Summary of AF102

I have now reached the end of the project and created two posters which both promote an aspect of social media in the style of propaganda posters from the early half of the 1900's. One is in the style of American tourism posters whilst the other is in the style of Russian constructivist propaganda. I chose both of these styles as they contrast each other a lot which would really stretch my designs. The American style is very clean, sharp and colourful. It was almost a cartoony style that was very light hearted and in some ways simplistic although the designs were sometimes complex. The Russian style is very off kilter, complex and eye grabbing. There is also a very limited colour palette to choose from so you have to be efficient and very conscious of everything you create to make sure it'll fit in to the colour scheme and work with a very limited array of colour.

My First Poster (American Tourism Propaganda):

This is my favourite design of the two. I really like how it all came together. It mirrors the original poster quite closely however, it was all drawn by eye and none of it traced so I like to think it has my own personal flair to all the artwork. I think it's simplicity is the main thing that makes it so aesthetically pleasing. There is just a view and 4 pieces of text. One image takes up the entire page and I think really works to grab the eye and make you read the text at the bottom. 

The class crit and the pitch were both invaluable tools for improving the design also. They allowed me to confirm that the message is getting through clearly enough and that the design is working to it's fullest potential. Thanks to the crit in particular I added in the lake behind the trees that really helps to add depth and separation between the foreground and the background. I also dialled back the colour on the hills as it was a bit garish and out of place. Both of these suggestions were things that hadn't occurred to me until they were mentioned but the second I changed them I really appreciated the difference and found they make such an improvement to the overall design.

It mirrors the style of American propaganda from this period very strongly too I feel. When looking a it everyone recognised the era and country of origin and it matches up with the art style of similar posters perfectly. It also simply promotes the aspect of social media successfully too. The chat windows will instantly strike a chord with anyone who uses Facebook chat and I think the slogan at the bottom is simple yet effective. Overall I think this is a really strong design.

My Second Poster (Russian Constructivist Propaganda):

This is my second design. This one is based upon Russian constructivist propaganda. This is pretty close to the polar opposite of the previous poster I created as it is very convoluted, complex and intricate. I wanted to do it like this as I felt it would stretch me more in Illustrator creating a tranquil, simplistic design and then creating a hectic, off the wall design immediately afterwards. Another contrast between the two was having one which was clean and another which is worn down having been folded, creased and just generally neglected. 

Again the crit and pitch proved very helpful. For this poster it was more in the pitch. I had only just begun creating this poster at the time of pitching my ideas and so I hadn't come too far with the design ideas. My original poster was very plain and con formative and the class really helped me to really get a grasp of what I wanted out of this design and helped me go forward, visualise it and ultimately create it.

This was my poster before the pitch:

As you can see it was very controlled and centred. The class suggested I play around more with angling everything at 45 degrees and playing around more with the colours and the font. I had already had these kinds of ideas in mind however, I wasn't sure if I was going to explore them for a final design as I wasn't sure of Illustrators capabilities for bringing to life what was in my head. The class seemed to really believe it was a good idea to try and explore however, and I am glad I did. I think the poster looks great all worn down and creased.

My finished poster really does reflect the style of Russian propaganda heavily which isn't as easy as it sounds. The artist I researched, Gustav Klutsis, pioneered a technique that involved blending photography and photographic styles in with colours and more abstract designs. This was a hard thing to wrap my head around as I was using a vector piece of software trying to replicate a photographic, bitmap style of image. I think that I pulled it off though. One of the main things that is attractive and immersive with bitmap imagery is clipping something behind another object. For example clipping the title of a magazine behind a models head. The audience knows that title wasn't actually behind her head at the time of taking that picture but the fact her head obscures the title somewhat adds a layer of depth and immersive-ness otherwise lost. This is what I did with the text by making it interact with the planet. I think it reflects Gustav Klutsis' style and has a look of controlled chaos. For these reasons I think it meets the brief very well.

What I Will Take Forward:

This project has been really helpful to me. I had never once used Illustrator before starting this course and it is now one of my new favourite programs in the Adobe suite. I have previously done a lot of work in After Effects, Premiere Pro, Photoshop and Cinema 4D and kept encountering problems in all 4 where I wanted to create a graphic but didn't seem to have the tools to do so effectively and efficiently. After just a short period of time with this project I feel that I have already found solutions to many of the problems I have had in the past with Adobe Illustrator.

