Whether you just want something stylish to hang on your wall, or you are a serious collector, Art Deco posters represent the best in graphic design that we have seen this century.
The growth of consumerism, along with developments in printing techniques, meant that there was a flowering of the advertising industry in the 1920s and 1930s such as had never been seen before. Competition meant that graphic design became a profession in its own right, as manufacturers vied with each other for the most striking designs for their products.
It was before the days of television, and radio advertising was in its infancy. So the poster was the main means of expression for the ad men of the day.
Art Deco posters are the legacy that we have today from that outpouring of design talent. Poster designs from the era are more well-known today than many of the fine art paintings of the time.
Shipping Posters
Although everyone has seen the famous Art Deco poster of the SS Normandie, and many other shipping posters of the time, how many of us know the name of Cassandre, probably the best of the Art Deco poster designers. He concentrated on transport posters mainly, and created a whole new artistic genre, which was imitated by many other poster designers throughout the world. Cassandre's posters are highly collectable today and fetch many thousands of dollars.
Travel and Leisure
There was a great demand for leisure travel in the 1920s and 1930s, it was the age of the ocean liner, the train and the airplane. Everyone was fanatical about speed and in the 1930s, everything was streamlined. The travel and leisure posters of the day reflect that. Posters that really stand out from the period were commissioned by London Transport and the London Underground. London Zoo and other attractions also had memorable poster designs. Roger Broders designed many fabulous posters promoting the French riviera, and the playgrounds of the rich and famous. Many had sporting themes, such as skiing, golf, the beach or the ice rink.
Theatre and Jazz
The theatre and music hall also inspired a rich outpouring of posters. Josephine Baker was the muse of many an artist, but particularly Paul Colin who designed the famous Revue Negre and a large series of posters entitled "Le Tumulte Noir" inspired by a huge event "the Bal Negre" which 3000 Parisiens attended. The arrival in France of Jazz musicians from the USA in the 1920s meant that jazz was also an enormous influence on the graphic designers of the day, and there are many bold and stunning posters for jazz concerts.
Movies
Movies are another poster collecting area. Metropolis is probably the most iconic of the Art Deco posters inspired by the movies, though there are many more.
Beauty
Beauty products were a huge advertising area, as well as the more mundane toiletries - toothpaste and such. There are many attractive posters for perfumes, fashions, makeup and more that would be a great area for collecting. The pochoir print was a technique used particularly by the illustrators of fashion designs, and were hand coloured. These appeared in specialist magazines and were of excellent quality. These are a great area to collect as there are still many available and they are still very affordable, as well as being highly decorative.
Source : ezinearticles
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