Art Deco Artist- Paul Colin

Paul Colin started as graphic designer in 1925 and became a master of the Art Deco poster.  A war time friend asked Colin if he would like to become the designer for the Theatre des Champs-Elyees in Paris, which he did. “ He often placed a figure or object centrally before a colored background and type or lettering above and or below it. These strong central images are animated by a variety of techniques: creating a double image, often with different drawing techniques and scale changes; using the transparency of overlapping images as a means to make two things into one; adding color and shapes or bands behind ot to the side of the central figure to counteract its static placement. Vibrant color, informal compositions, and energetic linear drawings expressed joys in life.”

He is best known for his poster for La Revue Nègre. “His designs contain elements of jazz, bold striking colors, and influences from both Cubism and Surrealism.  Highly stylized, or caricatured human forms are oddly juxtaposed with geometric overlapping objects like a Cubist collage. He was the most prolific and enduring French designer of his generation.

Jean Carlu- Art Deco Artist

Jean Carlu was a French graphic designer, specialised in posters. He made posters during World War II to “promote an increase in American production.”From 1919 until 1921 he served as an illustrator, after which he worked at an agency that designed advertisements. In that period he designed his first poster in art deco style (for The Kid by Charlie Chaplin). He was attracted by cubism and by the works of Juan Gris and Albert Gleizes. He was one of the first who realized that to fix a trademark in the minds of consumers a process needs to be gone through in which schematic forms and expressive colors are applied. These are the characteristics that give his posters and other works their distinguishable quality.

The fame of Carlu rests mainly on two posters: for Monsavon and for the Théâtre Pigalle. He also designed a pioneering label for the 1924 vintage of Château Mouton-Rothschild.

A.M. Cassandre- Art Deco Artist

A.M. Cassandre, was born Adolphe Jean-Marie Mouron in the Ukraine in 1901. He relocated to Paris and studied Art at the École des Beaux Arts and the Acadaèmie Julian. He won the Grand Prize at the 1925 Paris Exposition for his work, Bûcheron, a wood cutter cutting down a tree with an ax.

“His work is striking for its simplicity, its stark outlines and his very plain, unadorned typefaces.  He integrated the text into the overall design of the poster, one of the first graphic designers to do this. Cassandre developed original typefaces: in 1929: Bifur; in 1935, the sans serif Acier Noir, and in 1937 an all-purpose font called Peignot. He drew  inspiration from cubism and surrealism.”

He is most known for travel posters-  his Dubonnet piece, done for a wine company, was one of the first posters designed to be seen in a moving car. “The sleek, architectonic styles of Art Deco are observed in his works. In fact, Cassandre’s work of art possesses traces of futurist inspiration with their energy and dynamism. Such innovative style and technique can be witnessed in his 1927 Nord Express poster. In his final years, Cassandre suffered from bouts of depression and eventually ended up committing suicide in 1968.

 

 

 

Edward McKnight Kauffer- Art Deco Artist

Edward McKnight Kauffer, was born in Great Falls, Montana;While studying at the Chicago Art Institute, he saw the famous Armory Show, which traveled from New York to Chicago. He moved to Europe at age 22, and was living in London when the war broke out. In his piece, the Daily Herald poster, “although flawed somewhat by the type choice and placement, showed how the formal idiom of cubism and futurism could make a strong communications impact in graphic designs.”

He designed posters for the London Underground Transport, which promoted “weekend pleasure travel to rural areas at the end of the lines. He achieved visual impact with landscape subjects on posters by reductive design, editing complex environments into interlocking shapes.” He returned to America, where he worked until his death in 1954.

Art Deco- what exactly is it?

Art Deco- what exactly is it and how did it come about?

Coined by the British Art Historian Bevis Hillier in the 1960s, it derives from the title of the Exposition Internale des Art Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a major design exhibition held in Paris in 1925. Art Deco refers to an era, as well as a style.  According to Meggs' History of Graphic Design, Art Deco is a term used to" identify popular geometric works of the 1920s and 1930s. It signifies a major aesthetic sensibility in graphics, architecture and product design between the two world wars. There are influences of cubism, the Bauhaus, and the Vienna Secession commingled with De Stijl and suprematism as well as a penchant for Egyptian, Aztec, and Assyrian motifs."  Coined by the British Art Historian Bevis Hillier in the 1960s, derives from the title of the Exposition Internale des Art Decoratifs et Industriels Modernes, a major design exhibition held in Paris in 1925.

