The final

this is my final poster i've moved the black lines round the outside of the art board and i've changed the "f" from the facebook logo to just the facebook f which i think makes it easier to read (i did like the integration of the logo but i didn't think it needed it and the others had trouble understanding it). i did try to move the line of the slogan at the bottom but unfortunately whenever i attempted to change this aspect it affected the other aspects of the design and i didn't think it was really worth the time or the stress since i don't think that its that noticeable. i found an orange circle lining the outer edge so i deleted that which just makes the design a bit cleaner.
the main thing i've learnt about illustrator that i need to employ in future projects is grouping my lines and separating my layers ( it'll mean that i've got more organisation to my objects and it'll be a lot easier when editing). i tried to play to my strengths in illustrator (layering up brush strokes to generate shading and texture) and i feel the techniques i've used are very simple, effective, but ultimately simple because of this next time i use the software i plan on trying to expand the range of tools that i use in order to develop more of an understanding, although since its the first time i've used illustrator i am impressed with what i've created.
Despite these issues, i am really proud of what i have achieved, keeping everything simple and making sure nothing was overpowering was the key to my design and i'm glad i managed it because i think my poster (in accordance to the brief) has successfully combined the facebook aspect with the spanish propaganda posters . i've really enjoyed the project as a whole i especially liked the design process and how my design on paper has translated into illustrator. if i had more time i would like to have created a second poster featuring the same square character, initially i had a lot of design ideas and it would have been nice to explore those as well.

critique response

The poster above is the poster that i presented for the crit, i got a lot of positive comments and the aspect seemed clear, two changes were suggested;  to make the slogan edge parallel to the block rectangle on the shield and to alter the "f" in the "rifts" so that it was clearer and more readable. i agreed with both points so i definitely want to try and change them on the final poster. altering the f will be easy but i may have some issues trying to make the edge of rifts because i have not been very careful in creating and labelling new layers. thankfully i don't think that this is too much of an issue so if i cant figure out how to change it i'm not worried. i noticed myself that i had a few lines along the very edge of the poster ( when i had to make it a live paint i had to box the edges in order to fill the outer bits) so i also  need to drag these visible lines of to the edge of the art board. despite these small changes im really happy with it - i did ask my peers if anything needed to be done on the buildings but they didn't feel anything needed to be added and i agree i've successfully balanced texture with fill colours so i think anything more would be too overpowering.

Little details

i liked the chalk outline so much on the outer circles i wanted to introduce a small amount within my acutal poster i thought the block symbol was ideal since the line is so harsh and needs to be softened so i applied the brush to the shape on a new layer. i think its really effective since it breaks up some of the smooth background texture and simulatneously fattens the line.

because i thought the chalk line was really effective on the main rectangle i wanted to also hint at it in some of the background softening the outer lines of the silhouettes was perfect becuase they were a little too angular and were again basic shapes so i didnt have to worry about intefering with small details.

I also added a chalk low light along the curve of my shield just because it looked a little bare im not entirely sure if its needed though so i might ask my peers for an opinion when i present my poster.

i felt my rays looked bare as well so i introduced some scroll brush stokes along the centre line i didnt want it to be overpowering so i gradually made the stokes smaller. overall it just initiated a touch of texture which i think it needed in order to ensure my posters textural continuity.

id played around with the block symbol and decided to place them in some of the windows just to see how they would look. im still not sure on them but the buildings definatly need something so again i think im going to ask for opinions when i present.

 

Circles round the outer edge

i knew that i wanted to soften the outer edge of my main circle espescially since the design was contained within the white of the page and felt that it would look too bland if i just left it. softening the edges would simultaneously introduce a little texture around the outer edge which would contrast again the fill of the circle.
i created a layer which i placed at the bottom and used the elliptical tool to create two circles slightly larger than the main one. i then applied the chalk brush  to each ( a brush style i really liked and felt would be a bolder dappled texture than previously used) and created a light blue ring and a grey. origionally i had planned to just use grey but i thought that there wasnt enough of the blue tone in the poster which would be an ideal contrast to the thick fill of orange.

rings with basic fill- i think it looks really good - has also reminded me that i need to fill the bottom of the buildings with the darker grey since i think that theres more of a contrast with the darker tone.

