Escribe el título que buscas

domingo, 24 de marzo de 2013

THE STORY OF KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON

THE STORY OF 'KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON'
In the spring of 1939, during the build-up to war with Germany, the British Government commissioned a series of propaganda posters. These posters were intended to offer  the  public reassurance in the dark days that lay ahead. They were required to be uniform in style and were to feature a special and handsome typeface, making it difficult for the enemy to counterfeit.
They used teh crown of George VI as the only graphic device and had just two colours.
Of the three final designs that went out to production only, the first poster carried the slogan 'Your Courage, your Cheerfulmess, your Resolution will bring us Victory'.
The second poster had the words 'Freedom is in Peril, Defend it with all your Might'. But the third design, of which over two and a half million posters were printed, simply read 'Keep Calm and Carry on'.
The first two designs were distributed in September 1939 and appeared up and down the country in shop windows and railway platforms.
But the Keep-Calm posters were held in reserve, intended for use only in times of crisis or invasion.
In the end the poster was never officially issued and it remained unseen by the public until a copy turned up more than 50 years later. It was found in a second hand bookshop called Barter Books, in the North East corner of  England.
Barter Books was begun in 1991 by a couple, Stuart and Mary Manley. The building used to be an old Victorian railway station. Huge rows of stacked shelves now stand in the place where the tracks would have been. But the station's old tearooms and waiting-rooms are still there.
It was in 2000 that Stuart found the poster in a box of dusty old books that had been bought at auction. Mary liked it so much she had it framed and put it up by the shop till, and it proved so popular with the customers that a year later they began to sell copies.
Since that time the poster has been reproduced, parodied and trivialized and has become a truly iconic image of the 21st century.
It is hard to say exactly why such a phrase from a bygone decade would have so much appeal and resonance now. Its design is considered simple and timeless and is now commonly recognizable. However, it is perhaps the words on the poster that people find the most enchanting. Like a voice out of History, it offers a very simple, warm-hearted message to inspire confidence in others during difficult times and it's something that should never fade from fashion: To Keep Calm and Carry on.

1 comentario:

Lore dijo...

Fascinating. Thanks, Carmen.

Publicar un comentario