Proaganda Posters- WW1

Britain entered the war on the 4th of August 1914, at this time they needed as many people to join the armed forces as possible to give them the best chance, to do this they started posting poster around to make people see war in a different way. Many posters glamourised being in the war while others played on emotions and personal achievement. Here I have analysed some posters from this period and have looked at why they might have been effective. 

Here is one of the posters from WW1 that is really emotive. It plays on the idea that in a few years time when the war is over, what stories will you have. This poster may imply that if you dont join the war and fight for your country your children will not look up to you. The idea of this poster is very clever as it shows a gentleman, unmarked from fighting in the war, in an expensive suit looking proud about fighting for his country and people. He has a happy family and children that look up to him and as the caption implies, it was due to him doing a good service for his country. This poster was created to make people think about life after the war and how they can be proud and their children can look up to them and aspire to be them which is implied by the son playing with war figures. Along with its strong theme of emotion, the colours are also very eye catching, bold rich greens and a eye catching blue dress make this poster stand out from a dull wall or board. It is the ideal lifestyle and makes people think that if they join the war they will too have this perfect life. 

This poster is much less emotive than the last, however it is a lot more direct. Instead of saying "look at this man" it is directly addressing the reader. The use of the word "you" makes this poster really effective as people feel personally wanted. This is well complimented by the use of strong eye contact and a finger pointing out towards the reader. Posters like this worked extremely well as no one goes into something knowing they are going to be just another person, this poster makes people feel like they are greatly needed and boosts the confidence of any man having doubts about going to war. The colours in the poster are reasonably dull and neutral which makes the Union Jack shirt really stand out. Using the Union Jack is another way to make people think about how it is helping the country and serving the people. The Union Jack is bringing this poster closer to home and also the rich colours of it bring the idea of wealth and pride. All of these things together along with bold fonts and a punchy, straight to the point message, make this poster effective and would make people want to join.