The evolution of printed communication – An insight into the value of Graphic Design PDF

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An insight into the value of Graphic Design...

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The evolution of printed communication – An insight into the value of Graphic Design

“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you dig deeper, it’s really how it works.” (Steve Jobs, 1996)

In my essay I will attempt to answer the questions that are posed from the origin of posters and how they have been developed to suit todays ever growing society. I will do this by discussing posters as a whole, but also comparing poster advertisements and when why and how they came about. The posters I will be looking at are political and also a couple of product posters. I will be giving input on my own thoughts and the way others perceive posters on a small and large scale globally.

Not only is the poster perhaps the earliest platform for advertising, but it is also arguably the most efficient and consistently effective forms of advertising, and has been since the beginning of the 19th century. Poster production today, be that digital or printed is a quick, easy and fairly inexpensive procedure, but this has not always been the case. The very first posters were wooden or metal engravings, and the production process was far slower and more costly. Colour was not a great consideration, and designs were not elaborated to the extent we may be used to; they were reminiscent of tawdry enlarged newspaper advertisements. Jules Chéret was a French painter and lithographer in the 1860’s. He experimented with a brand new lithographic process – producing posters using only three stones. He would use one for each primary colour in order to produce an array of colours and communicate ideas more clearly. This new method was the key the evolution of design for posters. The new technique quickly spread, and designers and artists across the world were inspired. Henry Toulouse-Lautrec was hugely influenced by Chéret’s work and he, too, produced several posters throughout his career. During this time, the primary purposes of posters included; promoting places and events, political parties, advertising a new product or invention, recruitment, or to spread ideas to the general public. But targeting specific consumers was near impossible. For a poster to be effective, a few standard canons had to followed: the typeface had to be clear and visible from a distance. Posters weren’t designed to be seen up close. The colours had to be bright in order to capture people’s attention – the more colourful (and eye-catching) the poster was, the easier the message was 1

transmitted. The poster would need to stand out amongst others placed alongside it. Numerous posters for different purposes would be placed in busy public areas where they were more likely to be seen. This would indirectly help to project an artistic touch of urban metropolises.

The latter just mentioned canons have been maintained through the decades, and are still visible to this day – in every poster that surrounds and colours our daily lives. Although, these standard canons have been maintained throughout, each decade has seen a different style and has had a unique approach to graphic design for poster advertising; time literally speaks for and through the poster. It is interesting to look back at how product advertisement has evolved over the past couple of decades, and there are thousands of examples that illustrate this change. Change in language, change in consumer targeting, but perhaps most noticeably, a change in the visual aesthetic. Figure 1 and Figure 2 are clear examples of two posters from the same company, advertising the same product, but in very different ways, and more than 70 years apart.

Figure 1: : How To Please A Husband (Heinz, 1933)

Figure 2: No One Grows Ketchup Like (Heinz, 2007)

“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.” (Robert L. Peters, n.d.) 2

Peters has observed that a design, or design style can influence culture, which then continues to shape the values we hold. As we explore the design message behind Figure 1, we will realise this to be true. Figure 1 does not resemble anything we are used to seeing today: there is a large amount of text which is evidently for the purpose of explaining what the product is, what the ingredients are and where you can use it. Figure 1 looks, to us, more like a newspaper article than part of an advertising campaign. The message cannot be translated from a distance. Before TV advertisement, a poster was one of the few effective platforms that brands had available to them to communicate with consumers. This explains why this advertisement looks more like the front page of a newspaper than the types of posters we are more accustomed to seeing today. The campaign itself is somewhat discriminative and manipulative. “How to please a Husband” – a phrase that was indeed accepted in the 1930’s as a valid method of B2C marketing. It was the woman’s role as ‘homemaker’ to please the husband and keep him content with regards to food and cleanliness. Nowadays, of course, if this poster were published it would be perceived scandalous. In today’s somewhat genderless society, anybody can be a homemaker. Figure 2 on the other hand fits in perfectly with the modern world of advertising. The term “less is more” has never been more relevant. This poster is the perfect combination of clear and simple, yet amusing and identifiable. The slogan: ‘No One Grows Ketchup like Heinz’, is so indirectly clever and obviously suitable to the brand, and the image of the tomato delicately placed in the centre projects an idea of purity. This poster is begging to be remembered, it is witty and funny and everything that today’s culture of advertisement encompasses. These two figures perfectly illustrate the evolution of graphic design style for advertising. The fact that there is a massive difference in the amount of text suggests that we are more perceptive today than we were 80 years ago.

“Good design is obvious. Great design is transparent.” (Joe Soprano)

What Soprano means by this is simple; he has cleverly observed that in order for a design (particularly a design for advertising) to be great, it needs to be transparent. The general public are more conscious of advertising today than we ever have been. We’re too smart to fall for old marketing tricks. We have stopped listening to what we are told is a great product, and want to 3

make that informed decision ourselves. How do you sell a product to somebody who doesn’t want to be sold to?