 

Altering the background

i felt that there wasnt enough texture in the background so i began to introduce some of the texture that i had in the man along the curves of blue at the back which i felt would help to soften the shape and would be easier to blend since the background colour is a light grey.

it definately needed something and i think this at the very least creates a shadow which emphasises the shape. im trying to be carfeul with how much of the texture i introduce i dont want to overwhelm the poster but i dont want it to be too flat.
i was pondering what else i could place within the background and played around with the block symbol - i felt that the buildings were the weakest point of the design but i couldnt figure out what do with them so i was mostly just experimenting. i came up with an edited block symbol ( it had a chalk outline which gave it a rougher edge and was darker blue) i was thinking about placing it in some of the windows but im not really sure. hopefully inspiration will strike and ill have more of an idea.

Shading the mans face

im happy with the shading on the mans arm and chest but wasnt initially sure how to approach the head, i didnt know whether i should continue the same tonal stuff already experimented on the chest and arm or whether i should fade it out. so i decided to continuethe textural shading ( if i was going to fade it out i'd need to have bits of tone anyway and if it looked good as it was then i would continue it on the rest of the face.)
i made sure that the brushes were small and that i didnt overpower the face with too many unnessecary textural tonal elements. i did in a way fade out this shading since i only defined some of the curves before then manipulating some solid fill.

in order to contrast against the textural white area i introduced some blue fill using a solid brush before softening the edges with the scroll brush. i also applied this same principle with the hair but i gradiented the corners to give it some depth and added some longer light strokes throughout in order to generate some hair strands ( in a basic way i didnt want it to actually look like hair but i thought it would correlate better texturally). so far im really pleased and i now need to find a way of balancing the background in my poster with the foreground man.

Starting to shade the man

After filling all the block colours within my poster i then decided to embark on how to shade my character who as a main focal point was pretty intergral to my design. id roughly planned out how to approach this task within my sketchbook and after some brief experimentation i began by using the paintbrush to fill in some of the solid areas of shade ( i chose a middle grey which made it easier to blend darker or lighter depending on where i started tonally - i also kept the opacity low in order to map out where i wanted the tones to gradient out from).

after this i then chose a basic watercolour brush ( one that didnt contain shading but did depict the soft smooth edges) and slowly added varying stroke to begin generating tone.

i did find that manipulating the same colour and simply altering the opacity of it worked much better when blending the tones together espescailly when creating the base. it allowed me to introduce a sense of light and dark without it getting too complicated and lost in the various colours. it was also particularily useful in terms of the watercolour brush ( since these brushes tended to lighten whatever tone i used anyway it was a lot easier to use black which actually came out mid grey due to the brush style). after using this technique on all my areas of shade i then wanted to incorporate some more defined and textural strokes which i achieved by using a scroll brush.

when using scroll brushes i generally started with a larger stoke ( 3/4) and a fatter brush using the lightest tone of grey and gradually getting darker to generate the tonal gradient. this much like the watercolour brushes created a base from which i could introduce additional details. once this base was finished i used thinner and smaller scroll brushes to blend the tones together starting from the lightest tone to the darkest was more practical because it was easier to layer the tones on the lighter than to try lightening the really dark ones. im actually really pleased with how the shading has turned out ( i was initially worried because its hand drawn). i also found it useful to occasionally introduce occasional strokes of a curved waved ink pen which had enough shape to blend well into the white areas of the man but was solid enough to convey the tone.

i continued this on the arm ( which had a larger gradient of tone that needed to be added so i simply increased the brush size accordingly) and on the rest of the chest.  adding dappled blue stokes to intergrate the blue tone in my design was failry easy and since the colour was so light i generally blended inward using the white scroll pen to texturise the edges of the colour.

Basic fill colours

after creating my outline i made it a live paint group and then filled in the basic block colours which was probably the easiest stage of the entire design process.

it actually looks good considering its only a base but its in desperate need of texture and shading which i plan to place on another layer. im hopefully going to try and retain the balance between block colours and texture - too much texture would be over whelming too many block colours and the poster will look flat. im pleased so far and everything seems to be going well.-

Drawing in Illustrator

i originally planned to live trace my scan but the scan didnt come out as clearly as i would have like so i decided that i would draw the design in illustrator using the pen tool. this was actually really useful since i now have a better understanding of the software and drawing within it.

these are some printscreens of the drawing process which i began by mapping out all the block shapes ( starting with the ones that were already in the tool box circles rectangles etc) before i began using the pen tool to intergrate the curved lines of the man. the man was by far the most complicated part of my design so i left him till last which gave me time to fully establish my background. the white arrow tool was a lifesaver when drawing the curves since it allowed me to adjust the anchor points which helped to generate some clean lines. so far it looks good but i havent started on the hard part: colouring in!

