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In the 21st century, there are new technologies coming now and then and people like us are being fancied by the trends they set.But we have brought to you some exceptional examples of the printed media(posters) which influenced the revolution around the globe as they spoke directly to their audiences without getting into anything else.
Here are some of the most revolutionary and iconic posters or as the historian would say ‘propaganda’ of all time:
1. ‘I Want You’ By James Montgomery Flagg
The “I Want You” poster of Uncle Sam was originally created for the cover of the July 6th, 1916, issue of Leslie’s Weekly by James Flag. The large letters of the words, “I WANT YOU” stand out in the viewer’s mind, causing them to contemplate the idea of joining the cause.
By using“You”, the poster shows us that the creator did not want to give a message to a general audience; he wanted every individual to feel a part of the cause personally.
The astounding popularity of the poster was one of the more memorable inventions that persuaded over twenty million people to join the army, during America’s time of need.
2. ‘Hope’ By Shepard Fairey
Traditionally election campaign slogans are neutral and simplistic, e.g…. ‘A vote for Blogs is a vote for the future’, and, to an affluent white Protestant American the Obama ‘hope’ message may have seemed no different.
However, viewed through the eyes of a relatively underprivileged black underclass it would say something quite different: here is a man who looks like you, vote for him and you can at last hope that you may be able to become as successful as him.
To put the poster into an historical context,the attention was drawn on the obvious relation it has to the iconic Che Guevara poster.
In this way, it becomes a very strong contextual message when related to the portrait of Obama looking handsome and reliable, almost like a film star.They used the propaganda very well as it typically advances an idea or threat that the provider hopes the public will buy into and look at it , they bought it.
3. ‘What Did You Do?’ By Parliamentary Recruiting Committee.
”Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War?”. The poster was designed to induce a sense of patriotic guilt. They have captured the British men who unwilling to join the war. The picture depicts a situation in the future, after the war, where the daughter asks her dad expectantly how he contributed to the war. Because the war(on the poster) is already over, the dad can’t re-do it. This sends a message to the young boys, unwilling to go to war.
The picture depicts a situation in the future, after the war, where the daughter asks her dad expectantly how he contributed to the war. Because the war(on the poster) is already over, the dad can’t re-do it. This sends a message to the young boys, unwilling to go to war.
This particular piece of British propaganda turned out to be an effective recruitment tool for the war, in its use of colours and emotions to persuade, its diverse audience, and the context in which it is placed.Due to all of this, it still remains culturally relevant to this day.
4. ‘We Can Do It’ By J. Howard Miller
The ‘We Can Do It’ Poster illustrates the mythos of Rosie the Riveter – her strength, her patriotism, her femininity – and how she evolves into a representative cultural figure.
As a direct consequence of World War II, thousands of women joined the industrial workforce to fulfill the labor demands emerged due to war.The women workers soon filled traditionally male roles and birthed the cultural phenomenon of Rosie the Riveter.
“We Can Do It!” appears bold and striking as an image easily relatable to factory workers, both women, and men alike. Simple and appealing in execution, bright and bold colours draw the eye and stimulate the viewer.
The typography of the piece is sans serif, easy to read and typical of the painted sign style of the era.
5. ‘Keep Calm And Carry On’ By British Government
The Ministry of Information was appointed by the British Government to design a number of propagandas where the main purpose of was to raise the morale of the British public, threatened by widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities.
They came up with this ‘keep calm and carry on’ poster with maintaining the original style and features of the symbolic crown of King George VI.
The plan in place for this poster was to issue it only upon the invasion of Britain by Germany. As this never happened, the poster was never officially seen by the public but 60 years later was found out in one of the auctions from when they became really popular these years later people still find it so appealing and reassuring in our modern times.
6. ‘Che Guevara’ By Jim Fitzpatrick
This poster, inspired by the image captured by Alberto Corda in 1960, in conjunction with Guevara’s subsequent actions and eventual execution, helped solidify the charismatic and controversial leader as a cultural icon.
The reason why Che’s portrait in this poster is so compelling is that it has absorbed multiple meanings. For the audience who were familiar with Che’s life, it stands as a symbol of his life, as well as his political beliefs (communism) and violent revolution.
Those less familiar with him, however, tend to tear the photo out of its historical, political, and social context, and use it as a symbol of rebellion against mainstream society in general.
To both audiences, Che is a symbol of rebellion; the difference is that one interpretation is incomplete. The commonplaces remain the same, however– that rebellion and revolution are necessary.
7. ‘Be Careful What You Say’ By British Government
This poster the one of the strongest propaganda from the times of World War II. This picture shows Hitler balancing on telephone wires which were aimed to explain the audience of a very important message of being careful to what they are saying as there were several incidents of wiretapping at that time.
8.’Workers Of The World Unite’
These posters from the political slogan ‘Workers of the world, unite!’ , one of the most famous rallying cries from the communist manifesto (1848), by Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels.
These Russian propaganda posters are the evidence of how revolution and the civil war turned society upside down. These posters helped popularise the ideology of the Russian Revolution and in the years following it remained as symbols of the conflict that established the Soviet Union, taking power in the name of workers.the new Soviet government under Lenin and the Bolsheviks declared a “dictatorship of the proletariat” and pledged to cast down old elites: aristocrats and capitalists. To shape popular opinion, propaganda posters recast humble toilers as heroes of the factories and mines.
Then the new Soviet government under Lenin and the Bolsheviks declared a “dictatorship of the proletariat” and pledged to cast down old elites: aristocrats and capitalists. To shape popular opinion, propaganda posters recast humble toilers as heroes of the factories and mines.
9.’Save The Children ‘ By Y&R, Mexico
Each one uses five models showing one individual at different stages of life. In the foreground, the individual is experiencing abuse as a child. Older versions of the abused child grow up as they walk across the background of the frame, and turn into the original abusive person by the time they walk a full circle.
The advertisement was originally published back in May 2012 by a Mexican organisation, that is both creative and difficult to stomach.
10.’Britons Want You’ By London Opinion
It is perhaps the best known and most enduring image of the First World War: the commanding, moustached face of Lord Kitchener, his accusing, pointing a finger and the urgent slogan “BRITONS WANT YOU” which turned into poster still remains immediately recognisable 100 years after its design.
It is still regularly copied in advertising, it has also served as a satirical motif in the media and inspired military recruitment campaigns across the globe.
