Its hard for me to believe that I held out this long before contributing my own designs toward the Obama presidential campaign. I've been more inspired by this candidate than any other politician in my lifetime and I feel very invested in him and his call for Hope. As if there hasn't been a large enough outpouring of creative from designers and artists around the country (and the world), I eventually cracked and submitted these two posters to the Design for Obama project.
The most important thing that may come from this year's Olympic games will not be gold metals, but awareness on Tibet's struggle for independence from China. While the world engages in sport, Tibetans continue to live in perpetual fear of house raids and midnight arrests. Torture against political prisoners is widespread and unchecked because news coverage of this issue is limited by China's strict control over all forms of media in the region. To learn more about Tibet's struggle for independence, click here.
This poster merges the Olympic flag with the Tibetan Endless Knot. The love knot, luck knot, infinite knot is a symbol of Buddha's endless wisdom and compassion. The campaign to free Tibet is unusual in that it focuses on peaceful resistance rather than terror and violence. However, Tibet needs a way to position itself on the world stage and have it's struggle taken seriously. Hopefully the Beijing Olympics will provide ample opportunity.
In researching this post I came across Remember Tibet, an online initiative to raise awareness about Tibet's struggle for independence through the creative arts. Any resemblance between this week's propaganda and the Remember Tibet logo are entirely coincidental. Conceptual development and design of this piece had already been complete before I ever laid eyes on Remember Tibet. That being said, I wholeheartedly endorse this initiative and suggest everyone to click through to their site—after you've downloaded the poster that is.
Sometimes the Propagandizer makes no attempt at subtlety. This is one of those times. The poster for this week illustrates the signing of the Patriot Act. While we look forward with optimism to what will hopefully be a brighter future in American politics, I'm attempting to draw the spotlight back onto our current leadership. The draping of an American Flag over Saddam Hussein's monumental head just before his statue was toppled in Central Baghdad always stuck in my mind. This image seemed a perfect metaphor for the Bush-era concept of Patriotism—more akin to blind extremism than national loyalty.
The poster was designed for printing on a Tabloid Extra (12" x 18") sheet. Of course, you can always select shrink to fit in your print preferences and play it out on whatever size sheet you have available.
This weeks propaganda is a simplified plan for peace. By concentrating on these four milestones we can begin to decommission the United States war machine and rebuild the integrity of the nation.
After designing a poster for the 9/11 General Strike this past week, I had a realization. By tapping into my inner-propagandizer I saw that I could use my design abilities for more than just corporate branding. I could actually stir the emotions, rally the troops, anger, provoke, support, and evangelize. While I hold fast to the belief that Design alone won't change the world, I do believe that it can aid us immeasurably in achieving the change we strive for.
This project is the contribution of my girlfriend Julie and I in a world that desperately needs change. On a continual basis we will post original propaganda that you can download, print & post in your neighborhood if you are so inclined. If you disagree with the point of view expressed by the Propagandizer, let us know (as I'm sure you will). If you wish to contribute your own propaganda, please do so. Prepare your artwork as a PDF file and email it to this address. Please keep the file size below 5MB.
This weeks propaganda was created to promote the 9/11 General Strike — a day of dissent against the lies and tyranny of the Bush/Cheney administration.