Another thing is the value of research. In college research seems tedious and like you are just doing it for the sake of having something to put in your paperwork however, with this project I found it really immersive. I was finding an art style then an artist then all their work they had ever done. It was great to delve into an art style and movement so completely and draw ideas from it that would feed directly into my own designs. I found it really useful to have an idea in my head and try and visualise it in the art style of various artists from the period to see which would work most convincingly and so documenting my research became more of a part of my design process than merely a chore.

I have also learnt about the importance of sketching out your designs and keeping a sketchbook. At the beginning of the project everyone was stuck for ideas around me. I simply told them to draw in their sketchbooks 'till something came up and low and behold it did. I found this too, if I just sat and sketched out every idea that came into my head then at least one of them would appeal to me or would open up a new avenue in my thinking and allow me to develop the idea further. I am definitely going to try to spend more time in the next project sketching ideas from the get go as I feel like I left it a little late in this project and maybe having more time would have had a lot more ideas to run with.

Overall this project has helped me with every avenue of my design precess from idea generation through to execution of those ideas. Perhaps most valuable of all to me however, is the new string to my bow that I now have with Adobe Illustrator and I can see it becoming a pivotal member of my design generation process in the near future.

Crit for Poster No.2

This post is for all the points brought to light when I showed the class my second poster and my views on the validity of each and my decision on whether or not to use them for the final submission.

Suggestion #1 - The Earth's shadow:

Original:

Suggestion:

This suggestion was to change the shadow on the Earth to make it darker. The original was more of a cartoony style and a bit lighter than the shadowing in the original poster. I have changed it to more closely match the colouring of the shadows in the original and I think that I prefer it. I may have to experiment further before making my mind up indefinitely.

Suggestion #2 - Brighten up the bottom:

Original:

Suggestion:

The idea here was to make it look as though the page was bending up a little bit and catching the light. I had done this subtly however, it wasn't as drastic as in the original poster. I simply added a gradient from 100% transparent white to 75% transparent white. This gives it a more intense look and really draws attention to the bottom half of the page and worn feel to the design. I think that this really looks good and unique and I am going to keep this through to my final design.

I think that these two suggestions have improved my design a lot and made it mirror the original and the style of Russian propaganda in general a lot better.

Crit for Poster No.1

I am going to discuss in this post each of the aspects my classmates and tutors put forward showing a before and after and then come to a decision on whether to take the advice or leave it explaining fully my reasons for doing so.

Suggestion #1 - The hills are too green:

Original:

Suggestion:

The first suggestion I got was to make the green less intense on the hills at the bottom as it was quite vibrant and garish. I added a little red and took out a little blue from the mix in the green in both of the hills and I think it is a vast improvement. I hadn't really noticed before but after it was mentioned I definitely agreed with the point and so I am going to keep this change.

Suggestion #2 - Add a lake:

Original:

Suggestion:

This was the second suggestion I got. It was to add a lake which the original poster had. The idea was to create depth and some separation from the trees to the mountain range in the background. I think that it really works. I was sceptical at first when I was originally creating the poster that it would look weird and not work at all however, after trying it out I think that it really works and so I am going to keep it in.

Suggestion #3 - Chat windows font:

Original:

Suggestion:

This suggestion was that the font choice in the chat windows did't really accurately reflect Facebook chat and that I should try and sans serif font. This is the first suggestion I don't agree with. The sans serif font looks out of place and wrong. I think that the original script font I picked out really adds a personal touch and helps to bridge the gap between the modern, sharp chat window and the rustic, soft artwork beneath. I am going to stick to my script font.

Overall all of the suggestions I got for this poster were spot on apart from the one about the font in the chat window boxes and I found the crit was invaluable and has really improved the design.

Process for Making my Posters

This is going to be a overview of how I created each of the aspects for my posters. I am going to go through the majority of the steps to creating the final artwork without repeating myself too much.

I started by creating a document in Adobe Illustrator. The size had to be A1 which is not a preset in the program and so I had to research the dimensions over the internet which I found to be 841 x 594 mm. I entered this into the dialogue box and created the document:

I had to ensure that it was on a print profile to begin with. That was really the only thing to bear in mind. This allowed it to have a CMYK colour space and allowed it 300ppi (pixels per inch). This is the settings that print use however, web uses about 72ppi and an RGB colour space. I had to be careful to make sure that I had print selected as RGB and 72ppi would look fine on my screen but atrocious when printed.

Once this was complete I could get to work creating the artwork. I didn't trace any part of either of the posters I created. I put the picture up in the background off to the right of my workspace and then started trying to replicate it in my own style by eye.

