Tyragetia (Dec 2020)
Post-war social poster as a means of public information (from the collections of the National Museum of History of Moldova)
Abstract
The social poster of the Soviet period was one of the main tools for influencing public opinion, an effective means of communication, reflecting significant problems of society. The process of creating posters was very complicated, requiring the work of a large number of specialists: artists, writers, poets, journalists. There was a special commission to control the process of creating social posters. The post-war social poster is characterized by great expressiveness, colorfulness, poignancy, sometimes even aggressiveness, laconic text and a thought-provoking image that is quickly perceived and clearly conveys the meaning of the message. The highest quality paper was used to print these posters, so they could last a long time even in outdoor conditions. Paints for images and text were also selected very carefully. In general, the mission of the posters was to inform the population about the initiatives of the Soviet state, to form citizens’ attitudes to various problems, to create new social values. In this regard, the posters were diverse in theme and message, as well as format and design. However, most often they called for the development of agriculture, the fight against alcoholism and drug addiction, a healthy lifestyle, etc.
