Posters are any printed paper pieces which are designed to be attached to any vertical surface such as walls, advertisement boards, windows, etc. Posters normally include two parts which are textual and graphical. Though, some posters may have one part. Initially, posters were designed to impart information about vital community occasions, so they were eye-catching. Today posters are used as advertising, promotional, or propagandist tool of community groups which want to share their position and deliver a message to others. As generally posters are cheap, they are used for artworks reproductions which can become a designer accessory once they are framed. Educational institutions use posters for teaching and training purposes.
Some posters are considered as masterpieces and they become attractive for collectors. So it is not surprising to hear about a poster as an auction lot. Especially popular are vintage posters.
The history of modern posters goes back as far as 1870 when poster mass production became possible. Color lithography improved significantly and many artists tried themselves in posters creation while a poster was recognized as a vital form of art. Posters were widely used in Europe. Paris was transformed into "art galleries of the street" by numerous posters which had a great commercial success and became so popular that in 1884 Paris held a major poster exhibition.
So, posters are widespread in Europe, advertising everything from theater play to milk producers. Though, Jules Cheret, one of the fathers of posters, didn’t plan to stop and designed Masters of the Poster series which had a great commercial success and moreover were considered as vital historical publication. At the same time in the United States posters mainly were produced as written messages serving commercial needs. They did not involve any real artistic creativity and were of average quality.
There are many types of posters. You can create your own poster type, but we will talk about most popular types of posters which you meet in everyday life.
Political posters play an important role in life of every community during election campaigns. One of the most recent examples of political posters is "HOPE" poster designed by Shepard Fairey for Barak Obama presidential campaign in 2008.
Many posters today as well as many years ago are used for advertising different goods, services and events. Such kind of posters is very notable. You can meet posters advertising concerts and recorded albums, movies, books, auctions, travel destination - the list is endless. Every major film has a poster and people readily collect movie posters. This is a kind of a hobby. Probably, the most common posters are the ones advertising public events such as boxing posters, rally posters, rock concert posters, etc.
Educational posters are used in academic sphere for educational purposes and promotion and explaining research work. Posters can illustrate a scientific paper or complement a discussion. Some posters are often hanging on the classroom walls. They are motivational posters, books on posters, world maps, laboratory safety protocols and others.
Vintage posters produced in 19th century and later are very popular among the collectors, though they have some issues, as paper is a fragile material and some posters require restoration and conservation. One of the solutions is to fabric-back of the poster, this way support for the paper is provided, it is easier to make needed repairs and the waviness of the framed poster eliminates.
Probably, you’ve heard about cheesecake posters or "pinups". These are the pictures of attractive sexy women which were extremely popular among soldiers during World War II. Sometimes even television actresses posed for "pinups". Today many young people are getting tattoos with "pinup" girls.
Fan posters are posters which are desired by every fan of movie, kind of sport, comics, etc. They can usually be seen in public places such as theaters, cinemas, stores, stadiums.
Another kind of posters you can see in your office or hang on your wall at home is an affirmation poster. This poster is inspirational and motivational. There are different series of motivational posters. Some have black background, others - scenes from nature beauties with an intent. The intent is created to motivate people for more achievements or to think differently about things they are involved in. Affirmation posters, if they are placed at the point of decision, can cause behavioral effects as some studies show.
In the era of Internet, parodies or demotivational posters have become very popular. They are like an Internet meme. Though some of them are pretty cynical, others are funny.
It depends on your tastes and preferences what poster to choose. If you are attracted by celebrity life, you will find a number of Lady Gaga posters, Jessica Biel posters, Adriana Lima posters and other posters of Hollywood stars. If you like Lady Gaga, you will be pleased to find an unusual Lady Gaga poster that will bring some novelty and extravagance into your house. |