For my first poster I used the pen tool pretty much exclusively and roughly drew out the proportions of each of the part of the scenery and any other features to form a basic layout:

It may not look like much but this was the first sketch I did and from there I could begin to add detail and do some proper drawings until I was left with the basic scenery which I then filled in the the gradient tool and regular fills until I was left with this:

           The finished background:                                                             The wire frame:

Using the pen tool was simple you just click where you want a point and then click again in another location where you want another point. The program automatically connects the dots allowing you to create vast intricate shapes and lines. You can also click and hold then drag out a handle which allows you to create a curve. In the wire frame image the mountains and trees are a good example of just clicking to create points to create a very straight, sharp shape. At the bottom with the hills you can see how i used the click and drag method to create hills.

The gradient tool is also very simple you just need to open up the gradient tools specific dialogue window on the right hand side of the screen:

Once in here you can choose a range of colours that will all blend into one another for example here there is white into black. You can also specify the type of gradient; either linear or radial. Once you have specified each of these aspects you then just click within a shape you wish to colour and it will fill it completely with the gradient and give you two handles you can use to control it more precisely:

Once done with all this I then began to create the main art in  my poster. I began with the cowboy  and horse which I drew again using the pen tool:

Once he was drawn with his horse I then used the brush tool at quite a small size to add in light on his front:

I feel as though this really helps him stand out and draws attention to the character a lot better than if he were simply just blue and brown. Once he was drawn I then moved onto the text which I quite simply just used the text tool for making two text boxes and using the font "Cyclone" and "Cyclone Layers" created this title at the bottom of the page:

After this I then used the brush tool to create the smoke signals in the top right. I simply just drew out a shape then scribbled in to fill the middle. There was not need for a fill tool I just carried on the stroke:

After this the only thing left to do was to add in the text boxes. For these I used a lot of tools I used the pen tool, the shape tool (to make a rectangle and a circle or two) and the text tool. I combined them all to create this:

Once this was created I simply duplicated it and switched around the text and moved the point over to make a reply coming from the smoke signals:

I then added a rectangle over the whole thing that was white but with lowered opacity to brighten everything up a little and was left with the finished poster:

Decisions Behind Poster No. 2

This is the finished version (prior to class 'crit) of my second poster. This one was based upon Russian constructivism propaganda from the Second World War:

It is promoting Facebook's ability to allow you to connect with the world far more extensively and personally than ever before. I drew inspiration from this "Soviet Hands" poster:

I found the Russian propaganda really interesting due to its strong colour schemes and interesting layouts however, I chose this poster in particular for two main reasons. The first was it's off kilter composition. Everything was ay a 45 degree angle and some of the main text appeared to be clipping behind some of the imagery and off the page. And the second was how distressed and worn the poster was. This example here is the most vibrant and intact image I could find but you can still see visible distress and fading even on this poster.

I tried to mirror the design as closely as possible whilst still retaining some originality and clarity. I made sure that I made the poster very close to the original in terms of layout, composition, typeface and the level of distress and wear however, I did change the imagery and colour scheme marginally.

Typeface:

The original typeface:

My chosen typeface:

I feel as though my chosen typeface is fairly similar to the original. The problem with Russian style font faces is that they are not very easily readable, particularly at smaller sizes. I wanted to maintain the balance between readability and style which was quite tricky to do however, I think I found the balance. My chosen font face is a little sharper than the original however, I think that it works as it still looks powerful and sharp which are two major themes with Russian propaganda.

Colour:

The colours I have used in my design are a little more subdued than in this example of the poster. I wanted to experiment with making the poster look really distressed and worn. This included making the colours look faded and worn. It was quite different to my first poster and that was intentional so I could experiment with both styles.

Layout/Composition:

The layout is almost identical. The only real difference is that I made the text clip behind the Earth and the edge of the page more than the original as I felt that it was really unique and striking. The original came tantalisingly close to clipping the text in certain areas however, never actually did so I wanted to experiment to see how it would look. I think that it really works and looks really interesting. I definitely wanted to keep the 45 degree angle to everything however, as I felt it was really eye grabbing and interesting.

Additions:

The only real change is the image in the centre. The Earth and the like hands beneath it. Both are quite different to the original. The original focused around an actual photograph which is very different to the vector, computerised style of the Earth and hands at the bottom. I thought creating a soft, cartoony Earth would be quite a nice contrast and big eye grabbing feature to the poster however, I kept more to the Russian theme with the hands as they are very sharp and I think powerful. This pays homage to the original design whilst the Earth does the opposite and I think it is interesting and works well.

