Keep a Guard on What You Say #2
Half sheet British propaganda poster from World War II, titled "Keep a Guard on What You Say".
Historical Background
Artist: It was designed by the prominent British graphic designer Abram Games (1914–1996). Games was a Jewish artist who eventually became the Official War Poster Artist in 1942, creating around 100 posters for the British Army alone.
Date: This specific poster was designed and issued by the War Office in 1941.
Purpose: It was part of a nationwide campaign to warn soldiers and civilians about the dangers of "careless talk". The concern was that loose talk in public could inadvertently leak sensitive military information to enemy spies.
Visual Meaning
The poster is known for its clever use of a visual pun to convey its message with minimal text:
The Guard: The mouth of the stylized face is shaped like a sentry box (a small shelter for a guard).
The Sentry: Inside the "mouth," a white silhouette of a soldier stands at ease, holding a rifle and standing guard.
Symbolism: This imagery serves as a literal interpretation of the slogan, suggesting that one should have a "guard" at their mouth to stop any dangerous or indiscreet information from escaping.
Design Style
Games' work is characterized by a "maximum meaning, minimum means" ethos. This poster features:
Geometric Shapes: A highly stylized, colorful geometric face in shades of blue and purple.
Bold Contrast: The colorful central figure is set against a stark black background to make it stand out.
Dynamic Typography: The bold white text runs diagonally across the top to draw the viewer's eye.
Historical Background
Artist: It was designed by the prominent British graphic designer Abram Games (1914–1996). Games was a Jewish artist who eventually became the Official War Poster Artist in 1942, creating around 100 posters for the British Army alone.
Date: This specific poster was designed and issued by the War Office in 1941.
Purpose: It was part of a nationwide campaign to warn soldiers and civilians about the dangers of "careless talk". The concern was that loose talk in public could inadvertently leak sensitive military information to enemy spies.
Visual Meaning
The poster is known for its clever use of a visual pun to convey its message with minimal text:
The Guard: The mouth of the stylized face is shaped like a sentry box (a small shelter for a guard).
The Sentry: Inside the "mouth," a white silhouette of a soldier stands at ease, holding a rifle and standing guard.
Symbolism: This imagery serves as a literal interpretation of the slogan, suggesting that one should have a "guard" at their mouth to stop any dangerous or indiscreet information from escaping.
Design Style
Games' work is characterized by a "maximum meaning, minimum means" ethos. This poster features:
Geometric Shapes: A highly stylized, colorful geometric face in shades of blue and purple.
Bold Contrast: The colorful central figure is set against a stark black background to make it stand out.
Dynamic Typography: The bold white text runs diagonally across the top to draw the viewer's eye.
Mounted
Disclaimer
The object and/or subject of this report is private property. This page is for informational purposes only. Unless clearly stated otherwise, all conservation and restoration has been performed by Poster Mountain (PM) or Los Angeles Paper Group (LAPG)I) PM-LAPG has not knowingly withheld any significant information from its evaluation report and to the best of its knowledge all statements and evaluations in this report are true and correct.
II) PM-LAPG stated in the Evaluation Report its own personal, unbiased and professional analysis, opinions and conclusions, which are subject to the assumptions and limited conditions in this evaluation report as set forth hereinabove.
III) PM-LAPG has no present or prospective interests in the property which is the subject matter of this report and it has no present or prospective personal interests or bias with respect to the participants in this matter.
IV) PM-LAPG and its employment and/or compensation for performing this evaluation or any future anticipated evaluation was not conditioned on any agreement or understanding, written or otherwise, that it would report (or present analysis in support) as predetermined specific authenticity, a predetermined evaluation that favors the cause of any party or the attainment of any specific result or occurrence of a specific subsequent event, such as value or marketability.
V) PM-LAPG prepared all opinions and conclusions about the subject property that were set forth in this Evaluation Report. If it has relied on significant evaluation assistance from any individual or individuals in the performance of this evaluation or the appropriation of this evaluation report, PM-LAPG has named such individuals and disclosed the specific task performed in this evaluation report. PM-LAPG certifies that any individual so named is qualified to the same extent as PM to perform the task. PM-LAPG has not authorized anyone to make a change to any item in this evaluation report, therefore, any change made to this evaluation is unauthorized and PM-LAPG will not take responsibility for it.
VI) The Client may not disclose or distribute this Evaluation Report to any potential purchasers of the subject property without first obtaining PM-LAPG's prior written consent. This consent must be obtained before this evaluation report may be disclosed or distributed to any other party, including, but not limited to, the public through advertising, public relations, news, sales, or other media.