American Kitsch

American Kitsch 1940-1960

American Kitsch is most commonly known as '50s art.' 'Kitsch' is a German word meaning “in bad taste.” Kitsch is usually used to describe art that is pretentious, vulgar and overly sentimental.

Elements of this era included curves, casual script, typography and sexy and sensual shapes.

The above is a magazine cover designed by one of the most influential designers of the time: Rockwell. He designer over 300 covers for the Saturday Evening Post between 1916 and 1963. This piece is representative of the American Kitsch era through the casual typography, exaggerated expressions and dramatic poses of the boys. I think the quality of this piece is good as it also incorporates a sense of humour as the boys have clearly been in trouble for swimming where they weren’t aloud to.

The above is a poster design from the 1950s and again incorporates an exaggerated pose that is rendered realistically to make the woman look dominant over the highway. Her facially expression is also exaggerated and the font is big and easy to read.

Because American Kitsch is considered “outsider art” this style is not recorded in history books, yet graphic designers seem to have a deep affection for this graphic style.

Reference: Tafe lecturer video – American Kitsch