July 19, 2012
Design Change
Keep Calm and Design On
Topics: Branding Identity, Design Reference, Fashion
When I first saw the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster, I was so impressed. It was really great: good typography, simple and catchy.
It was refreshing to see that solid design lives on even in this post-postmodern world… until I realized that it was designed in 1939 to keep morale up in the World War II. (For the full story, check out this video about it.) Of course, this makes total sense. And knowing its background makes it an even more appropriate example of how good design truly stands the test of time.
I cringed every time I saw a lesser recreation, but then very clever parodies started showing up. While I wanted to get my own poster, my design conscienceness wouldn't have it. I just couldn't to be a party to rip-offs. It's obviously become a huge worldwide phenomenon. The search results on Etsy alone deliver 12,952 items. A Google search gives you 25,300,000 results. Holy smokes! Am I really one of 25 million people thinking about this?
It also has it's own website where you can make your very own version. For mine, I combined the "Keep Calm" message with another trend that I also love: the moustache.
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