POSTERS : How to one nowadays agrees on the adver tising value of the poster, and few successful advertising campaigns are run which do not embody a liberal use of the hoardings. Opinions differ as to what is and what is not a successful poster, and as a consequence one finds the greatest divergencies of opinion on the qualities of the posters exhibited on the hoardings. Personally I believe in humour in the poster, with certain obvious reservations. A bright, humorous idea makes people laugh and talk about the poster and the goods it advertises. For instance, the Vacuum Cleaner poster, with the cleaner as a ferocious serpent, was a success, although critics still think that the treatment was too far fetched and off' the line for such a sober mechanical subject. After all, the best judge is the trader concerned, whose opinion is guided by the results he secures, and that poster was followed by another of the same type, which is proof of the appreciation of the poster user for the idea itself.
The first essential of a good poster should be simplicity. It should give out its message at a glance. People do not spend the time on posters that they give to other forms of advertising. Where they read a newspaper advertisement, they only glance at posters, and if the poster does not convey its message in a fraction of a minute, it must be considered to have failed. That is why the most suitable articles for poster advertising are specialities such as cocoa, tea, whisky, preserves, or foodstuff's, where the name only has to be emphasised. In such a proposition an educative campaign has usually been carried on, and the people know the goods from newspaper and other forms of advertising. The poster campaign in such cases is largely supplemental, and the poster itself helps to fix the title in the people's minds, so that when they go into the shop to purchase goods along the same lines the name comes readily to their memory and they are placed in the position of asking for something they have heard about. At the same time poster advertising, in my opinion, is useful to supple ment any advertising which has done sufficient educational work in the press to make the article advertised well known. No advertiser should trust to a poster alone to reach the public. The press and the poster are auxiliaries in any campaign, and a good combination of the two forces, working at the same time, should prove irresistible.
The work of securing a good poster is not familiar to many people, although the process is simplicity itself. Assuming that a man has decided to use posters, there are two things he might do : (1) To settle exactly the kind of poster he would use for himself and lay the complete idea before the artist; or (2) to approach the artist, give an outline of his needs, and trust to the artist for the idea. The first question in the consideration
of a poster is the idea itself, and whether the trader originates this or whether the artist does it, the idea must be everything in the success of the poster campaign. The poster should be simple and direct and should emphasise as far as possible the leading selling point. Then again, the manner should be suitable to the speciality. For instance, some articles ought to be advertised humorously ; others demand a suggestion of dainti ness. In the case of a meat extract the main idea would be to convey strength; in other propositions the dignified, decorative treatment would be the most likely to succeed. The advantage of consulting an artist in these matters would be that from his experience he would be most likely to decide which would be the best line of action, and he would probably best choose the manner which suits the article and its selling qualities.
The actual making of a poster is a matter of technique exclusively. While the advertiser may choose his subject and originate his own idea so far as is practical, he should leave its working out in the hands of the artist himself. The artist is the best judge of colour combination and contrasts, and in my opinion the colour scheme largely determines the value of any poster. For poster work simple contrasts in colour, which printing experience teaches will not readily fade, are the most practical for the purpose in view. Brilliancy of colouring, which is very necessary to successful poster work, is not secured by the colour itself, but largely depends on the happiness with which it is contrasted against others. In my own posters you will possibly have observed that many of my figures occupy the centre of a big space and are isolated with big blank spaces of neutral colours. I believe this method serves the same purpose as a picture frame by making the subject stand out, and by separating it dis tinctly from others near it. Personally I believe in the simplest erects for posters and as much freedom from detail as is possible. An important point for the artist to realise is that the lines of a poster should all be carefully devised to ensure that the eye of the casual spectator roving over the design is sure to be guided finally to the picture of the article advertised. To secure a successful poster on these lines depends largely on the experience and knowledge of the artist, and he should be trusted to carry out these details without too much interference from the adver tiser, whose knowledge of the subject may not have guided him to an appreciation of these points in successful poster-making.