In the modern world, a poster is something familiar that a person encounters several times a day and therefore has already learned not to react to it. However, only 100 years ago this thing was a curiosity and made everyone who sees it stand still in admiration and believe everything that was written on it. How did the poster appear? What is it? What types of posters exist? Let's find out about it.
The meaning of the word "poster"
First of all, it is worth understanding the definition of the noun in question.
A poster refers to an advertising or propaganda image, accompanied by a small text or a short slogan. Typically, posters are made in large formats, starting from A3.
Sometimes they are called posters or posters.
Typically, such images are mounted on the walls and doors of buildings or in specially designated places. Some poster lovers paste over their homes with them.
In a narrower meaning, this word means a specific kind of graphics.
Also, this noun was named one of the most famous propaganda publishers of the USSR, which existed from the mid 70s to 2006. Throughout this time, “Poster” specialized not only in the production of products of the same name, but also in the printing of postcards, portraits, photographs, etc. . P.
Etymology of the term in question
Having learned the answer to the question: “What is this - a poster?”, It is worth considering the origin of this noun.
For the first time in Russian, this word was recorded in 1704. However, it began to be actively used only at the end of the XIX century.
It came to Russian from Latin, from French and German. At sunset of the Roman Empire, citizens often used the term placatum, which was called the announcement.
A few centuries later, the verb plaquer ("stick something") was formed from the placatum in French. And he, in turn, contributed to the emergence of the verbal noun placard.
From the French, the term was borrowed by the Germans and slightly modified - das Plakat. It was in this form that this noun appeared in the Russian language and has survived to this day.
It is worth noting an interesting fact: in France today the term placard is used extremely rarely, the word affich is relevant instead. And in English-speaking countries it is called a poster.
Poster Features
An image of this kind has a number of special features that distinguish it from other printing products.
First of all, this is the purpose for which it is created: to attract the attention of others and inform them about something. In this regard, posters and inscriptions on them are usually made large and bright. In addition, they use a minimum of text in order not to bore the observers with a long reading and give them the opportunity to quickly understand the meaning.
As a rule, the inscription on the poster is some catchy slogan (often with an element of humor or a play on words) and the name of the product or service for which this image was made.
Poster story
Informative-propaganda posters were first used by mankind in ancient Egypt. True, at that time posters served to capture runaway slaves.
The Greeks and Romans were more practical and cultural. They used leaflets with drawings and text to inform about trade offers, as well as posters for the theater.
The first poster (in its modern sense) was drawn by order of the British book dealer Batold in 1482. A businessman with his help tried to advertise a new edition of Euclidean Geometry.
After that, posters appeared rather rarely for several centuries. However, in the middle of the XIX century. French lithographer Jules Scheret decided to develop the idea of Batold. In 1866, he opened his own workshop in Paris, specializing in the manufacture of posters. The Shere enterprise was a huge success. For a couple of years, he created more than a thousand bright posters inviting you to visit performances or exhibitions. Each of his posters was a real work of art, all of which were made by hand. By the way, it was Sherer who laid down the basic principles of the art of poster design, which have not lost their relevance today.
By the end of the XIX century. posters have become an integral part of any important event. Moreover, more and more often they began to be used not as posters, but to advertise certain goods or services.
Residents of the Russian Empire in these years knew pretty well what a poster is. This was due to the fact that in the last decades of the XIX century. creating advertising images has become very popular in the empire. This is evidenced by the fact that during this period it was in Russia that the World Exhibition of Posters and Posters was held.
With the beginning of the turbulent 20th century, advertising images began to be actively used for political campaigning. Moreover, the French again became pioneers in this matter.
The use of the political poster after the outbreak of the First World War was especially intensified. To urge young men to volunteer for the front, as well as to agitate citizens to financially help the state, thousands of posters were printed and painted in all European countries.
After the revolution of 1917 on the territory of the former empire for several years only one type of propaganda image was created - a political poster. All heads of state perfectly understood its significance, therefore often such products were produced with the last money, instead of giving them to starving citizens.
With the outbreak of World War II, anti-fascist posters began to print around the world. The closer it came to victory over Nazi Germany, the more optimistic they became.
After the establishment of peace in Europe, most countries (including the USSR) were able to focus again on the arrangement of their own economies. From this period to the present day, advertising posters, as well as images relating to social issues (drunkenness, drug addiction, crime), informative announcements (about healthy eating, daily routines, vaccinations, etc.) are becoming especially popular.
Types of Posters by Purpose
Having dealt with the meaning and history of the term in question, it is worth paying attention to its variations. So, what kind of posters are there for the purpose of their creation?
- Promotional. Theater and movie posters, announcements of exhibitions, seminars, etc., also fall into this category.
- Informational. They don’t call for anything, they just talk about something. Typically, in these posters a lot of text and several images. These include monographic posters.
- Training. Specially designed as a teaching aid, contributing to a better assimilation of information.
- Instructive. In a concise and maximally understandable form they give information about the rules of conduct in various places and with dangerous devices.
- Political. They are the main way of campaigning during the elections.
Types of posters by the way they are created
Informational images also differ in how they were made.
- Hand-drawn. The most ancient and laborious type of posters. Today it is almost crowded out by graphic editors, which allow you to draw a poster on a computer and then print it.
- Screen-printing. Such posters were made using a set of stencils, which did not require special artistic skills from their creator.
- Printed. The most common and simple method of creating information and advertising images. Today, he successfully superseded all other methods.