During the suffragette movement advancements in printing techniques enabled colour printing of posters, banners and postcards as another method of expression. The main colours used were green and purple and women supporting the cause wore clothes and stockings matching the green and purple that was used in visual designs, to show their allegiance to suffrage. This is a fundamental concept in supporting the movement, Graphic design, in terms of colours used in posters, postcards, pamphlets etc, led to women showing their allegiance by wearing clothes of the same colours as a type of ‘uniform’. Atkinson, 1992, clearly showed this and the key role of graphic design and graphic design advancements in supporting the movements success.
Colour is important within poster designs as they show tone of voice and impact. During the Miners strike in 1984-85 the main colours used within protest graphics were black and red signifying aggression and purpose. The protests were by no means peaceful and these bold, instantly readable and danger-like colours supported the anger and purpose of the miners and defined their emotional responses and their unwavering determination. Oldham, 2016, in the book ‘In Loving Memory of Work’ how the simple but very aggressive and impactful graphic design was a direct response and match to the aggressive and impactful marches, strikes and demonstrations that occurred.
Colour had been very important within the recent Brexit campaigns and protests. The Leave and Remain campaigns both chose colours associated with the Union Flag, with the colours to support their message; red of the Leave campaign was simple and bold and in juxtaposition with the nature of ‘leave’ acting as a command or a show of opposition where as the predominantly red, white and blue for remain seemingly suggested a direct correlation with ‘remain’ as almost a gentle request or a plea. Laura Gordon produced a very straightforward synopsis of the effect and impact of the colours, lettering and layout of both ‘remain’ and ‘leave’ campaigns. It’s clear message of ‘Britishness’ on both parts is balanced with the usage of the particular words ‘leave’ and ‘remain’ having a pivotal role within the context they are used and the connotations that they emit.
The message from all articles, books and quotes is clear, Graphic Design supports campaigning and activism via the impact and effect it creates, and campaigning and activism supports Graphic Design by affording Graphic Design a vehicle to give subtle, forceful, clear, simple, passionate, aggressive, clever insinuations and emotion, to mirror and reinforce the powerful messages that need to be portrayed to the wider public.
Atkinson,D. (1992) ‘The Purple, White & Green, Suffragettes in London, 1906-1914’ London,LondonMuseumPublications
Gordon,L(2016)http://www.covi.org.uk/designing-brexit/
Oldham,C.(2016) ‘In loving Memory of Work’ Manchester,UtoePublishing
