Poster 1 Indicate the publisher/organization that created this poster. If not available, who do you think has created this poster? The publisher of this poster is Central Recruiting Committee, No.2 Military Division, Toronto Who is the intended target audience? The intended target audience is young men aged 18-38 who could enlist themselves as soldiers and contribute to the war effort. What symbols/images are used on the poster and what do they mean? The images used in the poster are black silhouettes of soldiers holding bayonets. This image creates anonymity about who is serving. This allows the person viewing the poster to imagine their close friends in the place of these soldiers since there is no face attached to the soldiers displayed. Because of this, a feeling of guilt is created within the person viewing the poster, causing them to question why they are not there helping protect their country when their friends are. It helps instil a feeling of patriotism within the person, persuading them to enlist. How are colour and the overall design of the poster used to attract the intended target audience? This poster is mostly composed of the colours blue, red, and black. The black colour used to paint the bodies of the soldiers helps the image stand out from the rest of the coloured poster. It helps attract young men because it creates a sense of curiosity within them as to why the soldiers’ identity is not revealed and what the meaning can be behind that. The colour red and blue in the poster add an excitement to it, in a way instaling the thoughts of victory in the viewer. Young men who are constantly finding ways to prove their strength, valour and patriotism get attracted by the colours since at that time most medallions, badges, and other symbols of achievement were hung on either red or blue material. Are there any slogans, or text conveying a message to the target audience? If yes, identify what they are. The text being conveyed to the target audience is “Your Chums are Fighting, Why aren’t YOU?” Overall what is the main idea being communicated to the target audience? The main idea that that is being communicated to the target audience is that they should enlist in the war. This poster makes it seem as if the viewer’s close friends are contributing to the war effort when they are not. This causes the viewer to question their patriotism and manliness. By using the bandwagon method, young men are indirectly pressured to enlist in the war effort. Poster 2 Indicate the publisher/organization that created this poster. If not available, who do you think has created this poster? This poster was created by Joseph Ernest Sampson and it was published in Canada. Who is the intended target audience? Fathers of young children, specifically daughters, who can contribute to the war effort by purchasing victory bonds, are the intended target audience. What symbols/images are used on the poster and what do they mean? The image used is of a small blonde girl clasping her hands together asking for a victory bond. This little girl’s pleading face is used as persuasion technique to convince fathers at that time to buy victory bonds since no person likes to say “no” to an innocent face. By playing on a father’s habit of getting his “little angel” anything she desires, victory bonds are conveyed to be what the little girl wants. By doing this, more men are pressured into buying victory bonds, since now instead of a firm, strong, and intimating man telling them to do so, they now have a cute, little, fragile child asking them whom they cannot deny. How are colour and the overall design of the poster used to attract the intended target audience? Colour is used during two instances in this poster, once for the little girl and once for the blocks that spell out victory bonds. The rest of the poster is coloured using dark colours, which are not noticed until the viewer starts reading the poster. This design attracts the intended target audience because nothing else is coloured as bright as the little girl and the blocks. The pleading face of the little girl initially attracts the viewers, since when they see the poster a sense of curiosity is produced as to what the little girl is pleading for. When the men start to view the poster, they realize that she is pleading for victory bonds. Are there any slogans, or text conveying a message to the target audience? If yes, identify what they are. The text being conveyed to the target audience is “Oh please Daddy do, BUY ME A VICTORY BOND”. Overall what is the main idea being communicated to the target audience? The main idea that is being communicated to the target audience is that they should buy victory bonds. By placing a pleading little girl on the poster, it helps persuade many people, especially fathers to buy victory bonds since the person asking them to do so is a small little child who many cannot deny. This poster plays on a person’s emotions causing them to indirectly want to purchase victory bonds. This type of effective play on emotions and old habits is what helped children to become more involved and influential in their parent’s decisions regarding the war. Poster 3 Indicate the publisher/organization that created this poster. If not available, who do you think has created this poster? This poster was published by War Food Administration, Washington D.C. It was created by Dick Williams. Who is the intended target audience? Young women, specifically housewives and homemakers, who can contribute to the war effort by rationing and conserving food, are the intended target audience. What symbols/images are used on the poster and what do they mean? The image used in this poster is of a young dark-haired woman wearing a ruffled apron with a wide-eyed expression. She is holding three large glass jars of vegetables in her arms, with three more jars seen below her. This image means that women, especially homemakers can also contribute to the war effort by rationing food and other supplies at the Homefront so that troops on the battlefield could have the supplies that they require. This image enables women viewing it to take action and help out starting at home, with the food her family consumes. This image aims to persuade women to be like the women in the poster by taking control over the food that their family consumes/ wastes. How are colour and the overall design of the poster used to attract the intended target audience? The text of “OF COURSE I CAN!” and the woman holding the jars are the only two items on the poster which are brightly coloured. While the rest of the text and the poster is coloured using dull colours. This is done on purpose so that when women see this poster the first thing that attracts them is the women saying “OF COURSE I CAN!” This creates a sense of curiosity within the women viewing the poster as to what this woman can do. Wanting to know, this attracts women to the poster, which is when they see the rest of the text, allowing them to understand the purpose. This then causes them to question why they cannot do the same things that the women in the poster is doing. By asking this question, it convinces these women to take action and start conserving, rationing and stop wasting the food that they have a home. Are there any slogans, or text conveying a message to the target audience? If yes, identify what they are. The text being conveyed to the target audience is “OF COURSE I CAN! I'm patriotic as can be – and ration points won't worry me.” Overall what is the main idea being communicated to the target audience? Overall, the main idea being communicated to the target audience is that they should consume less, ration more and waste less at the Homefront so that the troops fighting at war could have the supplies and food that they need. This poster is mainly targeted towards women since at that time they were the ones who stayed at home and made decisions regarding food and the amount that is wasted or used. This is why by placing another woman on the poster saying that she can ration and save food, persuades women viewing the poster to be like that women by saving and conserving food.
