Tag Archives: poster

Uncovering the Roots of the Illustrated Decorative Poster

Illustrated decorative poster depicting the profile of a daydreaming woodsman set amid a billowing foliage of herbal leaves.
Know Your Herbs (2021)

Uncovering the Roots of the Illustrated Decorative Poster

Originally intended for outdoor publicity, the decorative poster soon began appearing in people’s homes and offices. Dating back to the beginnings of the modern commercial poster, this deliberate repurposing for interior decor has been with us ever since.

Recognising there was a willingness to display them inside the home, commercial poster pioneer Jules Cheret (1836–1932) prepared runs of ‘avant la littre’ proofs; artwork without lettering. Cheret was a trained lithographer able to paint directly to each of the stone plates that offset colour to the paper. Astutely, he chose to keep the typographic layer separate. Without the commercial text that deterred bygone poster collectors, art proofs became collectible items. Before long they were hung alongside paintings and engravings in the study, drawing room, and dining room. Value was rightly attributed to illustrated decorative posters as artistic works in their own right. This would soon lead to exhibitions and magazines dedicated to these accessible lithographic prints.

Commercial art forked in the 1960s. In time fewer commercial posters were undertaken by illustrators, as the explicitness of graphic design would prove more apt in meeting advertising needs. Whereas the particular style offered by an illustrator was their stock-in-trade, graphic designers provided anonymous messaging for commercial effectiveness. With time studio hierarchisation saw illustrators becoming widely regarded as outside freelancers. Now, more often than not, they are hired to lend their style to project responses that have already been conceived.

Crafted by Hand

As many contemporary designers and collectors look toward works from the past, a renewed appreciation has arisen for the integrated visuals made by commercial artists. To be clear, these are works that predate desktop publishing, and needed to be crafted manually. Specific instruction was also given as to how reproduction ought to be carried out. The expansive role of the bygone poster designer often meant suggesting what written copy might accompany the image. This is exemplified by the characterful posters of the late Milton Glaser (1929–2020). Commercial posters of the past did not emerge from an agency pipeline. They were created from the direct business relationships between commercial artist and their clients.

Nestled among their leaves stand the blossoms of three chrysanthemum flowers. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Bicolour Chrysanthemums (2024)
J-card design for the Posterboy Mixtape
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Four round chrysanthemum blossoms stand against a backdrop of green. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Four White Chrysanthemums (2024)
Join the Mailing List and Choose a Free Desktop Wallpaper
Amid green leaves, the red blossoms of hibiscus flowers appear beneath the horizon's billowing cloud-line.
Hibiscus (2024)
Amid green leaves are six snow-covered camellia flowers. To the right of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Camellias in Snow (2024)
Upon a deep blue backdrop, poppy blossoms gently sway. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Poppies (2024)
Against a saphron yellow backdrop, green ferns grow amid five white hellebore blossoms. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Ferns and Hellebores (2024)
Shown in profile, the cross section of man's head reveals the lobes of the brain are an arrangement of brightly coloured carnations.
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Amid green leaves are three windswept peony flowers. In the upper right, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
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J-card design for the Posterboy Mixtape
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Flying with wings raised, a white dove carries a slice of watermelon with its feet.
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Against a dark blue backdrop, the Autumn Rain falls on the yellow Ginko leaves. In the upper right, a series of vertically written Japanese characters spells out an accompanying Haiku poem.
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The creative thoughts of a young girl are augmented by the circuitry of an AI neural network.
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Amid a bed of green leaves, two red peonies rest at the opposite corners of a vertical sign with Japanese characters.
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With an oboe held diagonally across her body, a young girl in a long red dress is poised to play. Illustrated poster artwork for World Music Day.
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A sumi painting brush rests in the beak of a wayward gazing lapwing.
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With a chisel-tip marker, a young girl pulls a line of red ink across the surface of an A4 drawing pad.
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A profile portrait of Posterboy, chin raised with his poster tube at the ready.
Follow on Instagram
With a Palestinian flag held to its side, a white dove wearing an arabic kufiya casually smokes a cigarette.
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Illustrated decorative poster depicting the profile of a daydreaming woodsman set amid a billowing foliage of herbal leaves.
Uncovering the Roots of the Decorative Poster
With crayons in hand, a young girl uses an upright easel and canvas to draw a large picture of herself.
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A rooster stood upon the screen of an upturned smartphone crows in the dawn light.
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An array of herbs and vegetables are sent flying from the colander of a headless chef.
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A mallard stands poised in high heels and accessories.
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A spectacled character with a back-turned cap holds up a giant computer pointer, arguably the most active icon in visual communication online.
Visual Communication for the Online World

