Hollis 7-36 | Graphic Design A Concise History Reflection

The many roles of graphic design is to identify: to relay what something is and where it came from.
Another role is to inform  and instruct, to show the relationship of two things through directions. Lastly, to present and promote, to catch the eye of people and make a message loud and clear (Hollis 10).  The poster as per chapter one, represent all these three roles of graphic design. One poster that caught my eye during the reading was the "I Want You for US Army'' poster by James Montgomery Flagg in 1917 which was used to help recruit young American males for the first Great War. The posters colors capture the patriotism of the US flag and encourage many to enlist in the armed forces to help with the efforts of the Allied Forces in the first Great War. Many countries during World War 1 did their own versions of these posters to get young males to enlist in the armed forces. Some made people guilty for not joining and for having someone else fight for them.
"I Want You for US Army"
Poster 1917
[James Montgomery Flagg]
To continue the theme of posters in war, I chose these two images. The first one is John Heartfield's 1943 Brochure Cover called "And Yet It Moves" in which Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitller is depicted as an insane ape still holding on to his dream of world conquest. Hitler's vision was almost at its end and Heartfield showed no matter what the world will still be turning and moving on. This image caught my attention because it clearly shows what kind of human being Adolf Hitler was and what his ideals stood for.  
"And Yet IT Moves"
1943 Brochure Cover
[John Heartfield]
https://www.johnheartfield.com/John-Heartfield-Exhibition/john-heartfield-art/political-art-museum/adolf-hitler-revealed-heartfield-1943
 Lastly, here is a propaganda poster during the height of the Nazi Party's power to help recruit Germany's youth into the Nazi Party. It reads, "German students fight for the Fuhrer and the people." This is just one of many posters that the Hitler's party use to control the mind of the German people and have their support for his plan of world domination. These posters where highly detailed and beautifully crafted posters captured the minds of the German people even though they promoted hatred and fear.
The reading show many different ways that posters were done during the beginning of graphic design, artist hand drawn/painted poster with custom lettering to computer generated posters. It showed the evolution of graphic design through any posters and ads that were done buy many artist/designers. One part of the reading mentioned and showed the poster work of artist Gustav Klimt during the beginnings of design in Europe.

Kunsttbibliothek/The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum  

Comments

  1. Dolores WilberJanuary 15, 2020 at 1:02 PM

    Testing comment.

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  2. Peter DJanuary 15, 2020 at 2:09 PM

    The examples you choose are excellent examples of the power of graphic design in communication. The period of the World Wars were rife with propaganda messages and sometimes manipulative imagery, and although the messages were often simple and straightforward, they were exceedingly powerful, pulling on the heartstrings of its viewers, guilt-tripping passer-bys, and inspiring fear in the hearts of those who know a lot and a little about the conflict alike. These posters are excellent examples of how governments on all sides of the conflict were influencing its citizens for or against various causes.

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