What we do
We’re on a journey to share, archive, and discuss some of the most iconic and important posters in the visual history of poster design.
Our goal is for this site to be a place where people can learn about well-known and obscure posters – from the depths of history right up to the modern day.
We want you to gain an insight into each poster’s aesthetic qualities, its relationship to the social and political landscape of its time, its relationship with artistic movements of the era, and contextual information about the artists and designers themselves.
In essence, we want to be a one-stop shop for everything you need to know about famous posters.
Why posters matter
Posters are a gateway to history. The greatest poster designers helped chronicle their eras in a creative, visually appealing way.
From artistic movements to advertisements; from social conventions to political ideologies; from propaganda during wartime to travel marketing during peacetime; from film promotion to music album art; and from drinking culture to drug culture – the best posters can say things about their time that no other art form can.
And in an increasingly visual society, we’re still continually learning about the legacy that iconic posters have created.
What posters can teach us
Even in an age of Instagram infographics, pop-up adverts, streaming media, and fast-moving online trends, the creatives of the present constantly look for inspiration from the innovative poster designers of the past.
Artists from the 19th and 20th centuries – who used their limited canvases in creative and experimental ways – serve as the template for today’s graphic designers.
Think of the last Netflix film poster that caught your eye and made you want to view it. Think of the last infographic that you found yourself clicking through. Think of the bohemian cafe in your city which displays intriguing vintage posters on its walls as part of a sophisticated aesthetic. All of these visual ideas owe a debt to the forward-thinking poster designers from the recent past.
With our passion for poster design, we want to highlight the very real connection that posters have with the modern world.
“I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares, as opposed to ugly things. That’s my intent.”