Graphic design is the art of presentation and visual communication in an artistic manner. It may include words, images, or symbols to simulate a human mind and provide the information needed. In accordance with Meggs, graphic design can be enumerated, “the essence is to give order to information, form to ideas, expression, and feeling to artifacts that document the human experience.” (Meggs, 28).
Nationalistic designs or posters are formulated and circulated to evoke a certain patriotic feeling about a nation for its own good. These forms of posters are connected to the ideas of patriotism and nationalism and the romantic ideas of war that were characteristic of the time. It is true, the youth mainly started with these ideas in the first place, but with reality, creeping in the ideas of patriotic feeling becomes too fragile when compared with life and the aspects of love. However, that is a very different subject altogether.
The nationalistic posters are formulated during the state level of war analysis and include a basic idea that the key factor is not necessarily based on human factors, but governmental ones in organization and such. The constraints that are created as a result of the basic infrastructure of the country can become a root cause of war. There are two variations to this idea. One is the state’s nature; because each state wants certain things just because they would happen to the state, and things like security and unity or nationalism would be included within that. Also included within this perspective is, as individuals, every state would be different. There would be differences that include purposeful, ideological, and structural differences to consider. Much like the man vs. man consideration, this would be, in order, revolutionary vs. status quo, capitalism vs. communism, and democracy vs. totalitarianism. However, the population must be motivated under such conditions, and the best method is propaganda, and the best method of propaganda is nationalist posters or posters that provoke patriotism or nationalism.
It is evident that the amount of influence of the mass media and graphics on today’s mass is extremely substantial, and it cannot be overlooked that the potential of this tool as a communicative medium could be significant enough in the near future that could have the potential to topple the government and change the fate of a country forever. The only variable remaining is the proper ability and apposite will to indulge in the prospective strength of the internet. It will be clarified if the aspect of such a poster is taken into consideration.
Such a poster is the famous “Your Country Needs You” poster featuring “Field Marshal Horatio Herbert Kitchener, 1st Earl Kitchener of Khartoum & of Broome (1850-1916).” (DHA, 1) He is often depicted as “Kitchener of Khartoum, architect of disaster at Gallipoli.” (DHA, 1) This poster is the best example of a nationalistic poster and the probable ramification that a poster can create in history.
Here we find Horatio Kitchener pointing a finger directly at the audience, and there is a bold statement on the text, “Your Country Needs You.” This influenced the youth and heightened their patriotic feeling, and a huge number of the youth flocked to the recruitment centers to enlist in the army. If the consequences of this enthusiasm are overlooked, it would be relevant to say that the effect of media as graphic design and particularly nationalistic posters reached its zenith, and it was extremely useful for the state in particular.
Works Cited
Meggs, Philip B., ‘A history of graphic design’. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1983.
DHA; Graveyards of Gallipoli: a Tribute to the Men of all the Nations that took part in the Gallipoli Campaign of 1915; A Digger History Associate Site; 2005. Web.