Unlike any other design fad in American history, the geometric forms and indigenous symbols of overseas cultures were dispersed across the nation in not only the residential and commercial realm, but in ocean liners and Hollywood movies, creating a lavish and luxurious image in society which resulted in distinctive American Art Deco opulence. This style combined motifs from autochthonous cultures with representations from the mechanical and automotive industries that were prospering throughout 1930s culture. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate through images the comparison between the forms of rediscovered, ancient cultures and the architectural characteristics of American Art Deco.” (Poole)

Works Cited

Pool, Rachel1, rfp26@nau.ed. EBSCOhost, doi:10.18848/2154-8560/CGP/v09i02/37-53. Accessed 29 Oct. 2018.

“Cassandre | Biography, Designs and Facts.” Famous Graphic Designers, 2018, www.famousgraphicdesigners.org/cassandre.

        Meggs, Philip B., and Alston W. Purvis. Meggs' History of Graphic Design. Wiley, 2016.

Bringing it all together.

The speed with which technology is moving in the hospitality industry is amazing, everyday there is something new and exciting on the market. Suppliers are working together with hoteliers to provide the best service possible from technology and service, IP is the solid foundation which enables convergence for many of the hotels.
Before there were always separate systems for the PBX, PMS , CRM etc, now it is a one stop shop which may seem difficult but convergence is making it all possible.
Before the wow factor was when a guest could view their bill on the television, today it takes a whole lot more to get the wow factor from the guest. Technology plays a big part today in contributing to that wow factor, after all the guests are expecting more than what they can get at home or in the office when they enter that hotel room. while hotels can use technology to reach the guest outside of the room, via online registration and loyalty club points, the hotel room remains the most important.
Vendors must be willing to work with hoteliers in providing this support, if they are not then the lifespan of their company would be very short."Hoteliers have always been concerned with getting heads in beds. Solution providers must concern themselves with keeping those heads satisfied." Both hoteliers and solution providers have to enter into a business relationship that will be advantageous to them both.
Reading the articles really brings it home as to how much technology is changing the industry. Now less is better, which can be a good thing, getting more done with less systems in place. However, they must be careful and ensure that they do have a backup plan in case something goes array. The next time I visit a hotel I will inquire/ look at their system and see how far along the hotel is.

Phillips, D (2006, March 01). Bring Them All Together - How the WOW the Guest. Retrieved April 13, 2007 from , Web site: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail.asp?ID=63

"Do you know what they are saying about your hotel?"

The internet is a forum where anyone and everyone can express their thoughts and opinions. The hotel business has recognized the importance of blogs and postings and has made it easier for guests to leave their comments and reviews on their websites. This has not always been the case, in the early days of the internet, finding a website which was easy to navigate and leave or read a comment was quite difficult. Now there are a number of site which offer these services and are user friendly; sites such as TripAdvisor.com, IgoUgo.com, Mytravelguide.com and Travelpost.com.
"Many major travel booking sites have now added customer reviews and ratings. Expedia and Travelocity offer guest reviews and ratings while Priceline, Hotwire and Hotels.com provide customer feedback by numeric rating scales (e.g., 4 out of 5 or 7 out of 10). Some sites offer users incentives to post both reviews and photographs. IgoUgo,for example, gives points-style incentives for free gifts from companies such as Target, iTunes and Amazon to users who post reviews or photos.”
However, with the upside of the forum, where potential travelers can use the sites and blogs as a gauge to make a reservation at a particular hotel based on comments from a website or blog, there is also a downside. Granted there will not always be good reviews, hotels have to protect themselves and ensure that those who did indeed write a blog, good or bad, was actually a guest at the hotel. Disgruntled ex-employees, malicious competitors, forever dissatisfied customers or the case of the mistaken site, where the wrong comment is posted on the wrong site, is something that managers have to be on the lookout for.
Due to the effect such comments may have, sites have taken a number of steps to ensure that the claims made are legitimate. Some sites limit who can post a comment, Expedia uses their sign in process to see if the person actually booked a hotel within the given time frame. Others contact the hotel if a poor review is posted on the site to ensure that the validity of the posting.
The biggest problem for owners/ managers of a hotel is finding out what is being written about their hotel. It is a long and tedious task, however when they do find out what is being posted they should immediately take action to rectify the problem and clear any misunderstandings.
The internet can provide a wealth of information. When booking my holidays I do go online and read some of the comments posted. However, it is unclear whether a person wrote a bad comment out of spite or if it was truly warranted. Everyone view and experience things differently. What may be pleasant for me may not be for another individual, and so I do not put too much into what the others are saying. I am willing to take the chance and experience it myself.

Burns, J (2006, March 01). Do You Know What they’re Saying About
Your Hotel? - How guest review Web sites may be impacting your Hotel.
Retrieved March 23, 2007 from, president of Hospitality Technology
Consulting.Web site: http://www.hospitalityupgrade.com/_magazine/magazine_Detail.asp?ID=67