The Original 1939 Poster
This Simple design with a monochrome solid colour background, a crown logo, and minimal text written in Sans Serif has been quite the trend amongst Generation Y. However, very few seem to be aware of its origin.
The poster was designed by the Ministry of Information of the British Government (hence the Crown Logo). Its objective was to raise the spirits of the British Public amidst World War II when the cities were threatened by German airstrikes. It didn’t fulfil its purpose even though a significant amount of copies were printed and was not known until its rediscovery in 2000 at a bookshop called Barter Books. The couple who owned the store framed it and put it up by the cash register which quickly started to attract interest from local customers. It gained so much popularity that they began to sell copies which further led to its modification as Christmas Gifts. Many companies and establishments then modified the business model and further produced a variety of products thus creating a new worldwide trend.
The poster grew and gained recognition across various media platforms, was reiterated into parodies and imitations, and was also made into a notable meme. Its elegant design, the ability to have a wide variety of colour schemes, and also a custom message made it trendy amongst all ages.
It is important to take note of the fact that this representation of an artifact with such historical significance could lose its importance and overlooks upon the situation it was made in.
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