A poster is technically defined as a large printed picture, notice, or advertisement, displayed in a public place. Posters have been in use throughout the history of civilization, but did not come into their own until the late 1800’s when the printing industry developed and perfected the practice of color lithography, which made mass production and distribution possible.
In the century or so following the development of color lithography, posters have become an essential form of art and one of – if not the most – popular tools of the advertising and commercial industries. Poster design has appealed to artists and designers of every skill level and practice, from painters to commercial artists, to illustrators and montage artists. Posters are often used as a key element in characterizing artistic movements, a number of which we will explore.
Posters in the Art Nouveau Movement
Art Nouveau was an international movement, touching all aspects of art, including painting, architecture, ceramics, and of course, graphic design. The movement was mainly felt in Europe around the turn of the 20th century – roughly 1890 to 1910.
Art Nouveau spawned from the Arts and Crafts movement in England, which was, in turn, born from a rejection of the new age of mechanization. As such, both movements were based on organic, floral motifs and patterns and dynamic, curvilinear movement. Art Nouveau also drew inspiration from elements of historic art forms like the Celtic interlace and Asian ornate motifs and from scientific discoveries in biology and botany.
One of the most influential faces of the movement was Czech artist Alphonse Mucha. Despite the fact the Mucha himself was against the ‘Art Nouveau’ moniker, some claim that his work is so exemplary that the movement has been referred to as le Style Mucha.
The characteristic, organic style of the Art Nouveau movement is clearly evident in the above work by Alphonse Mucha. Focusing specifically on the hair of the poster on the right, visible is the curvilinear, entwining line work that was influential in the development of Art Nouveau.
Posters in the Constructivist Movement
Constructivism was a Russian movement that lasted from roughly 1920 to the mid 1930s. Like Art Nouveau, Constructivism touched many aspects of art and design.
Constructivism was born out of the Russian Revolution. The new Soviet system employed art and design not for autonomous purposes, but only to benefit social regimes. In contrast to Art Nouveau, design in the Constructivist movement was driven more by function than form and was often bold and overly simplified. Constructivism was born from the Russian Futurist movement and retained much of the abstract geometric style.
Alexander Rodchenko was one such artist devoted to the Soviet purpose. He excelled in many disciplines including sculpture, photography, painting, illustration, and graphic design. In 1924, he designed the above poster as an advertisement for Books! This poster exemplifies the bold text, abstract geometry, and simplicity of the Constructivist movement.
Posters in the Art Deco Movement
Art Deco began in the 1920s in Paris and moved word wide in the 1930s. In addition to the traditional art forms, Art Deco also influenced industrial design, fashion, and jewelry.
Art Deco pulled elements from a vast number of sources. Artists of this time had the relatively new ability to travel to foreign countries, and thus found themselves exposed to a wide variety of cultures and styles. Sources of influence for the Art Deco movement have included Greco-Roman, Ancient Egyptian, Aztec, and perhaps most notably, African. These foreign influences combined with a fascination with the Machine Age, where aviation, electricity, radio, and other technological advancements where popular, to form the style indicative of Art Deco.
Aldophe Mouron ‘A.M.’ Cassandre’s poster of the SS Normandie is a great example of the Art Deco fascination with technology and transportation. Also evident is the influence of the aforementioned cultural influences. Much of the work produced in this movement also makes use of dramatic gradients as seen above.
Posters of Today
Every designer in the history of poster design has been influenced by some artist, movement, or piece of work that preceded him. Designers of today are constantly feeling this influence from movements like Art Nouveau, Constructivism, and Art Deco. While it is difficult to define and characterize a movement that is the present, we can easily analyze modern posters and understand their influences and inspiration.
This famous poster on the left, designed by renowned designer Milton Glaser in 1966, was designed some 50 or so years after the end of the Art Nouveau movement. Glaser was known for remixing old styles and this poster is no exception. The interlaced, curvilinear forms of the hair are much like the swirling, ornate designs of Art Nouveau. Glaser took some cues from ‘psychedelic’ posters, like that on the right – and it is widely accepted that this type of artwork was strongly influenced by the Art Nouveau movement.
In 1967 Jim Fitzpatrick designed the world famous poster on the right, featuring a simplified portrait of Cuban Revolutionary, Che Guevara. The poster was created largely by hand, using a mixture of paper negatives and hand painting. The image on the right is that of our current President, Barack Obama, created during his 2008 election campaign. The Obama poster was designed and created by Shepard Fairey, using an image that he found on Google. While these two posters differ largely in time and technique, their styles are obviously linked.
The posters are undeniably linked to Constructivism in both style and purpose. The bold, simplified designs have a limited color palette and use a striking portrait to enforce political ideals.
The poster on the left advertising the Monaco Grand Prix is considered an exemplary piece of the Art Deco work. The poster on the right was designed by Concept Arts for the 2008 blockbuster Speed Racer. While the Monaco poster is hand drawn and the Speed Racer poster is a digital, photorealistic image, the latter poster uses many visual elements that originated in the former.
The dramatic angle, the dynamic motion lines, the curved, fluid road, and the juxtaposition of the city in the background are all elements shared by both posters.
Saul Bass designed the poster on the far left for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 film, Vertigo. Bass was known for his work on animated title sequences, but his posters have become iconic. The middle poster, designed by design company Ignition for the 2010 film Buried, channels Bass’s work on the Vertigo poster. The orientation of the graphic, the position of the human figure, and the swirling, disorienting affect are inspired heavily by the Vertigo poster. The third poster on the right, also designed by Ignition, was designed in the same year as Buried. This hyper-modern poster captures one the most visually arresting cinematic scenes from the 2010 movie Inception. While the Inception image is created with digital photographic elements, the effect is quite similar to both the Vertigo and Buried posters.