 

final basic outline below.

Final Design idea

This is my final design the scan on the left clarifies the basic shapes of my poster whilst the one on the right introduces the colour scheme. i intend to live trace my scan in order to create the base for my poster which is why i havent included colour. im really happy with the design so far in terms of shape and im excited and nervous about translating the colours and textures into illustrator since theyre integral to the design.

The Slogan

Although i was fairly sure that i wanted to design a poster revolving around the block aspect on Facebook it was really cemented when i started creating slogans. i tested out a few others using different aspects from other sites for example i had - "youtube, most viewed share and share alike!" which would promote the 'share' icon on youtube which i liked rhythmically but i didn't think that it really related to propaganda slogans. since i liked the rhythm of my slogan above i decided to try and come up with a slogan which advertised the block icon using a similar rhythm but had more of a contextual reference. in my research i came across the artist Steve Thomas whose office propaganda posters featured a slogan taken from an American propaganda poster.

so i decided to play around with his slogan and came up initially with the slogan:
"Loose lips, create rifts so block people you don't like!"
I was fairly happy with this slogan until i realised that the "block people you don't like!" was a little judgmental and seemed to be encouraging people to block anyone which wasn't really my aim. my aim was to advertise the block symbol in terms of protection ( if your'e being hassled or are a victim of bullying then you block them ) so because of this i had to change the last phrase whilst still retaining the correct rhythm . i then came up with what i think will be my final slogan:
"Loose lips, create rifts so block people who aren't nice!"

i was much happier with this slogan, it conveys my overall message and seems to be a lot lighter than some of the previous slogans researched (probably because it lacks a direct imperative) its subtle but its understandable which is the most important thing.

 

The Pitch

The pitch went well - it was interesting trying to explain my development to others it helped to clarify my design ideas and helped to ensure that i hadn't strayed too far from the brief.

 

The response to my final design was very positive, the only thing to consider was my font choices and whether i stick with a basic hand drawn bubble font rather than a similar font taken from my spanish propaganda poster. i plan to try out both before deciding but i think that my peers were correct and a more spanish curled styled font would detract from my overall design.

The design above is what I've come up with so far i'm really pleased i think i've successfully managed to combine the spanish propaganda poster style with Facebook's modern aspect and the modern work of propaganda artist Steve Thomas. i've included the angularity of the spanish character and kept the block colours and placed emphasis on shape but i've also included the block symbol shield ( inspired by Steve Thomas' virus poster) and altered the colour scheme to ensure Facebook's representation.

 

 

general intresting spanish propaganda posters artists unknown

18th July 1938
i love the angularity evident within this poster its simplicity makes it a lot more effective and more visually striking theres also a lovely gradient which drags the eye diagonally across the frame. and the soft brush strokes break up the white background whilst also highlighting the diagonal positioning.



anarchist federation 1937
it is the people that i like the most in this poster there faces are defined by the abstract shape and i love this flat style which elucidates the fluidity of the curves on the face. the colours work well together the browns contrast with the background outlining the silhouettes. although the faces are curves there is an angularity which is congruent with a lot of the other spanish posters already researched.

http://www.dieselpunks.org/profiles/blog/show?id=3366493%3ABlogPost%3A187587&commentId=3366493%3AComment%3A187499 ( all posters above)

Carles Fontsere

this design is less simple than the one below although there is an emphasis on shape this poster is a lot busier than the one below whilst, the other is dominated by one single element: the tank, this poster seems to be segmented into three -the woman at the back, the ambulance and then the foreground trenches. this segmentation directs the eye up the frame to the female figure and the heading which obviously establishes the overall message " ambulances to the front". there is a hand drawn feel to the top of the poster which softens the shadow (an almost halo around the head) and provokes contrast with the bold oblong ambulance and the vibrant red outlined trench. i don't really like the mustard sienna colour in the background just because its very dark and i prefer the brighter reds but it does create a plain bland background which doesn't interfere with the rest of the poster.