Hear and Now: Charting the Event Poster

With an oboe held diagonally across her body, a young girl in a long red dress is poised to play. Illustrated poster artwork for World Music Day.
Hear and Now. Event Poster (2021)

Hear and Now: Charting the Event Poster

The need to publicise cultural events has long given call for the event poster. Many of the most revered posters have been created for this reason. Commercial artists were tasked with making the onlooker aware of what shall soon be taking place. Bearing on the way posters looked was not only the knowhow of the hired artists, but also the societal milieu where their work would be seen. And though posters did not command the same prestige afforded to painterly art, when advertisers realised the potential of the poster, a reliable market for artists did emerge.

Still Recognisable

Since the dawn of the modern illustrated poster there have been countless depictions of young women. Among the early entrants are those in the works of Jules Cheret, who harnessed the opportunities brought forth by colour lithography. Similar contributions were made by Alphons Mucha, and Adolfo Hohenstein. In the early 20th century poster design became less ornate, affecting both image and typography. Many norms of contemporary posters can be traced back to works belonging to this period. Today there is broad agreement that images ought to be legible at a glance, with ample ‘air’ for all the visual elements to breath. This is exemplified by the Sachplakat of Lucian Bernhard. To the same end, typography that leaves no room for ambiguity is advantageous.

Advertisers recognised the value that event posters brought to publicising performances of theatre, cabaret, opera, film screenings, exhibitions, live music, and festivals. This, along with the promotion of purchasable goods and services, formed a lucrative market for many poster illustrators. Those most successful images were not made to be studied, but rather were eye-catching and persuasive. These visual works appeared on morris columns and alongside walkways in major cities worldwide. Posters later fell under the remit of advertising agencies, where they were considered a part of larger marketing campaigns. Graphic design and photographic realism would soon usurp the position held by the illustrated poster within the printed commercial sphere, a medium which would later be dwarfed by the internet. Any illustrated festival poster is now obliged to exist in print alongside visuals optimised for mobile screens.

