Peter Das - Blog 1

The topic of early graphic design is one not often examined, perhaps strangely, knowing how pivotal it has been over the course of history. The early history of graphic design is bound to that of Western history at the time. With Europe (particularly Paris) being regarded as the art capital certainly of the Western world (Hollis 13), so much of the artistic revolutions and schools of thought originated there, building out of the artistic movements of the time. Unfortunately, as with so much of Europe’s artistic world, this was completely disrupted by the war, as what little art people could afford to focus on and produce was generally oriented around the war and motivating people to fight. So devastating were the world wars, in fact, that Europe’s artistic scene was severely stunted, and America assumed leadership in the realms of the arts. However, as the chapters strongly suggest, while there are many schools of thought and art philosophies coming about during these revolutionary times, although there are many rules to each style, there are no rules to the medium as a whole, and each artist takes it in a completely different direction.

Lumley, S, (1915). "Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War?" [Poster] Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daddy,_what_did_you_do_in_the_Great_War%3F January 13, 2020

            The use of propaganda fueled much of the boom in graphic design as an advertisement medium.  Posters served to rally more and more support for the war, and psychological strategies were employed to drive citizens into nationalist fervor. Figure One, “Daddy, What Did You Do in the Great War” for example, leans hard into guilt tripping, as well as the burden of performance that falls upon men, in order to prompt them to enlist. It conveys, much as Figure Two, “For Home and Country, Victory Liberty Loan,” does, that a man has not done his job to his family (to say nothing of his country) if he has not served the war effort directly, and it forces him to reconsider his success as a father, husband, and a man, and as a citizen of his country—as a patriarch and a patriot.

Orr, A. E. (1918). "For Home and Country" [Poster] Retrieved from https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc416/ January 13, 2020

Figure Three, “Fight or Buy Bonds, Third Liberty Loan” takes an alternative approach, romanticizing the war effort and representing the war as almost one out of myths or ancient history, as one of powers greater than mere men, with the potential to reshape the earth. These, like so many others, were common tactics in rallying people during the wars, and the same tactics would later be recycled in advertising campaigns.

Christy, H. C. (1917). "Fight or Buy Bonds, Third Liberty Loan" [Poster] Retrieved from https://www.heraldextra.com/calendar/arts/for-home-and-country-posters-and-propaganda-from-the-great/event_7a044a16-bab8-11e8-9c2b-0b172210f019.html January 13, 2020