Neomodernism — Contemporary graphic design movement, or misnomer?

This thesis analyses the contemporary terminology neomodernism within the discipline of graphic design, specifically focusing on whether this term has relevance within contemporary visual culture.

Neomodernism is a vague expression used to describe the renewal of the modernist aesthetic within the discipline of visual communications. When observing this popular contemporary style, it becomes evident that graphic designers outputting neomodernist works are generally not sympathetic towards early modernist values. This augments the ambiguity surrounding the term neomodernism, suggesting the potential for the expression to be classified as a misnomer. It is also interesting to question how modernity and current social conditions have resulted in the reemergence of an aesthetic that fell out of favour during the late 1970s.

Neomodernism as a style—and its complex relationship with the other ‘isms’—has been deconstructed through visual analysis and theoretical philosophies, supplemented with academic and field research. This thesis intends to identify and evaluate pertinent questions surrounding superficiality, style and aesthetic within graphic design culture.