WPA poster design
One of my big design inspirations is the poster work of the Works Progress Administration (WPA); a “New Deal” agency formed by the US government in the 1930s to help end depression era unemployment.
The Library of Congress has a great searchable archive of close to 1000 WPA posters (500 of them are about not getting syphilis: good to know!).
WPA Opera Poster
Most of the posters feature bold abstracted designs and type typical of the modernisim that is associated with the Art Deco era. Despite the often semi-professional status of the artists who made them, they have come to have their own identifiable style. The posters are a lesson in simplicity, whilst maintaining personality.
You can see their direct influence in my own poster for The Oz Big Band and cover artwork for Transformers: All Hail Megatron.
You may also be interested in my article on vintage concert poster design.