Decisions Behind Poster No. 1

This is the finished version (prior to class crit') of my first poster. It is based upon a poster that was part of a campaign promoting the idea of visiting certain places in America: 

It is promoting the chat feature on Facebook and it's ability to enable you as the user to easily talk to their friends. I drew inspiration from this "See America" poster:

It's colours and art style really appealed to me as it was far more colourful, simplistic and calm than any other forms of propaganda I had previously seen. This I feel would help it stand out from other designs as I had the ability to utilise far wider array of font and colour choices. This I felt would allow me to really hone in on a style and have a greater amount of freedom.

I quite closely mirrored the original with the imagery, layout and typeface however, I feel that I have slightly modernised some aspects. I have kept it clean and vector and although still sticking fairly closely to the style and aesthetic appeal of the original type face I have chosen slightly more modern carnations of them.

Typeface:

The original typeface:

My chosen typeface:

I stayed true to the aesthetic qualities of the original with the beige font with a brown, thin interior however, I feel as though the look and formation of the letters is slightly more modern and appealing to the Facebook generation. The main difference comes with the secondary piece of text. In the original is is quite a square and short typeface however, the font I chose to use was very tall and narrow. It is also very thin. I think that this difference really works as it not only draws attention to the main reason for the poster (the words "Use Facebook") it also creates really nice contrast which I think is really appealing and really completes the look, particularly because of the more modern and vibrant colours.

Colour:

The colours were another aspect that I changed very slightly. In the original all of the colours were very slightly washed out and fairly dark. In my design I made them a little more vibrant and a little brighter. I think that it compliments the modern aspects I brought in with the typeface and the chat windows and just really helps the poster pop and grab the eye. In my second poster I really washed out the colours and experimented with the more run down and desolate feel so I wanted to keep this poster vibrant and a bit more lively as I felt it really lends itself to the style of the period I chose. The only reason that the example of the "See America" is washed out and dark is that is an old, worn out copy that has been scanned into the computer. When it was made it too would have been vibrant, bright and colourful. As are other examples of posters from the same time period that are in slightly better condition.

Layout/Composition:

The layout and composition in the original poster I think was one of the strongest aspects due it's sheer simplicity. The bottom third contained all the information then the top two thirds contained nothing but a view of the mountains. It was really successful at selling the idea of visiting Montana because you actually looked that the imagery and the poster as if it was a view of a mountain range by reading the text at the bottom then following the cowboys eye. I stayed very true to this and made sure to mirror the composition and layout as closely as I could. I used the eye of the cowboy to create a line between the two chat boxes. You would follow his view through the first box and up to the second. I think this is really important as it makes sure that the audience know there is a conversation taking place between the cowboy and a person sending smoke signals from the mountains and not just two random statements.

Additions:

These are the only two things completely original that I added to the poster which weren't in the original design:

The smoke signals I made with the brush tool and I think that I managed to keep the clouds in tact with the art style of the rest of the poster. A lot of the poster is very sharp and angular and obviously clouds aren't that. I think that the best way I could have drawn it was with the brush tool as it makes them look a lot more fluffy due to the smoothing feature of the tool. the colouring was just trial and error. I think it fits in with the overall lighting and atmosphere of the poster.

The chat windows were another issue:

These were no where near being in the design. I knew that I wanted to have the Facebook chat windows in the design as it would really help to hammer home the brand identity. I chose to just create a speech bubble type of effect but make it as angular as I could. This I think matches with the mountains in the top half and suits the design. It ties in well with the font choice at the very bottom too and overall I think was the only way of executing this idea.

Illustrator Practice

Before starting my design I chose to practice using Illustrator to create the type of artwork I wanted to be creating in my final design. I new the style I wanted to try to create but I didn't know the extent of all the tools in Illustrator and so I didn't know which would be best for which task. I did manage however, to play around and create a drawing of a little character in the art style I wanted and to explore the program more and all of the appropriate tools that I thought most appropriate.

This is the picture I created. I used mainly the brush tool, the pen tool, the gradient tool, the shape tool and the ink dropper. I want to make my main poster in the style of American 1930's posters and they all have this kind of art style. I found that the brush tool had a really, really nice look to it and so I used that to create the body, mouth and hair for the drawing however, for the more precise parts of the drawing (the eyes, head and some of the shadowing) I found the circle tool and the pen tool more useful.

