Welcome to October! Every Monday during October, we are going to take a dive into the history of posters, how they have evolved, and what purpose they serve today. Once a main form of advertising and communication, posters have since dwindled as digital advertising evolved. Are posters now obsolete? Join us every Monday as we discuss a different topic about the wonderful world of posters, past and present.
Monday, October 13th: Posters of the Past
During this blog, we will explore how the late 19th-century Belle Époque era transformed advertising posters from simple, text-heavy announcements into a powerful art form. It will detail how innovations like Jules Chéret’s color lithography made vibrant, artistic posters affordable and crested in the masses. “Posters of the Past” will also highlight key artists such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha, explaining how their styles elevated poster design and made them not just advertisements, but collectible works of art that are still celebrated today.
Monday. October 20th: A Sign for Social Change
“A Sign for Social Change” explores the poster’s role as a powerful tool for both political and social change, building on the previous discussion of its artistic history. We detail how posters evolved into a visual medium for mass persuasion during World War I, with iconic images like the “I Want YOU” poster used to promote recruitment, rationing, and national unity. The post then examines how this same medium was later used to spread revolutionary ideas by Russian Constructivists and to mobilize women into the workforce during World War II with the “We Can Do It!” campaign. Finally, we highlight the poster’s continued importance in later social justice movements, showing how this simple piece of paper has consistently played a crucial role in shaping history and influencing both government authority and counter-cultural movements.
Monday, October 27th: The Modern Poster
“The Modern Poster” traces the advertising poster’s evolution from its post-war embrace of clean, Mid-Century Modern design to its dual role in today’s digital world. We examine how styles like the Swiss Style emphasized clarity and function, while the psychedelic era of the 1960s transformed posters into symbols of music and youth culture. We then discuss how the poster survived the rise of television and the internet by adapting its function.
Don’t miss out on this Divine Marketing Group blog series! We are sure there is something you are bound to learn. Read more on our blog site today!