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Ambulancies-Per-Al-Front-Posters_i2915937_.htm



i think that this is one of the more effective Fontsere posters mostly because i really like the colour scheme- black white and orange which keeps both the design and the message incredibly simple. the bottom slogan "crush fascism" places this poster within the communist movement and i love how Fontsere has represented this "crush" visually through the tank. the monochrome tank itself is the main focal point its realism contrasting against the block orange background. the soft white edging softens the solid orange as it approaches the tank which effectively outlines the tank elucidating its shape. Other than the colour palette used i'm not really sure if i could use any of the aspect in my design ( my own concept revolves around blocking what people say) but i guess i could use the tank as a representation of the block symbol.

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Our-Common-Objective-Always-to-Squash-Fascism-
Posters_i7862333_.htm

Jose Bardasano

1937 communist poster
My favourite aspect of this poster is the silhouettes at the bottom, the hands and hooks initiate an intricacy which breaks up the black line. the purple softens the outer edge emphasising the hooks whilst contrasting against the brown gradient. the red hat is the central shape which draws the eye inwards the flags all provoke a sense of movement and effectively fill most of the top half which keeps the socialist message clear and understandable. as a whole the poster isn't one of my favourites but i think it works in conveying the working force and i do like the vibrancy of the colours used.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7056/6947557235_067451c980_z.jpg


1937
This is one of my favourite Bardasano posters - i love the complimentary greens which elucidate the shapes of the soldiers and contrast with the black print at the bottom. the poster seems to be divided into layers the light green background creates the base, the darker soldiers fill the frame centrally and provides focus whilst the black silhouettes at the bottom instigate balance. there is a sense of repetition through the soldiers which initiates a directionality and theres a softness to the lines and shapes which i haven't really seen in previous posters. i prefer the angular designs just because they have a higher contrast and look more striking which i think is very important in conveying message. im not sure whether i could use aspects of this design for my own  ( possibly the silhouettes at the bottom) simply because i plan on placing a lot of emphasis on shape ( to fully establish my block aspect) the poster  above revolves the fighting force rather than anything symbolic.
http://lh6.ggpht.com/-sT5Hv4E60m4/UAu1LmEMTII/AAAAAAABzac/7Od9k6uq-XM/Jose%252520Bardasano.%252520Communist%252520Propaganda.%2525201937_B.jpg

it seems to be very common in Bardasano's work to manipulate the line of silhouettes along the bottom of the frame- they create a simple background which simultaneously frames the design again incorporating balance. the bright red is clearly a reference to the communist or socialist party which portrays meaning and i love the sense of light and dark which is particularly evident on the hand and incorporates a sense of depth. the gradient at the end of the arm instigates movement directing the eye up to the figures who occupy the centre of the design. the background is segmented in two and dominated by white which generates an effective backdrop without interfering with the main design.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/-j7dsYa-kfGM/UAuzq30t8UI/AAAAAAABzaM/EUoaNOIQuF4/Jose%252520Bardasano.%252520Communist%252520Propaganda.%2525201937.jpg


i think this design has the most potential in regards to my design ( my slogan loose lips create rifts so block people you don't like) would work against the open mouth ( lips and rifts). the brush strokes soften the colours used integrating texture but the manipulation of the block colours keeps the overall design very simple. the solid colours are bright and loud which is congruent with the message and the open mouthed figure.
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7176/6947553781_48105be4e3_z.jpg

Goni Lorenzo

1936- united socialist party
The use of block colour and silhouette places a lot of emphasis on shape- the curve of the fist directs the eye upwards, the filled brown shadowed by the thick black edge generates both shadow and outline. the blurred edge of the white which surrounds the central figure gives the poster a cut out element which also outlines the main figure simultaneously the harsh contours of the face. the use of the left fist relates to political position this is a socialist poster ( so its promoting the freedom of the people who are represented through the faceless man). Again the bold lines and angularity can be translated into my own design - the raised fist could contain the block symbol ( the aspect of web 2 i'm currently toying with) and i could even place the Facebook logo in the background like a flag.

