The Poster Mania

The Poster Mania

The poster craze of the 1960s was a grass-roots affair created by a series of social activism. The civil rights movement, the people's protest against the Vietnam War, women's liberation movement and others all played a big part in social up heaves of the decade. Posters of the time period were hung on people's walls compared to them being posted on the walls in the streets. The posters represented social viewpoints. The first set of posters that made history all started in the late 1960s that was created by hippie subcultures in San Francisco. These posters were related to rock music, psychedelic drugs, and anti-established values. These posters were called psychedelic posters.

The artists behind creating these posters were mostly self-taught and their main clients were rock-and-roll concerts and dance promoters. Dances were big in the 1960s that encouraged these artists to create these posters. Loud music and light shows showered these paralleled graphic posters using swirling forms and lettering to form highly printed, vibrant, intriguing colors.

Robert Wesley "Wes" Wilson was a big influence in creating posters for the Grateful Dead. He was the innovator of the psychedelic poster style and created many more during his career. An artist named Peter Max. A New York native designer known for his softer colors and more accessible images. One of his most famous images is the 1970 "Love" graphic. His creations went on merchandise, from mugs to T-shirts to clocks. It spread and attracted a younger crowd all across America.