L’harmonie des couleurs Pl.136

1880

This striking blue page isn't just a random design; it's a scientific experiment from 1880! Édouard Guichard, an architect and decorator, created this as part of his book 'L'Harmonie des Couleurs' (The Harmony of Colors). Specifically, this plate introduces a 'Series of Experiments' on how readable posters are. It's fascinating to see a 19th-century academic trying to quantify design and color theory long before modern graphic design existed. The bold black text against the cool blue background was likely a test case to see if high contrast made text easier to read from a distance.

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