poster – we respond together

Philly’s First General Strike

October 27, 2020

Since we are working digitally to create a modern form of poster, I wanted to look at the history of posters, specifically in political/social contexts. I initially thought to start with Martin Luther’s posting of his 95 Theses and the invention of the printing press but I’ll spare you the 5 centuries worth of history… I wanted to look at the first protests and strikes in America and found that the first general strike, in which most of a region’s labor force participates, actually happened in Philadelphia. In 1835, coal workers went on strike to demand a 10 hour workday. Given Philly’s history as a political hub and industrial center, it’s interesting to see how it’s remained a major player in American politics and the home of countless revolutionary protests. The picture above is from a 1902 child labor strike also in Philly. The slogans on their posters are simple and cleanly designed, which only draws attention to the blunt cruelty of their situation. The use of slogans and short catchphrases continues today, I think because the impact of the slogan lies in the fact that it is so digestible — succinct in capturing an entire movement.

Modern times posters

October 25, 2020

According to Wikipedia, a poster “… is a temporary promotion of an idea, product or event put up in a public space for mass consumption.” But what is “public space”? Now more than ever, public space has migrated from physical places, bars, clubs, universities, etc, to the digital space. This migration has been occurring for years now, but perhaps it is more evident now that we do not have an alternative while COVID forces us to isolate and communicate using the internet.

With the prevalence of digital media, traditional posters have lost their significance and they are no longer the dominant media for advertising and propaganda. Leveraging on modern media, other types of visual expressions such as GIFs, “stories, or memes are now used to convey the messages traditional posters used to. But are these posters too? I believe they are. They present to us ideas in the digital public space and convey messages using visual elements and text. There are not so many differences between Toulouse Lautrec’s posters and some of the visual work one can find on the internet today. The tools and process for distributing the message may be different but, in essence, they serve the same purpose.

In modern times, the definition and uses of posters are broader than ever and traditional forms coexist with modern, more experimental ones. One very interesting use of traditional political posters in modern times was Obama’s HOPE by Shepard Fairey in 2006. It was widely adopted and distributed and conveyed a clear political message to the people, bringing back the classical use of this media and making it mainstream. It worked as a flashback to the most classic use of this form of communication and people adopted it massively.

Beyond the Poster – Innovation in Design

October 24, 2020

There are a plethora of incredibly well-designed posters, but the ones I personally find most intriguing and eye-catching are those that go a step beyond design. Posters that are interactive or utilize the space around it in a unique way are both creative geniuses but also, they often convey a more impactful message. The first poster is an anti-smoking PSA, which effectively uses the cut-out silouhette of a human that now doubles as two people: one healthy, and one unhealthy. The second poster is an interactive station where people could charge their phone that also encourages them to donate blood. The metaphor of the charging cable as blood running through someone’s veins is significant and powerfully reveals the important of blood drives. They are both posters which extend beyond the typical ‘rectangle’ boundaries of a typical poster.