Below is the link to my final images that have been uploaded to Flickr:
Re-edit of Proposal
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I am going to create a series of posters drawing upon the graphic structure of 1940s propaganda juxtaposing this with contemporary issues.
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I am going to create a series of posters drawing upon the graphic structure of 1940s propaganda posters juxtaposing this with contemporary issues. Drawing upon the theory of abjection and inspiration from Barbara Kruger, I will challenge contemporary social issues and present them in a propaganda poster format. For example, I am going to use the topic of single parenting whilst mimicking the aesthetics of a 1940s poster. The final images will be uploaded as high quality JPEG’s.
1 Page
I am going to create a series of posters drawing upon the graphic structure of 1940s propaganda posters juxtaposing this with contemporary issues. Drawing upon the theory of abjection and inspiration from Barbara Kruger, I will challenge contemporary social issues and present them in a propaganda poster format. For example, I am going to use the topic of single parenting whilst mimicking the aesthetics of a 1940s poster. The final images will be printed in A3 to reflect the size at which they would have been displayed during WW2.
Wartime propaganda posters were created to inflict some sort of emotional reaction from the viewer. The recruitment propaganda posters intended to indoctrinate young minds into feeling guilt and other such emotions, so that they would be willing and eager to join the army believing that they would have a great life . They were extremely powerful due to their short (and to the point) slogans, for example, the famous poster of an athletic woman (dubbed Rosie the Riveter) holding her arm muscle, with the words ‘We Can Do It’ scrawled across. This poster instantly projects that women are strong enough to do the jobs of men without having to include a detailed back story as to why they are in the position of having to due to the relevant political and social climate that occurred at the time.
Using Barbara Kruger as inspiration, I am going to incorporate large text across each image to depict a certain projection; for example, Kruger took an image of someone rolling a cigarette with the words ‘Scar Tissue’ stamped across. These words have connotations of illness (specifically caner), the damages of smoking etc. However, it could also connote that the person rolling the cigarette is somewhat distressed or scarred and the ‘tissue’ aspect could be relating to the person using the cigarette as a coping method i.e. his tissue is a cigarette. I want to take this aspect of her work and apply it to the shocking adverts I will produce. However, the propaganda posters have this aesthetic already incorporated therefore my posters will be a combination of the two styles as I will alter the text in some of the posters in order to enhance the meaning that I am trying to depict.
Integrated into my images will be an element of shock. Although, the images will cover an array of contemporary issues and social commentary, I want the viewer to experience feelings of disbelief yet humor and other such binary opposites. The issue that each poster addresses will incorporate mixed emotions, which reflects the helplessness of the young men during the war period. This shock factor closely relates to the theory of abjection. Abjection is described as, ‘what disturbs identity, system order…what does not respect borders, positions, rules’ (Kristeva, 1982). I want to infuse my images with new social phenomena/trends and re-work them to challenge their original structure, stance and/or meaning so, ‘immoral, sinister, scheming, and shady: a terror that dissembles’ (ibid.).
submitted
An example of one of my posters that I will create draws reflects on the poster above. This propaganda poster is aimed at women. The intention is to deter women from spreading information about the war effort to the wrong people which could result in information getting into the wrong hands. I am going to aesthetically mimmic the style but rework it using smoking as the theme. I intend on having the image of a young woman smoking a cigarette. The words will read ‘Wanted for Murder’ and ‘Her careless drags costs lives’. This refers to smoking and the dangers of passive smoking. Although, the two themes are completely different it is interesting how different topics can still fit into the 1940s style and produce just as much of a prominent meaning.
To create my images, I will need to use Photoshop and Camera Raw to edit my images. This program will allow me full control of the exposure, saturation and other such aesthetics. Although I initially thought that using InDesign would be more appropriate, I have decided not to as I believe that I will be able to produce the desired effect using just Photoshop. To ensure that the text mimics as closely to the original I will need to download fonts from the Internet. The final images will be uploaded to Flickr as high quality JPEG’s.
Bibliography
Kristeva, Julia (1982). Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection. New York: Columbia University Press. P11-15.
Creating a torn look using photoshop
To create a teared look I used the lasso tool to create jagged edge. Then using the Work Path tool I selected a splattered brush and added it to the image giving it the desired effect. I think this technique worked well and truly represents the graphic style of 1940s posters.
Photoshop Filters
To ensure that my posters mimic the style of 1940s propaganda posters I have added filters to them all. I have added noise and grain to them to create an old looking effect.
Contact Sheet: Single Parents
This image closely adheres to the conventions of the original poster. From the look on the models face to the scarf in her hair. Although, it portrays a completely different meaning. I believe that this shoot was particularly successful.
Contact Sheet: Online Identity
This shoot is for the reworked poster that reads ‘He talked…This happened’. However, my poster will read ‘She posted…This happened’. The concept revolves around the construction of online identity and how people create a different self on social media platforms.
Contact Sheet: Promiscuity
These images were shot with the intention of portraying a man and woman being promiscuous. The context refers to the way in which young people in British society, after the consumption of much alcohol, forget there morality and have many sexual encounters. However, if they were of sober mind then they would not have acted in such a way. Instead of doing a shoot of a woman or man surrounded by alcohol bottles and clothes strewn over the floor (which I think is a bit obvious and has been done before), I wanted to create images that are suggestive rather than images that portray the full meaning. In doing so, I believe that these images are especially successful. With the addition of text, the meaning will be extremely clear and will add to the whole concept that I am trying to portray.
Contact Sheet: Smoking
This aim of this shoot was to produce an image of a girl smoking a cigarette. The image produced is intended to mimic the style of the wanted poster which depicts a woman looking coy as the main focal point. The image will need to be put into black and white in order to convey the graphic conventions of the original poster.
Obesity: Contact Sheet
I did a shoot of a pizza box and coca cola bottle. The original poster depicted a plate with food scraps on and an empty glass of water. The aim of my reworked poster is to portray the obesity problem in the UK and around the world.
As pizza takeaway is a popular go to meal and with coca cola being the largest brand of fizzy drink, I felt that they would work well.
Editing: ‘Wanted’ progress
This is the progress of the wanted poster. I have carefully picked the font that best matches the original. However, the ‘wanted!’ and ‘for murder’ need some noise adding to it to create an old looking effect. At the moment the font looks too blocky and it needs to look softer.
Intensive Production 