Positive Propaganda

Illustration/Digital Painting & Layout Design

Brief:

This project began in March of 2020, when the whole world was asked to shut down and stay home to stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Back then, we did not know the scope or length of how long this virus would last. All we knew was that we needed to practice social distancing and quarantine to slow the spread. The virus brought a lot of fear and uncertainty into everyone’s lives, and so for this project I wanted to create something lighthearted and humorous while portraying the message of staying home. I love looking at the typography of old posters, and back during WW2, thousands of posters were put out to keep people educated and informed, and to be used as a motivator to get people to enlist, grow their own gardens, etc.

Process:

Gathering inspiration from the propaganda posters of WW2, I created this series of posters to emulate old propaganda posters and to spread awareness of the need to stay home for the good of others. The unifying message throughout is “Stay Home”, an appeal to the American people. Each poster features a different “motivating” group, to appeal to different audiences. For this project I hand-sketched the nine figures presented here, and then brought those drawings into Photoshop where I hand-“painted” them to emulate old propaganda poster style. Propaganda posters are known for simple but bold typography, so I utilized this element to catch peoples attention and draw them into the poster. The light color palette is meant to be warm and welcoming, and appeal to the softer side. Each poster was based off of a real WW2 poster. Details about each are further explained below.

“Design for Good is an ethos to use problem-solving and design thinking towards social change. Design for Good recognizes the wide range of designers’ work and hands-on leadership and professional development opportunities, which benefit the world, our country, and our communities.”

—AIGA

Protecting The Vulnerable

Poster number one represents those who need extra protection, who have compromised immune systems and need you to stay home to keep them safe. This includes the elderly, immuno-compromised, and pregnant.

Listen To Our Leadership

Poster number two is based off of the famous, “I Want You” Uncle Sam poster, featuring the leadership of the time, President Donald Trump, the White House Coronavirus Task Force leader VP Mike Pence, and the government’s infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, M. D.

Tribute To Our Essential Workers

Poster number three is based off of Rosie the Riveter and was created to honor those who put themselves at risk while the rest of the world stays home. A huge thank you to our healthcare workers, grocery store workers, and postal service workers, to name a few!

The specific WW2 propaganda posters I was inspired by. Some are world-famous, others are more obscure, but all of them have a similar “help out your neighbor” message that applies through the ages.