Rocky IV movie poster

Head back over to Designer Daily for a different collection of Cold War propaganda. This time the focus is on pro-america. All the examples are from post World War II. It also covers literature and comic books, media and advertising, and movies. Note how much more commercial the types of media that are covered. The nature of the west or a product of the post-WWII boom, or both?

I can’t help but notice how much more emphasis this collection puts on making the other side a villain. I also don’t think it’s mere coincidence and that the folks that gathered these had anything like this in mind when they put these together. As a mid-thirties Gen-Xer I clearly remember how the east was portrayed everywhere in the media up until the end of the Cold War–and even after. Rocky IV is still one of my favorite movies of all time despite all of this.

Another thing that I noticed, is that the commercial nature of many of the samples in this collection–and therefore the lofty goal of reaching vast audiences, takes away from the designs and leaves and they fall short of greatness. They don’t even evoke any nostalgia. Hm.

Sample courtesy of Designer Daily.

Lenin: V. Briskin, 1970

This collection of posters from Designer Daily splashes around a bit of nostalgia from Cold War era design. This collection features posters from the Soviet Union or independent political activist groups for the most part. In my opinion it also shows what designers were–and are still–capable of.

No shots were fired during this war, but the weight of these images was enough to move the minds of the masses for decades. I also find these images liberating. Just the designer and the work. Direct connection. In the age where a computer is king when it comes to design, who would even think of taking on a task such as making one of these posters by hand for every project? A lot of us would really like to do that today. How much of a reality that can be in this day and age is up for debate–at least in a mass scale. Pro-bono, freelance, or highly unique projects can still lend themselves to such retro tech. The thumbnail sketch provides the spark that many projects need. Numerous manual sketches can take a design to a whole new level. But ultimately, the vast majority of design work is completed using the computer in one way or another. Just looking at these posters we can almost see the designers sitting on their draft tables making these posters freehand.

In any case, the posters can serve as a reference, inspiration, food for debate, material for analysis, or retro decor. I know I wouldn’t mind having one of these up on my home office wall. Look for the follow up on their follow up, featuring pro-american or anti-communist Cold War propaganda posters.

Sample courtesy of Designer Daily.