In this second part of posters’ history we can notice the graphic and ideological evolution that happened after the discovery of new techniques and uses.
British posters in World War I
The British government had urgent need of men on the army and it was hard to get men to enlist. London government started making and spreading posters for inspiration, persuasion, encouraging men to enlist.
American posters in wars
Like other countries, the USA produced lots of posters when entered the World War One in April 1917. An interesting point is that many of these posters were focused on saving food and supplies. Later, in World War Two, many of the posters intent to motivate women to work hard, specially on the armed services.
German posters in wars
“Of the nations which went to war from 1914-18 Germany was arguably the best prepared. Along with France the German government had long planned for war.” (First World War). The German subjects were different as you can see in posters like the ones bellow:
“Text announces an exhibition of artwork by German prisoners of war held in Switzerland.” (World War Pictures)
“Poster is an advertisement for cigarettes produced by Menes Cigarette Factory, Wiesbaden, Germany.” (World War Pictures)
“Misery and destruction follows anarchy”
John Heartfield and Photomontage
Different then today, there were no softwares for photomontages, but artists used multiple exposures or combining printing from negatives for create this effect. One of the most important artists that used this technique was John Heartfield. He made subliminal critics to Nazis and Hitler.
The Swiss International Style
Also known as The International Typographic Style, it is strongly recognized for its typographic use as the main element for the layout. The style became predominant in the world by the 70’s. Some of its important aspects were the use of grids, asymmetric layouts, sans serif typography and black and white photography.
The Non-commercial Poster
After the World Wars, the posters started being used as a mean for protesting against different issues, especially in the 60’s and 70’s.
Some interesting artists
Wes Wilson
Wes Wilson, who is generally acknowledged as the father of the ’60s rock concert poster, was born Robert Wesley Wilson, on July 15, 1937, in Sacramento, California. Wilson grew up without the special interest in art that is typical of most of his contemporary poster artists. Instead, he was more interested in nature and the outdoors, studying forestry and horticulture at a small junior college in Auburn, California. He attended San Francisco State, but dropped out in 1963, where his major, at that time, had become philosophy.
Taken from : wes-wilson.com
Milton Glaser
Milton Glaser (b.1929) is among the most celebrated graphic designer in the United States. He has had the distinction of one-man-shows at the Museum of Modern Art and the Georges Pompidou Center. In 2004 he was selected for the lifetime achievement award of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum. As a Fulbright scholar, Glaser studied with the painter, Giorgio Morandi in Bologna, and is an articulate spokesman for the ethical practice of design. He opened Milton Glaser, Inc. in 1974, and continues to produce an astounding amount of work in many fields of design to this day.
Taken from: miltonglaser.com
They integrate techniques of graphic collage, multiple exposures, and graduated papers to create three-dimensional, often surreal images. Some of their work is inspired by the illusory spaces and compositions of early modern artists such as Malevich, Leger, and de Chirico.
Taken from: mkgraphic.com
Official site: skolos-wedell.com
Ralph Schraivogel
The poster is a medium that combines the acts of seeing and reading to effectively communicate its message. The Swiss Graphic artist Ralph Schraivogel, born in 1960, has continually challenged the relationship between image and text, confronting viewers with images that may be «read» and texts that may be seen as forms in them. A designer of posters for a wide range of cultural events and institutions, Ralph Schraivogel’s extraordinary approach to visual communication has won him broad international recognition. His work for Zurich’s Filmpodium, the Theater am Neumarkt, the Museum of Design Zurich and for the Festival of African Films, «Cinemafrica» are the result of his intensive visual exploration, a journey whose destination may be unknown but which nonetheless is full of wonders. With each new poster, all established norms and practices seem cast into question, with the result that his work is unrelentingly innovative. Schraivogel completed the graphic design pro gram at the School of Art and Design Zurich. The show is the first in Zurich to present an overview of his startling output.
Taken from: dexigner.com
It’s interesting to learn about the historical context of something that we commonly see nowadays and understand that it had such an important political and social role. Besides that, the graphic movements, styles and evolution are inspirations for all of us. Keep waiting for our next historical article.
References and further information
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Great selection of posters for part II, I think the set at the top are very powerful to make the people who were avoiding going to war guilty. The one with Mickey mouse is great, showing a celebrity who of which kids would of grown up pretty much saying it is ok to go to war, I know Disney closed down their normal animation practice during the war to concentrate of propaganda material. Going down the page you can see how the posters have started to get more graphical, and the use of cutting images out. You can see the different art influences in all of the posters from cubism to dadaism!
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An interesting, comprehensive collection, with informed comments. I’ve been involved in graphics since the 1950’s, and there are quite a few posters here that I’ve not come across before.