Museum Exhibit Showcases the Art of the Poster

Erica Gamet

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If I had to name one form of artwork I really appreciate, it would probably be the simple poster. From infographics, to vintage advertising, to my obsession with movie posters, I appreciate the combination of intriguing design and information presented in such a compact format. The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum has recently put the focus on this particular art form with their latest exhibit. “How Posters Work” features 125 of the more than 4,000 posters in the design museum’s permanent collection.


The exhibit features well-known names, such as Paul Rand, Michael Bierut, and Saul Bass as well as those whose work might be familiar, but their names not as much. “How Posters Work” is sorted into 14 categories, not by the functional purpose of each poster, but rather the design principles used and techniques employed in the creation of the work. Some of the principles on display are “overwhelm the eye,” which utilizes a visual assault of colors, lines, shapes, and patterns—think late-60s concert poster—and “tell a story,” which asks the question, “What will happen next?” Other principals on show in the posters include “amplify,” “simplify,” and “double the meaning.”


Whether created to sell a product, announce an event, disseminate a propaganda-filled message, or showcase a film, the poster as art form conveys a message in a short burst format, using artistic themes and techniques to catch a viewer’s eye. The Cooper Hewitt produced a 224-page catalog to accompany the poster exhibit, which runs through January 24th of next year. The Cooper Hewitt states that the museum is “…the only museum in the United States devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design.”