ART DECO IN THE 21ST CENTURY

how art deco is easily understood through font and design Today

What is Art Deco and How is it defined? SubHeader - Blakely Bold

Art Deco is an extremely unique design style, be- Blakely Bold makes for the perfect art deco
cause it doesn’t require a small, specific set of inspired subheader. A very strong font for art
niche charcteristics. Rather, art deco encom- deco, I found it to be too overwhelming and
passes a broad variety of different characteristics bold for a header or bodycopy, yet perfect for
ranging from geometric shapes and hard edges to use as a subheading as it draws spectators’
floral patterns and sunrise/sunburst motifs. The attention to different sections/areas when
characteristics of art deco are very contradicting, combined with a lot of text and images. Sim-
which is the appeal of the style. When looking to ilar to fonts originating in the 1930’s such as
create an art deco design, one would consider us- Kabel Condensed, this font dates itself and
ing elements such as: geometric shapes, loud col- propels an art deco aesthetic. As an all-caps
ors, streamlined formating, ziggurat and chevron font, Blakely makes for and iconic art deco
patterns, exagerated curves, and straight lines. inspired header or subheader dependent on
the intent of the design.
hEADER - Mendl Sans Dawn Light
I chose Mendl Sans Dawn Light as my header, be-
cause i feel it accureately portrays the aesthetic
and charcteristics of Art Deco. This font is com-
prised of a multitude of stylistic choices that cre-
ate an extremely ‘art deco’ vibe. It uses round
charcters with geometric influences as well as pro-
portions that appear very scientific and planned.
What makes this font extremely art deco in nature
is the combination of these attributes with open,
airy shapes that exude warmth and are rooted in

Body Copy - Arbotek Light

Choosing a bodycopy font that is influenced
by art deco characteristics proved a bit dif-
ficult. I wanted something readble, yet still
eye-catching and unique. Arbotek Light is the
perfect font for bodycopy when aiming for an
art deco inspired look. Arbotek is a true ar-
chitectural typography which applies geomet-
ric influences in both a radical and basic way.
The variant of Arbotrek - Ultra - is actually a
historic styletype used in 1920’s and 1930’s art
deco dessigns. Overall, Arbotrek Light pro-
vides spectators with a clear, readable type
while also presenting ais intriguing and beau-
tiful with an evident art deco influence.