Hollis 97-129 | The Designer and the Art Director
Ryland Tuney

I think one of the most fascinating parts of this chapter was the discussion on wartime graphics during the early stages of World War 2. The book highlighted many fascist and constructivist messages, centered around popular figures and leadership ideologies, which worked for many Axis countries such as Japan and Germany, using the Emporer or Hitler to symbolize the ending of the dark times, someone who would lead them to light.
However, on the other side of the canal, Britain focused on the collective, the idea that the people would change the course of the war and that it was them that would bring victory. When America joined the war effort in 1941, they adopted a similar technique, focusing on the people and the work needed to bring victory.

Henrion, F, H.K.  General Post Office telephones poster, c.1943 'We're in it together', Hollis 107 

Lionni, L,  Office for Emergency Management poster 1941, 'Keep em' Rolling", Hollis 108 
 While we don't have wartime posters anymore, as most of our propaganda is consumed by advertisements and TV commercials, we can still see similar styles used today.
Politics nowadays is all about uniting the common people and creating a message that the country can get behind and support. One of my favorites as of recent is this sticker and ad campaign from Bernie Sanders:

Not Me. Us,  Bernie 2020, (https://store.berniesanders.com/collections/stickers/products/not-me-us-sticker)
What works in this imagery highly marketed by the Sanders campaign, is the idea of a common collective. The silhouette of Sanders, the one whos going to bring the change filled in by the people that will make it possible. Us. Not only is the imagery effective, but it is also accompanied by an effective slogan, much like the ones displayed above. 

Comments

  1. Ryan QuirkeFebruary 7, 2020 at 12:05 AM

    I find it interesting how your first example portrays a sense of unity within the U.S. that was needed to fight the war and how you mentioned that contrasted from the ideology of looking up to a dictator for light in the dark. All of these images are similar because they all highlight the importance of the people on change within the U.S. and not just a candidate like Bernie Sanders.

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