Posters that changed the world – in pictures

Poster designs have long influenced our lives – from anti-slavery messages and sexual health awareness campaigns to political elections and film promotions. A new book, published by Pavilion, 100 Posters That Changed The World, looks at the stories behind 300 years of classic designs

Main image: A selection of the world’s most influential posters. Composite: Alamy, Library of Congress & Getty Images

  • Designed to shock, this poster of the British slave ship, Brooks, packed with Africans being shipped to North America, appeared in 1788. Designed by the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, England, it raised awareness of this horrible trade and helped sway public opinion.
    Designed to shock, this poster of the British slave ship, Brooks, packed with Africans being shipped to North America, appeared in 1788. Designed by the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade, England, it raised awareness of this horrible trade and helped sway public opinion.

  • Modern advertising techniques developed in the late 1890s, with art used to sell products. Typical of the genre is this poster designed for the French magazine Le Frou Frou by Leonetto Cappiello in 1899.
    Modern advertising techniques developed in the late 1890s, with art used to sell products. Typical of the genre is this poster designed for the French magazine Le Frou Frou by Leonetto Cappiello in 1899.

  • The Women’s Suffrage Movement in the UK used poster art for political purposes, with this 1907 example, showing the forced feeding of women in prison for demanding the right to vote.
    The Women’s Suffrage Movement in the UK used poster art for political purposes, with this 1907 example, showing the forced feeding of women in prison for demanding the right to vote.

  • ‘We Can Do It!’ Rosie the Riveter was designed in 1943 by J Howard Miller, as part of a campaign during the second world war to encourage American women to go to work for the war effort. It has since become a symbol for female empowerment
    ‘We Can Do It!’ Rosie the Riveter was designed circa 1940 by J Howard Miller, as part of a campaign during the second world war to encourage American women to go to work for the war effort. It has since become a symbol for female empowerment

  • The relative affluence of the postwar period in Australia saw a rise in the sales of cars, their use for leisure, and road traffic accidents. During the 1950s, the Australian Road Safety Council launched a campaign to promote road courtesy, and urged fathers to bring their children ‘back alive’.
    The relative affluence of the postwar period in Australia saw a rise in the sales of cars, their use for leisure, and road traffic accidents. During the 1950s, the Australian Road Safety Council launched a campaign to promote road courtesy, and urged fathers to bring their children ‘back alive’.

  • Officially titled The Heroic Guerrilla Fighter, this 1967 Che Guevara poster became ubiquitous – appearing worldwide on bedroom walls, at protests and in souvenir shops.
    Officially titled The Heroic Guerrilla Fighter, this 1967 Che Guevara poster became ubiquitous – appearing worldwide on bedroom walls, at protests and in souvenir shops.

  • Forcing viewers to think about sex and gender roles and to encourage men to take responsibility for contraception, this poster, designed by Cramer Saatchi for the Health Education Council in 1970, was groundbreaking.
    Forcing viewers to think about sex and gender roles and to encourage men to take responsibility for contraception, this poster, designed by Cramer Saatchi for the Health Education Council in 1970, was groundbreaking.

  • A poster by an anonymous artist in the early 1970s channelled the anger at the war in Vietnam. Subverting the Stars and Stripes, the flag is turned upside down with the stripes turned into rifles and the stars in to planes, a reference to the millions of bombs dropped on the country during the war.
    A poster by an anonymous artist in the early 1970s channelled the anger at the war in Vietnam. Subverting the Stars and Stripes, the flag is turned upside down with the stripes turned into rifles and the stars in to planes, a reference to the millions of bombs dropped on the country during the war.

  • The famous film poster design for Jaws in 1975 is widely considered to be one of the most influential ever, instantly recognisable and often copied and parodied.
    The famous film poster design for Jaws in 1975 is widely considered to be one of the most influential ever, instantly recognisable and often copied and parodied.

  • In the mid-1980s, the HIV/Aids pandemic was at its height, and the British government mounted a multimedia campaign to promote awareness of the disease, including this poster with the message: ‘Aids: Don’t Die of Ignorance’.
    In the mid-1980s, the HIV/Aids pandemic was at its height, and the British government mounted a multimedia campaign to promote awareness of the disease, including this poster with the message: ‘Aids: Don’t Die of Ignorance’.

  • Shepard Fairey’s graphic poster from 2008, with the slogan Progress changed to Hope by the Barack Obama team, captured the popular imagination and the mood of a nation. Its popularity helped secure the Democratic nomination for the senator from Illinois.
    Shepard Fairey’s graphic poster from 2008, with the slogan Progress changed to Hope by the Barack Obama team, captured the popular imagination and the mood of a nation. Its popularity helped secure the Democratic nomination for the senator from Illinois.
Topics