“Simplicity, carried to an extreme, becomes elegance” (Jon Frankl)

Figure 2 only justifies Frankl’s point. This design fits just perfectly into the modern age of marketing. Shoppers today are too consumed in their own day to day lives, what with careers, children, or whatever it may be, to stop and read about a product. This poster tells the consumer everything they need to know with a clever combination of bold, identifiable colour choices, a short and snappy slogan, and a logo recognised across the nation. The wit and sophistication of this poster increases the likelihood of keeping that consumer thinking about the brand and the product, be that perhaps subconsciously during their next trip to the supermarket. Figure 2 has potential to excel in the world of advertising in modern society. Figure 1 did the same in the 1930’s – but this attitude toward marketing and targeting has become completely outdated in modern society.

“Styles come and go. Good design is a language, not a style.” – Massimo Vignelli

Vignelli argues that good design is a language. A timeless method of communication. We can begin to see evidence to support Vignelli in Figures 3 and 4 (below). We see two political campaign posters, and these examples clearly illustrate the evolution of graphic design for posters.

Figure 3: This Hand Leads The Reich (Nazi Propaganda, 1933)

Figure 4: Donald Trump Campaign Poster (2016)

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Take Figure 3: Adolf Hitler’s campaign poster – This poster carried a strong message, especially to the German nationals who at the time were at a stage of crisis and were in need of a strong leader, and advocate of hope to push them out of the hard times and into the more hopeful state of being. Their misery forced them into supporting a leader about whom they knew very little. Figure 3 illustrates a strong sense of unity, and pushes the message that no man should walk alone. The aim of this poster was to fill the void inside yourself. Not with material or insignificant things, but with pure love for your nation and it’s well-being. In this case it was extremely effective.

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Figures 3 and 4 may not look all that similar aesthetically, but once analysed, you come to realise that they are so alike in the message that they project. Both posters promote a strong sense of hope through imagery and design, this is why posters can be so effective. Posters either directly or indirectly play on the emotions of the perceiver, by giving them hope in order to gain something, in this cast their vote. In reality, this is a different story, what with the Trump poster: ‘Making America Great again’.

Poster placement is a huge issue that needs to be addressed, particularly with regards to politics. Poster placement is hugely significant, and must be carefully considered. Figure 4 for example, was strategically placed behind President Donald Trump to emphasise the strength of the message by not just visually enforcing it but by audibly enforcing it too. In the 1900’s, most posters were placed on walls or in shop windows. Nowadays, marketers have an array of options available to them in terms of placement. Sure, we see posters that are bigger and better than ever; on billboards, busses and bus shelters, but the digital age has opened up even more options that allow brands to ensure the consumers reached are on brand, and that the message is more likely to be well received. These techniques put out a brand message far quicker, and the amount of brands utilising digital media for advertising has grown rapidly over recent years. Figures 2 and 4 were both designed and produced in the digital age, signifying that these posters could have seen a greater reach globally, and were ultimately considered more by the audience. Nowadays we have many social networking advantages such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on which makes it much easier to promote online however this is killing the age of printed posters. Although this era of digitalised promotion makes things better, it has subsequently killed where posters originally came from. The beauty of creating a poster with your bare hands for the world to see is a privilege that this modern age may never get the blessing of seeing.

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I believe that in my analysis of posters, I have covered very important topics such as design, purpose and overall meaning. The most significant change in the world of posters has evidently been the age of digitalisation and the impact of that itself has been huge in all corners of the world as we see it today and that is where my analysis really comes into play. Posters remain a beacon of light in the advertising world and graphically also, and although digitalisation has corrupted posters somewhat, they always have been and shall remain a huge part of the sheer scale and mass of advertising and are ever so effective even in this day and age.

Reference List: -

Creative Heinz Ketchup Ads (2016) Retrieved 2 December 2016 from http://www.ateriet.com/creative-heinz-ketchup-ads-check-out-these-20-great-ones/

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Nazi Propaganda 1935-1938 (2016) Retrieved 3 December 2016 from http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/prop/ns7.html

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Donald J. Trump (2016) Retrieved 3 December 2016 from https://www.donaldjtrump.com/

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Wired (2016) Steve Jobs: The Next Insanely Great Thing, Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/1996/02/jobs-2/

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Joe Sparano - Quotes on Design (2016) Retrieved from https://quotesondesign.com/joesparano/

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Jon Franklin Quote (2016) Retrieved from http://www.azquotes.com/quote/542863

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Robert L. Peters Quote (2016) Retrieved from http://www.azquotes.com/quote/674328

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Massimo Vignelli Quote (2016) Retrieved from http://www.azquotes.com/quote/642250

Bibliography: -

Flask, D. (2016). Home: Design is History, Retrieved from http://www.designishistory.com

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International Poster Gallery (2016) Retrieved 2 December 2016 from http://www.internationalposter.com/

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