I am glad I took the time to experiment with this before hand as it highlighted a lot of flaws in some of the tools I wanted to use and expected to use. The main one was the inaccuracy of the brush tool. It made really nice shapes that were smooth and aesthetically very pleasing however, 1930's posters have a very subtle and sharp type of shading. This was the brush tool major drawback. It was very hard to create mathematically accurate shading and very precise shapes with it. To do all of the shading in the picture I had to fumble around with the pen tool over all of the brush work that i had previously done.

The brush strokes also weren't scaleable which meant that they had to be converted to symbols before editing them which was fairly awkward. I would say that the main thing that i learnt from this was that the pen tool and other shape tools were my best bet for recreating my intended style accurately.

The Pitch

Yesterday I pitched my ideas for the designs I am going to carry forth into production. I found it to be really helpful. I showed everything from my research through to my design choices and development. After that I put in some of the mock ups I have created already. It really allowed my to expose my designs for what they were and obtain some feedback about what works and what doesn't.

Fortunately the feedback was positive. Everyone liked my ideas and mock ups and had only positive things to say. All the suggestions I got were valid and backed up with insightful comments and viewpoints. It has helped me to adjust my designs somewhat to improve them based on some comments. It also helped me further solidify the road I was traveling down and how my artwork is supposed to be received. It is an odd thing justifying your design choices. You cannot simply say "I did it 'cos I like it". You have to back that up with solid justification both aesthetically and psychologically. You need to ridicule every choice that you have made and really understand why that choice was the right one. If you can't find the answer, it probably isn't the right choice. This makes it an invaluable experience having to pitch all of your ideas and justify every choice. It really helps you to understand the brief and your designs more and really solidify the image of them in your head.

As I mentioned the pitch went down really well and people only had compliments for me which was really encouraging. The only suggestions I got were for the artwork I have only recently started which was good as it has really helped me focus in on where I want the design to go and which aspects i should include and avoid.

All in all the pitch was a really valuable and enjoyable experience and I feel as though my designs will be better because of it.

Aspects of Web 2.0 to Promote

I thought it might be useful to jot down all of the social networks I can think of and some of the aspects I could promote for this unit. I have already made a brainstorm of these points in my sketchbook however, typing them up may bring some more ideas to mind or help me invasion more.

FaceBook:

• Chat to your friends
• Connect with the world
• Share your views
• Keep in touch

YouTube:

• Post whatever you want
• Best cat videos on the internet
• Not just for cat videos
• The easy way to become a director/actor

Twitter:

• Millions of tweets a day
• Keep it short
• Tired of ramblers?
• Celebrities thoughts
• Say whatever's on your mind

Myspace:

• It's not dead
• For musicians
• Rising again like the phoenix
• Like music? Love Myspace!

Google Plus:

• Not filled with spam
• It's new!
• Integrates with everything
• Easy to use!

Vimeo:

• Tired of cat videos?
• Better videos since 2004
• More refined
• A higher class
• Smarter
• For professionals

Instagram:

• Easy to use
• Make your iPhone a professional camera!
• Integrates with FaceBook
• Share your photos with friends

Summary:

The category I feel I have the strongest platform for idea development at the moment is FaceBook. I can already visualise designs in my head whereas the others will need some work and refinement. I think it is pretty certain that I will create a design for an aspect of FaceBook however, I shall also try to focus in on at least one of the other websites and create another idea for one of them.

American 1930's Posters

This is a great art style that I have been influenced by a lot throughout my life as a lot of the cartoons I grew up watching have a very similar art style. The main aesthetic themes are that of minimalism for the most part. Particularly with colours. One colour will be used for one aspect of the image, there is very little focus on detailed shading or intricate representations of objects. There is just a block of colour to represent objects. There are some more intricate designs in the foreground that may be a tad more adventurous however, certainly in the background all of the shapes and objects are just solid, basic blocks of colour.

Example #1:

SOURCE: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/national-parks/vintage-posters/#/see-america-welcome-to-montana-poster_20801_600x450.jpg

This poster is so simplistic and blocky. I really like the art style, the font face and the composition. It has such a nostalgic feeling and yet is quite contemporary in how colourful and geometric the shapes are. I think that this has for me, the most pleasing aesthetic qualities. The other styles I have seen are all a little too plain or a little too intense I think. However, this design balances the two perfectly. The colours work really well together as well. They are vibrant, bright and cartoony but it really fits in with the style of the shapes and overall message. This design works really, really well and I think has inspired me more than any of the other styles I have reviewed thus far.