Nestled among their leaves stand the blossoms of three chrysanthemum flowers. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Bicolour Chrysanthemums (2024)
J-card design for the Posterboy Mixtape
Posterboy Mixtape Spring 2024
Four round chrysanthemum blossoms stand against a backdrop of green. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Four White Chrysanthemums (2024)
Join the Mailing List and Choose a Free Desktop Wallpaper
Amid green leaves, the red blossoms of hibiscus flowers appear beneath the horizon's billowing cloud-line.
Hibiscus (2024)
Amid green leaves are six snow-covered camellia flowers. To the right of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Camellias in Snow (2024)
Upon a deep blue backdrop, poppy blossoms gently sway. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Poppies (2024)
Against a saphron yellow backdrop, green ferns grow amid five white hellebore blossoms. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Ferns and Hellebores (2024)
Shown in profile, the cross section of man's head reveals the lobes of the brain are an arrangement of brightly coloured carnations.
Visuals are Hung Upon Ideas, and the Mind is Where Ideas Flourish
Amid green leaves are three windswept peony flowers. In the upper right, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Peonies at Twilight (2024)
J-card design for the Posterboy Mixtape
Posterboy Mixtape Autumn 2023
Flying with wings raised, a white dove carries a slice of watermelon with its feet.
The Social Importance of Protest Artwork in a Consumer Culture
Against a dark blue backdrop, the Autumn Rain falls on the yellow Ginko leaves. In the upper right, a series of vertically written Japanese characters spells out an accompanying Haiku poem.
Gingko Under Autumn Rain (2024)
The creative thoughts of a young girl are augmented by the circuitry of an AI neural network.
Is Copyright Now Under Threat From AI Machine Learning
Tucked in the beak of a bewildered homing bird, a hand-written list is flown through the air
The List Goes On: One reason to Reconsider Illustration Listicles
J Card design for the Posterboy Mixtape
Posterboy Mixtape Spring 2023
Amid a bed of green leaves, two red peonies rest at the opposite corners of a vertical sign with Japanese characters.
見ぬが花 (Minu Ga Hana) Not Seeing is a Flower
With an oboe held diagonally across her body, a young girl in a long red dress is poised to play. Illustrated poster artwork for World Music Day.
Hear and Now: Charting the Event Poster
A sumi painting brush rests in the beak of a wayward gazing lapwing.
The Way Copyright Protects Creative Works in Broad Strokes
With a chisel-tip marker, a young girl pulls a line of red ink across the surface of an A4 drawing pad.
The Affect Digital Drawing has Made on Contemporary Illustration
A profile portrait of Posterboy, chin raised with his poster tube at the ready.
Follow on Instagram
With a Palestinian flag held to its side, a white dove wearing an arabic kufiya casually smokes a cigarette.
The Social Importance of Protest Artwork in a Consumer Culture
A floral assortment emerges from an artist's palette and paint brushes.
A Dash of Colour: The Palette Shared by Visual Art and Illustration
With corresponding eyewear and shirt prints, a young girl embraces her red identity
The Case for Illustrated Visuals in a Digital World
Illustrated decorative poster depicting the profile of a daydreaming woodsman set amid a billowing foliage of herbal leaves.
Uncovering the Roots of the Decorative Poster
With crayons in hand, a young girl uses an upright easel and canvas to draw a large picture of herself.
Outlining the Changing Role of Character Design
A rooster stood upon the screen of an upturned smartphone crows in the dawn light.
Understanding Editorial Illustration in the Digital World
An array of herbs and vegetables are sent flying from the colander of a headless chef.
Editorial Illustration for Now Then Manchester
A mallard stands poised in high heels and accessories.
Revealing the Language of the Illustrated Travel Poster
A spectacled character with a back-turned cap holds up a giant computer pointer, arguably the most active icon in visual communication online.
Visual Communication for the Online World

Revealing the Language of the Illustrated Travel Poster

A mallard stands poised in high heels and accessories.
Enchanté. Travel Poster (2021)

Revealing the Language of the Illustrated Travel Poster

The travel poster of the early 1900s did not only depict attractive destinations. It also persuaded prospective buyers with images of what could be their future fulfilment. Commercial artists of that period were tasked with showing people enjoying scenic locations, and the comforts of passenger travel. This can be seen in the works of Tom Purvis, Frank Sherwin, and Percy Trompf to name a few. To travel was presented as something for the sophisticated and glamorous, and as the art critic John Berger once wrote, glamour is “The happiness of being envied”.

The Lingua Franca of Marketing

Due to the commercial nature of the travel poster, the unambiguous image was typically met with the explicitness of written text. The esteemed designer/publisher, Adrian Shaugnessy, has described this as the lingua franca of marketing. Being that travel posters were made to be seen by passers-by, the destination and strapline were read at a glance. This placed added importance on concise copy and legible typography. In this market, commercial artists were commissioned by travel agencies, tourist boards, and passenger travel companies operating by land, air and sea. Though commercial posters would later become the remit of graphic designers, the travel poster reminds us of what can be accomplished when coupling design sensibilities with illustration skills.

The travel landscape has changed immensely in the last hundred years. This has contributed to an active secondary market for reprints and original travel posters of that bygone era. Prices range between a few hundred, to tens of thousands of US dollars. The irony is there may now be more glamour in owning a valued poster than visiting the destination it publicises.

The Digital Poster

Today there is less call for printed commercial posters where there are outdoor LCD screens. These make possible animated movement, aid viewing during the nighttime, and ease any corrections that may be necessary. Translation and localisation are certainly more easily addressed with digital posters, and though energy is continuously used to power the screens, this reduces the heavy environmental footprint of paper based reproduction. Overall, it is reasonable to anticipate that many physical posters will be phased out in favour of their digital counterparts.

