The font I used is https://www.fontspace.com/sidhe-font-f3649 (license should be fine for this use case)
Art Nouveau is beautiful and generally a good fit for SolarPunk but I would also make sure to emphasize the optimistic eco-futurism as well. Solarpunk shouldn’t feel nostalgic, in my opinion, but rather hopeful.
Art Nouveau is specifically mentioned in the Manifesto. I think it’s a great choice, but one should be a little bit careful. If we look at the goals of Art
- Function should define form. (the idea of reducing waste)
- Unity of the arts and the abolition of any distinction between major art (architecture) and minor arts (decorative arts). (this ties really well to ideas like 3d Printing, or “personalised” production)
- Nature’s logic is the model to be used for architecture. (this ties really well to the idea that AI or simulation to optimise materials take on very natural forms)
- Architecture should adapt itself to man’s environment and needs. (Interplay between environment and humanity)
- Use of modern technologies and materials. (Jugaad, appropriate technology, etc)
The danger though is that it can look a bit bourgeoise if applied without thought. You kind of have to put yourself in the seat of someone sitting in the future sort of “re-inventing” art-nouveau. What would that look like? When we talk about material and form, or when we talk about “major” and “minor” arts, how do they connect? How would major artists express their craft? There’s almost a question of the feminine and Feminism here as well. How does society express itself when womanhood is further emancipated?
I’ll definitely keep that in mind. By emphasizing optimistic eco futurism would that mean including pictures or motifs of solarpunk tech (such as hydroponics)?
I think hydroponics, sustainable energy sources, technology improving people’s lives like prosthesis, etc, are all a great way to communicate the balance of taking what’s good about both new and old ways of life to make something novel that treats humans more kindly than the way we currently live
Let me add that Zenless Zone Zero does have some of these elements so I’d add it as inspiration (a bit too much urban without not much greenery at times tho)
For example the robot serving coffee has a coffee grinder head! Or the guy that serves noodles spawns robot arms to show off his skills
So both nature and tech coexisting :)
If you’re going retro I’d love to see some cassette futurism kinda vibes included- tech used to be designed in a way that was more pragmatic, repairable, and helpful, plus I think that era of tech is really beautiful.
In contrast to another persons perspective, I think there are pros and cons to the nostalgic aesthetic- there are a lot of solarpunk things we’ve left behind. Closer knit communities, some amount of subsistence farming, technology designed in ways that are helpful and repairable (I feel old tech was designed like appliances, and new tech is always designed like shiny consumer electronics. Its not about helpfulness, its about meaningless shiny features to include in the marketing), a lower cost of living. But there are also aspects of the modern day world that we want to keep and expand on: improved medical care, the ability to reach out and connect with people all over the world to learn from their experiences or expertise, technology that helps us live in a way that’s compatible with the natural world we depend on (renewable energy, sustainable scale agriculture, etc) and so on. Personally I see a lot of solarpunk as being about rejecting the shitty things of the present and future that were sold to us as valuable changes for the sake of convenience but at the expense of everything else, and embracing the new and exciting things that have substantive positive impact on humanity and the planet we depend on. Its about taking what’s good from both new and old, and rejecting what’s crap about both.
I appreciate this perspective - cassette futurism is one of my favorite aesthetics and I can see how a bit of nostalgia does fit into Solarpunk as long as we can drain the consumerism from it and focus on what was good for people and the planet (eg - being able to repair their own devices, like you said).
I mean I’m a huge fan of Art Nouevau so I like it
Subbed! Did you make that yourself? I really like it.
I haven’t started making the banner yet. I decided on a color palette, fonts, and am deciding on a certain ‘direction’ for the banner
The banner on the top left is the banner that I’ll redesign.
Anything that evokes Mucha is great in my book!
As far as I’m concerned, go for it! You can change it as much as you want! Just DM me when you have it so I can change it (or post it here, same thing ;) )
When doing it I tried to keep in mind the diferent aspects of aesthetics, and not just the artsy part, but feel free to make what you feel most comfortable with.
I think art nouveau would look great, and, like others, that optimistic future suits solarpunk greatly, but maybe it can be put together with old technology somehow, since I agree that old appliances are sometimes more efficient than their modern counterparts. Also, if it works, why throw it away? Reusability is a big aspect of ecofriendliness :)
Anything else you need, just let me know :D
I’m thinking of incorporating bolts into the design to help represent repairability.
