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| Image 1 |
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| Image 2 |
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| Image 3 |
Image 1 is an advertising poster created with the purpose to persuade American families to purchase items from the 'Uncle Sam' Range, which I believe as a company which sells many different food goods. Within this image, the amount and style of typefaces really shows the changes over time with what is considered appropriate for advertising, as the varying styles of serif and sans serif differently coloured text may, at the time, have been regarded as a very sophisticated and expensive choice, where as now it seems dated and cluttered, due to our expanding knowledge on type and design. Furthermore, the choice of colour in the image shows a very strong link to the proud American nationality, as the colours are mostly red, white and blue, like the American flag, with the addition of yellow which has strong connotations of regality and wealth within many western cultures. In addition, the bright tones hold a bold contrast to the dark colours in the bottom left of the image, where a black stove and African slave boy reside. This may be an intentional segregation of the slave in a metaphor for how the rich don’t have to work, as they can pay people to perform the household chores for them, with the difference in colour being a literal barrier between the two. However, it could simply be another indication of how the understanding of design has progressed, as through the development of print for mass production, the ability to quickly alter and play around with artwork has also advanced, leading to better understanding of what makes a successful image, however as this image was created probably near beginnings of mass produced print, this skill has probably not been as developed. In addition, the inclusion of different historical figures, such as queen Victoria in a branded ‘England’ cap right at the back of the image which could be a subtle hint to how the British monarchy takes a back seat in this all American brand, which is taking the country by storm in a diverse and cultured selection of items for sale, as shown on the list in the foreground, being written by the world, which I feel could be another hint to how this poster is wanting to portray America as the ‘controller’ of the world.
Images 2 and 3 are also advertising posters, created with the purpose to both inform and persuade British traders to use the ‘New style’ East African Transport system. Similarly to image 1, there are strong social metaphors in place due to racial segregation, as despite being over 50 years later, there are still strong references to the white people being of greater importance to the Africans, as the two images work together to almost tell a story of how the British colonised Africa and ‘improved’ the lives of the natives through providing them with work and more ‘modest’ clothing. This, at the time would be a totally acceptable part of British culture, as during the colonisation of other countries, the British believes they were bringing sophistication to less developed parts. However, the reality of these actions seem to be a modest attempt to rebrand slavery, as the public were beginning to demand the introduction of more equal rights for all individuals, following the right for women to vote little over a decade earlier, which is a huge contrast to image 1, where the racial segregation was almost celebrated. Another difference to image 1 is the placement and design of type, as the Art Deco style text could be a reminder to the audience of a familiar and ‘stylish’ trends of the time period, which may make them feel like the on-trend poster shows a modern visualisation of how Britain will spread across the world, which in a way is similar to the metaphors of image 1. In addition, the more traditional, painted feel of the image could be a subtle reference to how Britain is civilising the rest of the world through sharing their advanced technologies, such as their cars and new modes of transport, which ironically they seem to be advertising as a great opportunity for the native Africans, whilst the opposite is actually true.
brionyebdon.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/unclesamrange.jpg
www.open.edu/openlearn/sites/www.open.edu.openlearn/files/East-African-Transport-old_i1.jpg
www.open.edu/openlearn/sites/www.open.edu.openlearn/files/East-African-Transport-new_i1.jpg
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