather mystique word is used over the internet world for the last few years. Web 2.0 – the miracle?? Maybe, maybe not. Lets have a closer check on it before following the mass… and this is meant in the true sense.. In my opinion it is more the design, the fonts, the appearance which moved in the so called Web 2.0 website.
History in African Masks What do have african masks to do with this question? Lets have a short glimps to history of art. No, not the history of the internet, but the development of design. We had a similar change in the world of design slightly more than 100 years ago, when “modern art” started to boom. Up to the end of 19th century, traditional art was “boring”. A great development took place when a new simplicity of design, developed based on african masks and african figures, started to become popular in Europe. Actually the old african people had carved their african masks in a pure, simple and clear style, that even nowadays you can put african masks on top of a magazine. What is their secret?? It is the high level of abstraction of the african masks, with items like eyes “great” in size, the natural colour worn by many years of use, and the clean carving really resembling to the pictures of todays internet designers.
So lets focus on the first important conclusion: it is simplicity, which is a key factor. And it might well be the case, that this is the most important factor. Simple construction, simple fonts.If you add some great colours you are nearly done.
But let us check at some examples of Web 2.0 design. One nice example is a place about fonts. Yes, one of these graveyards with piles of fonts – or not? Well, have a look yourself to a font site a great experience. A nice example for such a uptodate design place with fonts depicts the combination of a simple but unsual design, strong colours, great visuals … and the best fonts you may find.
Another fine example is a health site about hair loss. Health sites tend to be clean white, boring one could say. This site about hair loss is looking different. But who blames? Web 2.0 gives you the freedom to take the way you like – whether its about fonts or hair loss. Certainly one can not take only pics for such a serious item, but even a hair loss site can beginn with something astounding.
Both websites – the website with fonts and the web directory – are rather puristic in style. Indeed you don´t need too many colours. But you can play with them if you like. In contrast to a web directory anime sites are in most cases colourful – dedicated to younger people loving anime storeis. Anyhow, noone would like an anime website where only grey shades can be seen. So this great anime website draws its attraction from the simplicity. No text, just one picture to start. Only if you go accross the picture with your mouse, you come to the menu this anime site offers.
In this way african masks showed a great influence on modern things like web directory, anime or font site – funny, isn’t it?.