The World of Advertising : Keep Calm and Carry On. Simple and Direct.

Source: thehistoryblog.com

Source: sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/

These two posters are very famous today due to a recent trend and overuse of its slogan, especially the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster. They too, demonstrate the importance of language, but this time in political posters. Although the use and fame of this poster has risen in recent times, many do not know its true and rich history.

These series of posters were issued by the British government during the Second World War. They were designed to be simple and uniform in design and to also have a standard typeface making them easily recognizable. The only non-typographical design in the poster was the crown of the queen. The main objective of these posters was to calm and reassure the population of Britain in such harsh times of conflict and extreme danger. The poster above, "Your courage, your cheerfulness, your resolution will bring us to victory" was the first poster of a series of three to be printed and posted around London, in subways stations and shops, on September 1939. The most famous poster of the two, "Keep Calm and Carry On" was actually never released since it was only designed for times of invasion or other extreme situations alike. The posters were later found by a couple that owned a bookshop in London and have ever since been extremely popular.

The language and message of these posters is quite simple, to reassure people in the time of war that in the end everything would fine. Through use of simple and informal language the two posters are able to get the result wanted since the sentences are short and direct. The font design also plays a crucial role in the poster’s effectiveness, due to its large sized and bold letters it can be quickly and easily read. I also believe that the design is one of the main reasons why this poster is able to transmit a certain sensation or feeling to the people that look at it. Due to its uniformity and simplicity, accompanied by the simple sentence, a calm sensation, or feeling, can be more easily transmitted to the people. The main way the second poster is able to reassure the audience is by emphasizing the subject of the sentence through repetition, creating a greater and stronger connection between the poster and the public.

The way the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster is able to soothe people and its simplistic design, adopted by many types of media in recent times, are some of the main causes for its recent popularity. Not only is this slogan sold in different ways such as t-shirts, mugs, posters and other accessories it is also subject to many adaptations made by different people. Adaptations such as “Keep Calm and Do Your Job” or “Keep Calm and Listen to Music.” The way the original posters have been designed and written were done in such a way that it remains original and popular even years after its creation.