In the last month, I've seen so many great examples of people harnessing the power of technology and social media to stay connected. It's heartening to see the 'social' being put back into social media with communities coming together both on and offline to support each other.
Lockdown is hard. It's lonely. It's frustrating. And at times it's just plain boring. But how lucky we are to be going through this at a time when most of us have access to the technology that allows us to instantly connect with loved ones, friends, colleagues and clients. Remote working has finally become a reality rather than a barrier. The world will be a different place when we return to it. We are living through something that will be written about in the history books for future generations to study. We'll all have our own Uncle Albert "During the war..." stories to tell.
And this global crisis is being portrayed as a war. Every time you turn on the TV there is talk of the battle being fought against an invisible enemy. The wartime language and phrases used are all chosen to underline the gravity of the challenge we are facing. In many ways, they are a call to arms and help create that sense of pride in our army. But in this war, it's an army of key workers on the front line that are battling to save lives. Even the Queen managed to get a World War 2 reference into her address to the nation.
I've always been fascinated by the propaganda posters used during the second world war. Their bold type and simple messages put out to influence the population and gain support for the war effort are great examples of the power of design. What will be our equivalent today? The United Nations has sent out a global call to creatives with just this challenge and I've already seen some great examples that have been created.
So before I throw myself into the UN brief and to pass the time on lockdown today, I thought I would see if any of the messages from more than 75 years ago were still relevant today. You don't need to change much on the iconic posters to strike a chord but I'll let you judge for yourself.
So stay home, stay safe and wage your own TV remote battle on the home front. And of course, if you need an extra pair of hands (washed for at least 20 seconds) for your own marketing challenge, I can design other things besides posters from 1939. Let's chat, video call, WhatsApp, Zoom or semaphore from a safe distance.
These are the original posters. If you want to read a bit more about their history and copyright here's a good starting point: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_propaganda_during_World_War_II#Careless_talk
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