Alex's repost

Like David; i too think these posters are absolutely amazing and i think he described them spot on. They are so powerful and say so much, yet they are so simple. They can do this because their use of color, awe factor and they give a sense patriotism. The colours in the posters tell us what countries the posters were made for; like red for the soviet union at the time. Also, the awe factor is like a smack in the face because it is so graphic and empowering. Which also goes with the patriotism the posters display because what looks better for you country than an air squadron boasting their power over the capital city?

My favorite poster is the one with the bayonet stabbing the cat. I say this because it is so graphic and to the point. It says that the Soviets are going to kill the head of the Germans and "cut the head off the snake" to say in other words.

-Alex

In many classes at this school, I have found myself, as i'm sure many if not every other student in first year have also found themselves, questioning the nature of the human reaction to colour. As designers, colour and the corresponding collective reaction to it is paramount in our creation, seeing as our creations are more purpose bound than self expression pieces.


I find a great example of this form of colour utilization is to be found in propaganda, namely that of the Soviet Union. Marxism at it's core rejects vanity and religion, among other things, and therefore in states like China and Soviet-era Russia, the government takes it upon themselves to capitalize on the absence of those elements from people's lives by readily and visibly placing figures and symbols of the state and government in the people's mindset. The most popular method that Soviet propaganda departments would use to incite the feeling of the state's hand, would be to employ overpowering amounts of red, in high contrast and in the focal point of their images. Red is a colour with many emotional interpretations, however during the cold war red was the undeniable symbol of Soviet and communist ideals, and thus propaganda would employ it to incite the feeling of the Soviet Union's power, making the viewer uneasy, or even in fear of the subject matter, Russian or no.


A masterful use of colour can be found in the top poster, a poster literally and figuratively inciting the viewer to look into the eyes of Lenin. The employment of yellow in the composition essentially leaves the viewer uneasy and unwilling to do as the words command, words that demand that you reflect on any wrongdoings to the state and reminding you you should feel very bad about betraying your friends if you did (as if ten years in a hard labour camp wouldn't do that well enough). You look into the eyes of this yellow giant, and you are very aware of his power, you know he's looking for something and you can tell that there are bad things coming if he does indeed find it, and the colour and tone have illustrated that horrifyingly well.

Posted by David Paton