Nestled among their leaves stand the blossoms of three chrysanthemum flowers. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Bicolour Chrysanthemums (2024)
J-card design for the Posterboy Mixtape
Posterboy Mixtape Spring 2024
Four round chrysanthemum blossoms stand against a backdrop of green. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Four White Chrysanthemums (2024)
Join the Mailing List and Choose a Free Desktop Wallpaper
Amid green leaves, the red blossoms of hibiscus flowers appear beneath the horizon's billowing cloud-line.
Hibiscus (2024)
Amid green leaves are six snow-covered camellia flowers. To the right of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Camellias in Snow (2024)
Upon a deep blue backdrop, poppy blossoms gently sway. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Poppies (2024)
Against a saphron yellow backdrop, green ferns grow amid five white hellebore blossoms. To the left of the image, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Ferns and Hellebores (2024)
Shown in profile, the cross section of man's head reveals the lobes of the brain are an arrangement of brightly coloured carnations.
Visuals are Hung Upon Ideas, and the Mind is Where Ideas Flourish
Amid green leaves are three windswept peony flowers. In the upper right, a series of vertically written Kanji spell out a corresponding Haiku poem.
Peonies at Twilight (2024)
J-card design for the Posterboy Mixtape
Posterboy Mixtape Autumn 2023
Flying with wings raised, a white dove carries a slice of watermelon with its feet.
The Social Importance of Protest Artwork in a Consumer Culture
Against a dark blue backdrop, the Autumn Rain falls on the yellow Ginko leaves. In the upper right, a series of vertically written Japanese characters spells out an accompanying Haiku poem.
Gingko Under Autumn Rain (2024)
The creative thoughts of a young girl are augmented by the circuitry of an AI neural network.
Is Copyright Now Under Threat From AI Machine Learning
Tucked in the beak of a bewildered homing bird, a hand-written list is flown through the air
The List Goes On: One reason to Reconsider Illustration Listicles
J Card design for the Posterboy Mixtape
Posterboy Mixtape Spring 2023
Amid a bed of green leaves, two red peonies rest at the opposite corners of a vertical sign with Japanese characters.
見ぬが花 (Minu Ga Hana) Not Seeing is a Flower
With an oboe held diagonally across her body, a young girl in a long red dress is poised to play. Illustrated poster artwork for World Music Day.
Hear and Now: Charting the Event Poster
A sumi painting brush rests in the beak of a wayward gazing lapwing.
The Way Copyright Protects Creative Works in Broad Strokes
With a chisel-tip marker, a young girl pulls a line of red ink across the surface of an A4 drawing pad.
The Affect Digital Drawing has Made on Contemporary Illustration
A profile portrait of Posterboy, chin raised with his poster tube at the ready.
Follow on Instagram
With a Palestinian flag held to its side, a white dove wearing an arabic kufiya casually smokes a cigarette.
The Social Importance of Protest Artwork in a Consumer Culture
A floral assortment emerges from an artist's palette and paint brushes.
A Dash of Colour: The Palette Shared by Visual Art and Illustration
With corresponding eyewear and shirt prints, a young girl embraces her red identity
The Case for Illustrated Visuals in a Digital World
Illustrated decorative poster depicting the profile of a daydreaming woodsman set amid a billowing foliage of herbal leaves.
Uncovering the Roots of the Decorative Poster
With crayons in hand, a young girl uses an upright easel and canvas to draw a large picture of herself.
Outlining the Changing Role of Character Design
A rooster stood upon the screen of an upturned smartphone crows in the dawn light.
Understanding Editorial Illustration in the Digital World
An array of herbs and vegetables are sent flying from the colander of a headless chef.
Editorial Illustration for Now Then Manchester
A mallard stands poised in high heels and accessories.
Revealing the Language of the Illustrated Travel Poster
A spectacled character with a back-turned cap holds up a giant computer pointer, arguably the most active icon in visual communication online.
Visual Communication for the Online World