Example #2:

SOURCE: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Placid_Olympic_bobsled_run,_WPA_poster,_ca._1937.jpg

This again has the same style as the previous poster however, there is a little more detail and definition in this design. However, as you can see in the cord and snow it is largely just a solid block of colour that is shaped to represent certain objects. I again really like this design a lot. It's simplicity is so well calculated. It works really well without becoming too abstract. The cartoony style really appeals to me also. The colours also all work really well. The way that they are not the colours that should accurately represent what they depict yet they still do, more so in some ways. Trees aren't blue and neither are people or snow however, it still works really well and really vividly depicts a cold atmosphere.

Example #3:

SOURCE: http://www.etsy.com/listing/101723076/city-of-new-york-municipal-airports

This poster is the most abstract of the three however, it doesn't stray too far into the abstract that it becomes too strange. The main thing that separates it is its complete lack of any setting. The thing that fills the page is the sky which is such an unusual colour it makes it quite detached from normality, yet it still works and is relatable. The other designs have odd coloured skies however, they are still colours that appear from time to time in certain places in the world. This colour is too strong to ever occur naturally and is quite intense. I do really like this design though. The typeface and layout are very unique and aesthetically strong. As is the imagery with the two planes, one landing in the sea and one flying conventionally over head.

Summary:

Overall this is my favourite styles of all the ones I have seen. It is very strong and unique. It's cartoony style is used to perfection and the geometry of all the shapes and designs is used to quite an extent which gives the designs a really stylised, one of a kind feel however, it still is relatable and familiar. 

This is a graphical style also I feel I am least familiar with and so I think I would like to peruse this style further which means that this is the art style I shall be carrying forward with me into the final design process.

Examples of Russian Propaganda

This is a really intriguing and striking style of propaganda. It uses a lot of blocky shapes and bright, contrasting colours mainly focusing around the colour red (the colour that is predominant in the Russian flag). This makes it very visually strong and eye catching and in my view very appealing. 

Example #1:

SOURCE: http://www.squidoo.com/soviet-propaganda-posters?utm_source=google&utm_medium=imgres&utm_campaign=framebuster

This first example is really unique. It uses really sharp, geometric shapes and loads of bright, vibrant, contrasting colours. all of the text is also really blocky, impacting and perfected. This differs greatly from the handwritten and imperfect style of the British WWII typography. This is because the intended goal and message for the poster is different. British propaganda is more of a soft, moral boosting, reassuring tool which requires a hands on, personal feel to the designs. Russian propaganda posters are meant to convey a more powerful and strong message. This poster has a very striking and abstract theme to it unlike any other posters I've seen from other countries and era's. It is very unique.

Example #2:

SOURCE: http://www.squidoo.com/soviet-propaganda-posters

This poster is very striking. Again it's use of strong geometric shapes and bright colours is very eye catching and striking. It has a very abstract art style that depicts soldiers bearing weapons marching forward with three very prominent, huge soldiers above them. there is also a factory in the bottom left and three aeroplanes along side the soldiers. Again this is very strong, powerful imagery that ties into the way that Russia was perceived by the rest of the world at the time. This is also helped out by the typography which is again big, blocky and thick. This poster has a very mechanical feel to it I think. Most of the propaganda from the Russian front did. This is again to possibly enforce the idea that Russia is a big, powerful machine. This would subconsciously (and successfully) effect the rest of the worlds view on Russia and Russian people.

Example #3:

SOURCE: http://www.davno.ru/soviet-posters/propaganda/poster-25.html

This poster is again very abstract and vibrant. This is less abstract in terms of aesthetic choices however. The layout and construction of the poster is quite held back however, the imagery of a hand made of a plethora of other hands is quite an odd image. There are some faces in the wrist as well. The only thing odd about the the layout and construction is the fact that everything is on a slight angle and not quite level. this i think makes it grab your eye a little more effectively. The fact it is at an angle is odd and draws your eye. The fact that pretty much the entire page is a bright red also helps towards that. It really pops and makes you pay attention. The imagery in this one and symbolism are particularly strong I think in comparison to the others which i slightly more vague and general. The symbolism of the hand constructed of other hands is this posters main strength.

