How Posters Work
This exhibition was on display from April 17, 2015 to January 18, 2016.
There were 92 objects in this exhibition but right now we can only show you 88 of them. Some objects may not be viewable because they were on loan; this might be due to issues involving image rights or simply because there is no digitized image for the objects.
This exhibition has been divided in to the following sections:
See all the exhibitions.
View and print exhibition labels.
This is an exhibition about how designers see. How Posters Work shows the ways dozens of designers from around the world have used the principles of composition, perception, and storytelling to convey ideas and solicit sensations. Some works focus our attention on a single message, while others send the eye on a meandering journey. Graphic designers use form, color, image, and language to seek out simplicity and complexity, flatness and depth, singular moments and stories that unfold. Some designers strive for maximum clarity, while others challenge the viewer to uncover a hidden message. How Posters Work features over 125 pieces from Cooper Hewitt’s permanent collection, dating from the turn of the twentieth century to the present.
Why posters? Over the last century, posters have served both as utilitarian communication and as design discourse. Today, posters still appear on city streets, but they are no longer a dominant form of mass communication. As posters circulate through both print and social media, they continue to be a crucial medium for inventing and sharing new visual languages. How Posters Work uses the medium of the poster to explore principles of visual thinking that extend to many forms of design, including branding, packaging, book covers, websites, and motion graphics.
- Poster, Someone Talked!, 1942
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Louise Clémencon.
- 1949-108-10
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, Don't Let That Shadow Touch Them, 1942
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Louise Clémencon.
- 1949-108-8
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, Contact with the World, Use the Telephone, 1934
- offset ithograph on paper, lined.
- Gift of Mrs. E. McKnight Kauffer.
- 1963-39-62
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
![Poster composed of half yellow and half blue ground (above and below, respectively). At top, center, a photograph of a person (possibly, the singer Gracie Fields) drinking tea with one hand and holding a saucer with the other hand, while winking one eye. To the left of the figure, text in blue and red: TEA. Below, text in blue and red superimposed on yellow rectangle: DRIVES AWAY. Under that, in white text: THE DROOPS / [drawing of a teapot rendered in outline with arms, legs, and a top hat] / SAYS MR. T. POTT [in yellow].](https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/64300_6b921e30d4fe1b14_n.jpg "Poster composed of half yellow and half blue ground (above and below, respectively). At top, center, a photograph of a person (possibly, the singer Gracie Fields) drinking tea with one hand and holding a saucer with the other hand, while winking one eye. To the left of the figure, text in blue and red: TEA. Below, text in blue and red superimposed on yellow rectangle: DRIVES AWAY. Under that, in white text: THE DROOPS / [drawing of a teapot rendered in outline with arms, legs, and a top hat] / SAYS MR. T. POTT [in yellow].")
- Poster, Tea Drives Away the Droops, 1936
- lithograph on paper, lined.
- Gift of Mrs. E. McKnight Kauffer.
- 1963-39-84
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, Junior Wells, 1966
- offset lithograph on white wove paper.
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leslie J. Schreyer.
- 1979-34-37
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
![Poster features an abstract image of a woman in blue and yellow on a blue and green spiraled ground. In upper margin, black text: BILL GRAHAM PRESENTS IN SAN FRANCISCO; Below, in wavy form, yellow text: JIM KWESKIN JUG BAND / PEANUT BUTTER CONSPIRACY / THE SPARROW / LIGHTS BY HEADLIGHTS / AT THE FILLMORE / JUNE 2-3 [more info below].](https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/82644_4db9d81852ab31fc_n.jpg "Poster features an abstract image of a woman in blue and yellow on a blue and green spiraled ground. In upper margin, black text: BILL GRAHAM PRESENTS IN SAN FRANCISCO; Below, in wavy form, yellow text: JIM KWESKIN JUG BAND / PEANUT BUTTER CONSPIRACY / THE SPARROW / LIGHTS BY HEADLIGHTS / AT THE FILLMORE / JUNE 2-3 [more info below].")
- Poster, Jim Kweskin / Jug Band, 1967
- offset lithograph on white wove paper.
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Leslie J. Schreyer.
- 1979-34-9
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, Tomato: Something Unusual Is Going on Here, 1978
- offset lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Milton Glaser.
- 1979-42-8
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Poster, Friend? Or Foe?, 1976
- screenprint on metallic coated paper.
- Gift of Various Donors.
- 1981-29-153
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, Summer Picnic, 1971
- screenprint, gloss ink on paper.
- Gift of Various Donors.
- 1981-29-172
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, DADA, 1951
- screenprint on white wove paper.
- Gift of Various Donors.
- 1981-29-206
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Poster, John Lennon, 1967
- offset lithograph on white wove paper.
- Gift of Various Donors.
- 1981-29-511
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Poster, Graphic Designers on the West Coast, 1975
- offset lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Takenobu Igarashi.