http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib//192/media-192897/mid.jpg


1936
It is the repetition in this poster which i think is particularly eye catching the straight square faces introduce directionality forcing the eye diagonally down the frame, and there is a clear sense of balance to the image; the square of text is balanced by the five planes in the top corner, even the four figures segment the poster fairly equally in half. again the same brown colouring has been used as in the other ( as its part of a series this brown cements the continuity which in turn cements message). there is a sense of light and dark which is again stipulated by the black outline though unlike the other this poster lacks the soft gradient which keeps this poster exceptionally sharp and clean. personally i think another colour would have been more striking as it would have provided more of a contrast but i still think this poster is visually effective.
http://media.iwm.org.uk/iwm/mediaLib//192/media-192836/mid.jpg


i think this is one of my favourite Lorenzo images because i love the stylistic silhouettes that help to frame the first figure. theres an almost hand drawn effect  introduced through the gradient which softens the angular faces and incorporates a sense of movement. its clearly very much against Germany which places the poster again within the socialist party the blocks of black and red are framed with white which helps to emphasise shape. and i really like the blurred smudge in the top left corner which looks comparatively empty highlighting the P.S.U logo.
http://libimages.wolfsonian.org/XB1994.189.8.000.jpg

Spanish Propaganda posters- initial research

After looking at some general propaganda posters from the specified period, i found that the most intresting posters and the ones that i thought were more effective were the spanish propaganda posters so i decided to do some further research into this area ( i created a mood board of spanish propaganda posters in my sketchbook) and before finding specific artists i wanted to explore some general posters to investigate the various styles before focusing on certain artists.
The poster above is very striking, the whole poster is filled with the portrait, the severe expression is very dominating ( a keep quiet spies poster perhaps i couldnt find a great deal on it) and i thought it related to the aspect of web 2 that ive decided to focus on (the block button on facebook) i could replace the finger with the block symbol and place my slogan at the bottom of frame possibly using shades of blue to reference Facebooks logo. orange and red however seem to be used througout spanish propaganda ( the flag colours) so in order to remain as close to the propaganda posters as i can then it may be an idea to use similar colour schemes.  

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m64dtv7ZBp1rubozqo1_1280.jpg
http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-SP029_spain_DV_20120413170305.jpg
"in spain it is dawning, arise spain- supporting the far right movement"
the repetative silhouettes are the first aspects that draws my eye, the faceless figures represent a large part of sociey and the raised right hand indicates political positioning ( republican). the use of three tones keeps the poster very simple which effectively ensures an understandable meaing. again reddish orange in the background refers to the spanish flag. the emblem in the centre combined with the raised hands directs the eye up to the top heading- in terms of my design i could replace that central symbol with the block symbol, place my slogan in the four lines surrounding it and i could even place the facebook logo onto of the faces to instantly place the characters within that site.


http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-SP029_spain_DV_20120413170305.jpg

this is one of my favourite posters i love the colours used (shades of orange which are bright and eyecatching.  the limited use of colour again simplifies the design making it bold and understandable also creating contrast which gives a sense of light and dark. The diagonal positioning of the head directs the eye upwards and the slight angularity of the face ( another aspect that seems fairly common within spanish posters) creates a simple portrait which ensures a wide target audience - its almost a silhouette. the posters heading translates roughly to a tribute of the brigades ( the brigades were volunteers who signed up protect the spanish republicans and the triangular symbol in the background was a part of their flag) and the posters message regarding this tribute conincides with the proud positioning of the head and it is clear that the brigades were something to be remembered.
http://www.referenced.co.uk/propaganda-posters-from-the-spanish-civil-war/

1937
the contrasting colours are the dominant element within this poster the red is vibrant and combined with the armed defense has connatations of violence.  again the faces are very square and stylised (which i definitly plan on using within my own design) the repeat of which directs the eye diagonally along the line. i think the message of the poster is depicting the defense of madrid which is congruent with this line of soldiers and the barbed wire.
http://media.vam.ac.uk/media/thira/collection_images/2006BB/2006BB5444_jpg_ds.jpg


1977 (republican poster)
http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-SP030_spain_DV_20120413170431.jpg
 Although this poster isn't within the 1900-1950 era i liked the face and the closed lips and instantly began thinking of my block aspect. i could replace the cross with the block symbol - use orange over the face to relate to the 1930 spanish propaganda and i could put the facebook logo in the background. the angularity of the portrait is very reminicient of the propaganda ive been looking at so i think the poster emmulates the 1930s propaganda enough to be refered to when im designing. again its the posers simplicity which draws me in (  i can understand its message even though i cant read the writing) which i think is an essential aspect of propaganda posters. 

