GUIs through Art History

In this class, we explored new styles of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) inspired by art history movements. Each student will choose and research a movement in art history: rococo, cubism, or pop art. What makes these movements unique? How might we bring those styles or impressions into GUIs? Based on that research, we will design interfaces for common products inspired by that movement. With each exploration, we’ll workshop them together to define a modernized version.

I taught 2 sessions of this course with Hyperlink Academy, an online course platform for interdisciplinary courses.

A 2-hour variation of the workshop where we focused on the movements of surrealism and rococo. We started by looking for fonts and typography that best suited the movement. Then, followed with exploring a button component and notes app.

Color & typography

What colors and typography do you associate with each art movement? I loved how students explored gradients and found typefaces we normally wouldn't use in interface design!

Checkboxes for each movement

I challenged them to design checkboxes inspired by one of the movements. Can you tell which one is which?

Color pickers for each movement

I challenged them to design a color picker inspired by one of the movements. Can you tell which one is which?

Collection of surrealism-inspired buttons

Some students went conceptual and others focused on the visual elements.