Example #4:

SOURCE: http://www.davno.ru/soviet-posters/propaganda/poster-26.html

This is probably the most abstract and convoluted designs in the posters that I have selected. There are a load of abstract geometric shapes interacting on a white background. It is extremely out there and unique. There are no shapes to even reflect human or recognisable objects. It's just a collection of random shapes. This is quite impacting however, it is a little strange. I'm not sure it quite works fully. It doesn't really inspire or reflect strength or anything like that, it only looks intriguing. I think it is one of the weaker designs in the posters I chose.

Example #5:

SOURCE: http://www.forkparty.com/513/soviet-propaganda-posters

This poster is very generic and very recognisable. It pretty much summarises all of the stereotypical themes of Russian propaganda all in one design. There is of course the red background with yellow highlights. There are three strong figures in the foreground, two of them holding up the two items which make up the two items in the Russian flag. It again has the strong, blocky typeface which inspires power and strength. It is the stereotypical Russian art style and this has a lot of design ideas within it that I could use in an idea of my own that would have a very recognisable and very unique style.

Summary:

I really like the really alternative and unique styles these posters demonstrate. It is so drastically different to the British WWII posters I reviewed earlier. They focussed on simplicity, subdued colours and simple themes. These posters are complex with off kilter angles and ideas. They pack a punch and instantly grab the attention of the viewer. 

The really strong visual style and theme has made it one of the most popular and recognisable types of propaganda that has ever been produced. It really opens the flood gates to some of the more alternative and abstract ideas in my head and I can certainly experiment with these themes further. 

It has such an iconic style that actually spans quite a broad array of colour groups and layouts that to them that creating a design that pays homage to this would be quite a rewarding challenge. It would work well with a really powerful message as that is one of the major strengths with these pieces of art. Whereas the British artwork was more about moral boosting and suppression of voice so that spies didn't catch wind of plans. The Russian propaganda is quite the opposite with uplifting, powerful messages packed with adrenalin and enthusiasm. It is one of the most successful styles of propaganda I have come across due to its sheer power and the simplicity of it's message. I will look further into this style and specific artists takes on it in the near future.

Examples of Propaganda from WWII

This is the first bout of research I have done into propaganda posters. I chose to start with WWII as in my eyes it is the most famous and a few specific designs have become synonymous with the word propaganda for me. I will later have a look at other examples from other pivotal era's within the time span. I specifically want to focus on British WWII propaganda to begin with however, because I think it has a very unique and (for me) inspirational style. It differs greatly even from American WWII propaganda which I may visit at a later date.

I shall list here a few posters that really caught my eye. I will try to source the artist to discuss their life and other works. I will give an overview of the design choices, meanings and target audience for the posters and I will comment on how they will effect my design ideas and idea creation going forward.

"Together We Shall Strangle Hitlerism"

SOURCE: http://www.businessinsider.com/world-war-two-posters-keep-calm-2012-6?op=1

This poster is a piece of English propaganda from the second World War. The artist is listed as unknown on all of the sources I have managed to find however, the artwork has thought to have been created in the period of 1940-1946.

I really like the idea behind this poster. It's art style also compliments it perfectly. The idea of two things so symbolic yet lifeless carrying out such a pivotal, human action I find really effective. The obvious brush strokes and simple colour scheme really help to just state the purpose of the poster and reflect how serious and professional the aim is. There is no finessing and over complication in the art style and execution of the poster. It is just simple and brash as the government wished that the act of strangling "Hitlerism" would be. The government wouldn't want to panic anyone who saw this poster and so i think that the art style reflects how simple and effortless banding together to face Hitler would be.

The target audience for this poster I think is... everyone (In the UK and Russia). It doesn't really seem to focus on any one group of people. It is more I think a moral boosting piece designed to inspire confidence in civilians that their country will stand firm and win the war if everyone works together through this.

This kind of almost childlike art style with a very serious message I find very intriguing and appealing and will be something I shall experiment with in the early stages of design for my propaganda poster. one of the main design elements I am particularly fond of is the way that the page is separated in two by the two blocks of colour. it works really well to combine a hard hitting image with a few words that effectively convey a point.

Unfortunately, on the sources I have seen so far I cannot seem to find the artist who created this poster however, I shall keep searching and review more of their work should I find it.

"Aeroplane in Hand"

SOURCES: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:INF3-328_Unity_of_Strength_Aeroplane_in_hand,_with_wrist_emerging_from_sea_horizon_Artist_Reginald_Mount.jpg 

and http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/theartofwar/prop/production_salvage/INF3_0328.htm

This poster is another piece of English propaganda created in World War 2. This piece was created by Reginald Mount. He was a British designer born on the 14th of July 1906. He joined the Ministry of Information in the 1930's around the outbreak of the second World War. He then around 1939 joined with Eileen Evans and began designing and producing a large amount of propaganda for a myriad of different uses. Some of his work is quite famous and he even designed the poster campaign for the 1955 film "The Ladykillers".