Steve Thomas

There is a very distinctive medieval theme in this poster from the heroic  knight  and evil winged dragon right down to the swooning damsel in distress all of which elucidate the fantasy element. the poster is a fun representation of the classic battle between good verses evil which is a well known and understandable concept.  Even the central positioning of the closed fist divides the frame in two highlighting the good Vs evil theme. the solid red background frames the grey hand and yellowish silhouette; silhouettes seem to be an exceptionally common theme within propaganda posters they ensure a broad target audience and clarify the overall message because the concept  or message has not been convoluted by excessive detail. the bold phrase "rise up"and the one word "you" successfully conveys overall message whilst the capital "protect the[...]princess"emphasises the objective. the closed fist is an emblem that i found within an American ww1 propaganda poster and i love how its been modernised and adapted to fit this promotional game poster something i will consider when designing my own poster-  using iconic or well known emblems and adjusting them can be incredibly effective in modernizing the propaganda style.
http://www.ww1propaganda.com/sites/default/files/3g03349u-1591.jpg?1311563397
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8zffxJ1P71rn4obco5_500.jpg

I love the fantasy element within this poster (the flying ostriches and the medieval armour) are incredibly fun and light. My eye is instantly drawn to the stripes which direct the eye outwards from the Knight to the heading whilst simultaneously creating an interesting backdrop which contrasts with the red ostrich.
The poster itself is reminiscent of the world war 1 enlist propaganda posters- yellow (a popular colour used in the posters generated in ww1) again instigates a sense of glory and nobility which is further stipulated by the knight character. The block colours are only broken up by solid sections of slightly lighter tones which gives the poster a cartoony style which coincides with the fantastical theme. the exclamation mark after the 'enlist now!" softens the command, its friendlier than the directives in the previous posters researched and manipulates humour to inspire action rather than horror.
http://brian.carnell.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/joust-propaganda-poster.jpg

This poster is probably my favourite out of Thomas' work, i like how fun his posters are this one in particular is exceptionally picturesque. the muted pastel tones of the background soften the scene whilst the black strip at the bottom creates an effective base which offsets the white text. the black spreads into the trees which directs the eye upwards. i particularly like the lines of the rivers which contrast against the blue rock and continue the upwards directionality.
although i plan on basing my own designs on spanish and russian propaganda style posters i love the fun fanstasy elements within Thomas work and his modern interpretations of propaganda posters.
http://www.acustomposter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/rivendell_final_small.jpeg

Aspects of Facebook,Twitter,Flickr and Youtube

I'm choosing to focus on the aspects of the 4 sites Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Youtube simply because i'm more familiar with them than the others, hopefully exploring the aspect will help to give me a clearer design direction.

Facebook
News feed
instant messaging/ chat
message
subscribe
listen with friends ( sharing music)
status
activity log
check in
poke
notifications
comments
timeline
like/dislike
mobile
Groups- closed and open follow ( limited to 300 people)
photos- albums
block
events

Youtube
repeat
most viewed
share
subscriptions
my videos
playlists
top rated
upload (15 minute duration)
play back
dislike/like
comments
mobile
featured
history

Flickr
groups
picnik-photo editing ap
200 photos ( if more are added then only the most recent 200 are displayed)
upload 300 Mb of images
only 2 videos per month

Twitter
following/unfollowing (friends and celebrities, actors musicians etc)
trend
twitter list
messages (character limit)
mobile
publicly visible tweets

i've highlighted the ones which i think look more interesting and could promote some more interesting slogans. i'm ruling out Flickr just because i find the site a bit bland in comparison to the others. so far the block symbol on Facebook is the most intriguing aspect at the moment so i'm probably going to make that my starting point.

