Design Literacy: Understanding Graphic Design

style of photography, which rejected artifice (i.e., photographers like
Edward Weston or André Kertész were never to be found in Life). But it
could also be argued that Life’s graphic neutrality was an impediment to its
being a truly superb magazine.
Life’s influence on America was greater than anyone, even Luce,
ever imagined.Life’s mix of truly remarkable photo essays (particularly
leading up to and during World War II) by masters of photojournalism and
terse writing style proved to be a winning combination.Life’s editors under-
stood the importance of packaging a picture story with the right balance of
words.Life’s caption and headline style—with its emphasis on clear, simple
facts—guided the reader’s interpretations of the evidence supplied in the
photographs so that there was scant ambiguity.Lifewas not merely a
window, but a clearinghouse for information that only pictures could convey.