- 1981-69-1
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
![Poster depicts a plate with chicken bones and fork and knife, an empty glass, and a used napkin, all on a green table. Inscribed in white, upper margin: FOOD IS A WEAPON; lower margin: DON'T WASTE IT! / BUY WISELY - COOK CAREFULLY - EAT IT ALL / [in green] FOLLOW THE NATIONAL WARTIME NUTRITION PROGRAM.](https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/10917_d5a392c83c15eaa9_n.jpg "Poster depicts a plate with chicken bones and fork and knife, an empty glass, and a used napkin, all on a green table. Inscribed in white, upper margin: FOOD IS A WEAPON; lower margin: DON'T WASTE IT! / BUY WISELY - COOK CAREFULLY - EAT IT ALL / [in green] FOLLOW THE NATIONAL WARTIME NUTRITION PROGRAM.")
- Poster, Food Is a Weapon, 1943
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Unknown Donor.
- 1987-24-23
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, A Careless Word, 1942
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Unknown Donor.
- 1987-24-25
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, A New Wave of Austrian Architecture, 1980
- offset lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Massimo Vignelli.
- 1991-69-83
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 4 images of this object.
![Poster depicts the Coca-Cola logo, but with the word AZT instead. Below it is written: Trade-mark. Lower center, in white: IS THIS HEALTH CARE OR WEALTH CARE? Imprinted text in white: The U.S. government has spent one billion dollars...[4 lines of text]...](https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/95214_c0923b0aca19347d_n.jpg "Poster depicts the Coca-Cola logo, but with the word AZT instead. Below it is written: Trade-mark. Lower center, in white: IS THIS HEALTH CARE OR WEALTH CARE? Imprinted text in white: The U.S. government has spent one billion dollars...[4 lines of text]...")
- Poster, Enjoy AZT, 1989
- screenprint on paper.
- Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
- 1993-53-103
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Poster, AIDS Crisis
- lithograph on paper.
- 1993-53-112
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Poster, Two-Headed Monster Destroys Community, 1983
- screenprint on white paper.
- Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
- 1993-53-117
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Poster, Ready for War, 1982
- screenprint on white paper.
- Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
- 1993-53-27
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Poster, No War, ca. 1980
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
- 1993-53-39
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Poster, Crack House White House, 1991
- spray paint on tracing paper.
- Gift of Steven Heller and Karrie Jacobs.
- 1993-53-83
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Poster, The Balcony, 1985
- offset lithograph on white wove paper.
- Gift of Art Chantry.
- 1995-69-45
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, WAC Is Watching, 1992
- offset color lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Marlene McCarty.
- 1996-44-1
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 3 images of this object.
- Poster, Open House at Art Center, 1993
- offset lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Rebeca Mendez.
- 1996-59-3
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, El agua en malas condiciones produce mas bajas que la metralla...
- lithograph on paper.
- Gift of William P. Mangold.
- 1997-21-15
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
![Cropped photo of the wide-eyed face of a woman; her eyes brim red and her lips, hair and sunglasses are yellow. Text on her cheek: NUDE / NUDE / TOTALLY / NUDE. Upper right, in blue: PUBLIC THEATER [logo]. Lower margin, in blue: WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY ANDREA MARTIN . DIRECTED BY WALTER BOBBIE.](https://images.collection.cooperhewitt.org/87895_cb732db216f39c9b_n.jpg "Cropped photo of the wide-eyed face of a woman; her eyes brim red and her lips, hair and sunglasses are yellow. Text on her cheek: NUDE / NUDE / TOTALLY / NUDE. Upper right, in blue: PUBLIC THEATER [logo]. Lower margin, in blue: WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY ANDREA MARTIN . DIRECTED BY WALTER BOBBIE.")
- Poster, Nude Nude Totally Nude, 1996
- offset lithograph on paper.
- Gift of Pentagram.
- 1997-99-3
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Poster, Walls of the City, 1992
- screenprint on blue wove paper.
- Gift of Design Machine.
- 1998-32-18
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, Exhibition Poster, 1971
- offset lithograph.
- Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment and Smithsonian....
- 1999-45-8
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Poster, Exhibition Poster, 1973
- offset lithograph.
- Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment and Smithsonian....
- 1999-45-9
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Poster, NR.4-Typographic Process, Typo-Zeichen [Typographic Signs], from the...
- offset lithograph on newsprint.
- Gift of Ken Friedman.
- 1997-19-140
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, Schützt das Kind! (Protect the Child!), 1953
- offset lithograph on wove paper, lined.
- Museum purchase from General Acquisitions Endowment Fund.
- 1999-46-1
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, Mr. Camel's Kids Club, 1990
- screenprint on heavy white wove paper.
- Gift of Doug Minkler.
- 2000-15-1
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Poster, The Prepared Professional, 1982
- screenprint on paper.
- Gift of Marion S. Rand.
- 2002-11-11
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- There are 2 images of this object.
- Poster, Cinema Afrika Filmtage (African Film Festival), 2006
- screenprint on white wove paper.
- Gift of Ralph Schraivogel.
- 2007-15-3
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
- Poster, LIGHT/YEARS, 1999
- offset lithograph on white wove paper.
- Gift of Michael Bierut.
- 2007-12-2
- This object is part of the Drawings, Prints, and Graphic Design collection.