Modern Propaganda style Posters Initial Research

poster created by Frank Shepard Fairey
In my initial 1900-1950 research i found that the posters that i found most effective were generally the ones that used 2 or 3 main colours, so i decided to try and find a modern equivalent. The colours are again contrasting and bold, they simplify the face and divide it into light and shade the reds and blues are very American which obviously concurs with the subject matter. The dark navy creates shadow and offsets the slogan, the font of the text itself is easy to read its simplicity is mirrored in the one word command, the message is clear and understandable "CHANGE". obviously because its contemporary the lines are sharper, and the portrait although stylistic is more realistic than those previously researched. i espescially like the lines which help to construct shadow and help to diverge texturally another modern touch which i will consider when designing.
http://www.gwennseemel.com/images/blog08/ShepardFaireyChange.jpg

Poster art Steve Thomas
Again minimal colour manipulation, these seem to have a slightly more angular feel (bottom left espescially) an aspecept i found intriging when looking at the Spanish civil war posters. Out of the four i think that its the bottom right which draws my attention the most. The white of the water tank covers a larger area and seems brighter against the red possibly due to the thick black outline and shading, its central positioning focuses the design and the eye is led vertically down the frame to the remaining text "gossip ends with you". The "loose lips" phrase refers to an American Propaganda poster "loose lips might sink ships"the message efficiently cemented  by the use of rhyme. This intepretation has continued  with the near rhyme "create rifts" which is still just as effective at imparting the overall message.
  http://wiki-images.enotes.com/f/f8/Loose_lips_might_sink_ships.jpg
The poster top left is another favourite (and refers to social network sites which concurs with our brief). I appreciate the subtlety evident within this poster it seemingly alludes to Twitter but although the message is clear it is not made explicit- theres no twitter logo but it is suggested by the bird. The black bird is the main focus as it is exemplified by the plain red background and i like the curved line of the bottom phrase which makes it stand out against the rest of the design.
http://johngushue.typepad.com/.a/6a00d83451f25369e2014e88233f0b970d-800wi

Im not sure if these would be considered propaganda posters but they have a distinctive russian propaganda like style and they are promotional advertisments.
http://www.designcontest.com/assets/galleries/3564/Soviet_Propaganda_poster_by_dmavromatis.jpg
Black white and red have again been used again and they again create brilliant contrast exemplifying shape. I love the angularity of the top right which is reminicient of the spanish propaganda poster i previously researched. the straight bold lines are incredibly directional and dramatic and it seems yet again that it is its simplicity which makes it so striking. The faces in each are flat and silhouetted which i think makes the design more seamless and definately ensures the continuity throughout the four. The top left is very contained within the white which i also think benefits the design, its centeral and the white fully conveys the wing shapes. Wings which in turn frame the central figure neatly drawing the eye to the Black Swan title.
http://www.theballetbag.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/BSthumb.jpg

This poster was created during the Cold war so its not exactly modern but its dated 1970 after the specific 1900-1950 date given in the brief so im putting it in this section. limited colour useage and manipulation of a silhouetted figure (common themes seen throughout a lot of the propaganda posters researched). No foreign words or slogans just the name Lenin which ensures a broader target audience, though without the added clarification of a slogan the design is made solely responsible in conveying message. The red is the most eyecatching aspect so i can assume that the poster is promoting Lenin, the eye is then drawn diagonally down frame to the man whose lack of distinctive features confirms the wider audience. There is a sense of light and dark which helps to break up some of the block colour but i find that i dont like the brown washed background which doesnt look as stark as a solid colour would have. As i have discovered in my previous research i think black would have looked more dramatic and striking than the brown does. overall i like the stylised figure but im not too sure on the brown and its a little bland.
http://www.designer-daily.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/lenin.jpg

i think that this poster is a little more fun than the others ( obviously because its purpose is fairly light). The simple yellow block background contradicts the more textural appearance of the figure which has a nice hand drawn feel, hes very simple in terms of shape but theres a sense of depth introduced through the shading. the use of the exclamation mark at the end of the phrase "use your library often!" gives it a more friendly vibe ( which completely differs from the harsher commands seen in other posters this distinction again is down to the message). the figures pose very practically, directs the eye down to the "KNOWLEDGE" which efficiently assures full message transferal.
http://rlv.zcache.com/for_greater_knowledge_use_your_library_poster-r49b795a049c946138e7824ee6f703e47_ai4d1_210.jpg