I recently spoke at a conference on the changing face of propaganda and with that the look and feel of propaganda has been on my mind recently.
I always find it interesting how things of the past work their ways back into the visual language of today. Whether it was the return of the 70s, of the 80s, Art Deco or any of the other design trends that have come back into fashion both in art, design and often advertising, there seems to be a constant willingness to re-hash the past for emotive purposes in brand communications.
It would seem then, that we can speculate that the propaganda poster is coming back into focus and much of the style taken seems to focus on the revolutionary aspects of guerrilla propaganda.
Having seen this politically inspired poster for M&M's it would clarify that the best way to get a point across is to reference a past movement that reflected those ideals. Do you think that the Red M&M's will be boycotted for being too communist? Will Obama meet with Red if he wins? What about the other Candydates?
We discussed the BattleStar Galactica Propaganda set here.
Recent Stoli advertising utilizes propaganda imagery too.
Shepard Fairey's Obama poster has a similar propaganda feel to it as well.
