FRENCH TRADEMARKS: The Art Deco Era ...

FRENCH TRADEMARKS: The Art Deco Era by John Mendenhall (Chronicle Books: $16.95). Mendenhall argues that the snazzy logos of the ‘20s and ‘30s were influenced by the simplified images of the Cubist painters and the Modernist fascination with speed and streamlining. The designers of that era created a look that remains synonymous with stylish elegance, 75 years after the fact. The minimal graphics of contemporary advertising owes more to A. M. Cassandre and the other French Deco artists than to Keith Haring, Julian Schnabel or other trendy painters. An excellent source book for artists.