This poster is a very powerful and influential piece of art. There are no words at all (other than the logo in the bottom right). This really helps to hammer home the image. It smacks you in the face and really grabs your eye. There are really simple and few amounts of colours, limited (yet still accurate) amounts of detail and and a very poignant and brash image. It conveys a very positive theme and a very inspirational vibe. The image reflects that the work of the average Joe in Britain that may seem mundane, tedious and inconsequential however, this poster reminds them that the work they do lifts the planes into the sky and allows the guns to fire. They are saving lives and winning the war just as much as the soldiers on the front lines and the captains of great battle ships.

The target audience are the workers in the factories who are creating all the vital parts and components that go into all of the vehicles, weapons and supplies that go into the British and Russian war effort. The reason that I mention the Russian war effort is because of the Russian text that is in the bottom right hand corner. This signifies that the poster may have been intended for use overseas in Russia as England did supply Russia with crucial components and supplies and so this poster would have probably been used over there to inspire and reassure their troops and factory workers.

I personally love this poster it's style and message are so simple yet so powerful. The idea that a single hand lifting a plane over the sea can have such a powerful meaning to so many people even over multiple countries I find inspiring. The simplicity of the design and execution also works really well and is again definitely something I will experiment with when refining my designs.

"To Victory Together"

SOURCE: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:INF3-306_Unity_of_Strength_To_Victory_together!.jpg

This poster is yet again another piece of British propaganda from the second World War. Similarly to the first poster I researched I cannot find the name of the artist however, it is dated to between 1939 and 1946. 

This is one of my favourite posters that I have found thus far. It is just so unmistakeable. The second poster was powerful however, the overall meaning was a little convoluted and unclear. With a little thought and research I was able to find that it was targeting factory workers and men and women overseas however, this poster is completely clear and focussed. There is no doubt in your mind what the meaning of this poster is and it is very successful at conveying that message. It is clearly Hitler's skull speared on the bayonet of both a British and a Russian soldiers weapon. 

The target audience is again everyone in the UK and Russia. It is merely a truly inspirational and moral boosting poster. It just works and gives you a huge amount of hope that you can pull through. It again however, makes a point of saying "Together". This is mentioned in the first poster I reviewed as well. It is inspirational but reminds the viewer that they have a pivotal role in the success of the war effort and to keep on going strong.

This poster instantaneously gave me many ideas for posters I can create and it's simplistic art style has also given me inspiration as to other designs I could do that have a similar, hand drawn art style to them.

Summary:

In general WWII era British propaganda posters are very simplistic. They have very limited words on the page however, the words that are present always have a deep meaning that ties in with the images and themes also being conveyed. Specifically in the posters I reviewed the word "Together" popped up quite a bit. It's little things like that they may seem insignificant at first glance however, they really do help drill home key points and messages.

Another thing i found to be really interesting and inspirational was the art style. There is a distinct limitation on colour, detail and complexity to all the images. They are all very blocky, simple representations of things that tie into the message of the poster. This works really, really well and there are a few reasons why. First and foremost it looks aesthetically appealing, the lack of detail allows your mind to fill in the details or to simply appreciate the representation of the object that the artist has drawn.  It also works on the subconscious level to reinforce subtle messages of simplicity in the plans they are putting forward. They would like the public to believe that it is not a difficult task to carry out and that should help to relax their mind and help them to do their part in the war effort. I think this aspect works very well.

The lack of colour however, I find very appealing. This is most definitely an idea i shall carry forwards into the design process. I know off hand that the other styles of propaganda from different countries and eras have a vast amount more colour and complexity to their images. Mostly representing the colour of the flag or a colour that ties in with the country but I think that the sheer lack of colour in these posters is effective to no end. It looks really simple and hopeful. There is not too much to look at and so you are really drawn to the image and the message conveyed and really allow it to sink in and make an impact.

All in all this is a very interesting and influential period in propaganda production and their are a lot of design elements I am going to experiment with in the near future. I am yet to explore other countries propaganda but I think that British WWII propaganda will certainly influence my designs and ideas heavily as I have found the examples I posted here to be really impacting and aesthetically influential.