
Stark, Spare, Beautiful Midcentury British Safety Posters - prismatic
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_vault/2016/09/16/modernist_british_safety_posters_from_the_middle_of_the_twentieth_century.html
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giarc
Reminds me of the Work Projects Administration (WPA) Federal Art Project
whereby the government employed artists to create posters for various
events/programs etc. Library of Congress has many online.
[http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?st=grid&co=wpapos](http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?st=grid&co=wpapos)

~~~
Fomite
The background I use for the "Public Presentations" account on my laptop is a
WPA-produced public health poster. They're excellent.

~~~
giarc
I have a few printed and hung on my walls. I work in infection prevention so
people aren't surprised when they walk into my bathroom and learn about
smallpox and syphilis.

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speps
A most often cited parody British council related to this kind of PSA :
[http://scarfolk.blogspot.com/](http://scarfolk.blogspot.com/)

~~~
ljf
If you like this you might also love the framley examiner
[http://www.framleyexaminer.com/museum/technology.html](http://www.framleyexaminer.com/museum/technology.html)
(warning - humour)

~~~
TheOtherHobbes
The paper version of the Framley Examiner is one of the funniest things I've
ever read - although you probably need to be familiar with British local
papers to savour it.

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teddyh
I’m reminded of these, from _Dresden Codak_ :

[https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code...](https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=DC-
AWARENESS-PRINTS&Category_Code=DC)

[https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code...](https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=DC-
AWARENESS-PRINTS-S02&Category_Code=DC)

[https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code...](https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TO&Product_Code=DC-
AWARENESS-PRINTS-S03&Category_Code=DC)

And also these, from _Scary go Round_ :

[http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/don-t-tit-about-on-
ladd...](http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/don-t-tit-about-on-ladders-
print)

[http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/rules-of-the-pool-
print](http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/rules-of-the-pool-print)

~~~
aninhumer
Note that that last one is based on a real poster which existed at many
swimming pools when I was younger.

~~~
teddyh
Comics related to that poster:

[http://scarygoround.com/?date=20120124](http://scarygoround.com/?date=20120124)

[http://scarygoround.com/?date=20120125](http://scarygoround.com/?date=20120125)

The second one has the poster you’re probably referring to below it.

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numlocked
Similar to Erik Nitsche's series for General Dynamics in the 1950s. Absolutely
beautiful and retrofuturistic. A whole slew of them were made to promote the
peaceful use of atomic power; hence the "Atoms for peace" slogan appearing in
a bunch of them, in different languages.

[http://www.internationalposter.com/artist-
detail.aspx?id=181...](http://www.internationalposter.com/artist-
detail.aspx?id=1815153394)

They don't make James-Bond-esque military-industrial conglomerates like they
used to!

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cpplinuxdude
What annoys me with British PSA's is that they're always stick rather than
carrot.

I know it may sound like I'm whining, but hearing for the 50th time today that
I'll get fined some stupidly high amount for not doing as I'm told can get
weary after a while.

~~~
vacri
I had that problem visiting California, where so many signs also list the law
that applies. Even the little cart to take people to the top of Alcatraz has a
sign "don't board moving cart", seemingly simple advice, then it lists the
relevant law. The effect felt a bit police-statey, I found.

~~~
CaliCancer
This post contains characters known to the State of California to cause cancer
and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

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eecc
Seems to be a revival of these kind. See some Soviet ones here:
[https://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/11-wonderfully-
violent-s...](https://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/11-wonderfully-violent-
soviet-work-safety-posters)

~~~
pavel_lishin
Those are all terrifying.

------
_joel
Anyone interested in this era/design would do well to look at other Railway
posters of the age[1]. There's something so utterly charming about this bye-
gone era. A lot of the original posters change hands for not-inconsiderable
amounts of money and one can see why, true design outlasts the fashion of the
day.

Those with access to BBC should also checkout the 'Age of Travel' episode of
Antiques Roadshow that was on Sunday, very relevant.[2]

[1]
[http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/posters](http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/posters)
[2] [http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0822pdm/antiques-
roads...](http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0822pdm/antiques-roadshow-
series-39-10-golden-age-of-travel-special)

~~~
pavel_lishin
What currency is this?
[http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/posters/CollectionItem?o...](http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/posters/CollectionItem?objid=1987-9108)

gns?

~~~
graedus
I was curious too - apparently it's a "Guinea", equal to 1.05 GBP:

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_(coin)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_\(coin\))

"Even after the coin ceased to circulate, the name guinea was long used to
indicate the amount of 21 shillings (£1.05 in decimalised currency). The
guinea had an aristocratic overtone; professional fees and payment for land,
horses, art, bespoke tailoring, furniture and other luxury items were often
quoted in guineas until a couple of years after decimalisation in 1971.[9]"

~~~
dredmorbius
England initially had what was effectively three independent monetary systems,
with three independent uses, though interchangeable and with exchange rates
periodically re-fixed.

Copper (pennies) for retail purchases. Silver (shillings and pounds) for
wholesale. And gold (guineas) for finance (and government) transactions. Kind
of.

That's partially based on my reading of Adam Smith (who spends a tremendous
amount of time on coinages) and partially my own speculation, though it seems
to have at least some merits.

Keep in mind that pennies went down to the farthing (a quarter penny).

For labourers (ag, day, general, messengers, miners), annual wages were ~17 -
31 pounds/yr, roughly, as of 1700.

For some historical wages and costs:

[http://rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlcar2/wages.htm](http://rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlcar2/wages.htm)

------
mattlevan
What makes these beautiful to you? Such stark, spare design is not what I
personally consider beautiful. Educational and clear? Sure. Beautiful? I don't
think so!

~~~
dredmorbius
Design should serve its purpose.

Here, the purpose is to clearly and effectively convey that there are hazards
_which can maim or kill_. And the design has to _both_ convey that message
_and not get in the way of it_.

As models of effective, and yet elegant design, I think they're worth
studying.

The general concept of messaging and how various systems for it work is a
quite general one. E.O. Wilson in his book _Letters to a Young Scientist_
talks of his own work with ants, and in determining that danger signals were
small, light, volatile molecules -- they spread quickly and dispersed
relatively quickly (no use in spreading alarm after the danger's passed), but
might also be detected by other species (not a real concern -- alarm is
alarm).

More complex messages -- food trails or colony identity, were larger, more
complex molecules, which didn't spread so far (you _don 't_ want your "the
trail is this way" signs pointing off in all directions or getting moved to
where they don't belong), and are more specific to species (no use telling the
competition where the gold is buried). It's something of a molecular grammar.

There are times for highly ornate graphics. There are times for something
blunt and to the point. Knowing when (and how) to use either is the mark of an
accomplished graphic artist.

------
DonaldFisk
There are some French safety posters here, photographed in an abandoned thread
mill in Lille: [http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/overseas-
sites/10150-mo...](http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/overseas-
sites/10150-mossley-sartel-lille-france-april-2009-a.html)

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junkblocker
Reminded me of the Nasa JPL space exploration posters -
[http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/visions-of-the-
future/](http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/visions-of-the-future/)

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0xdeadbeefbabe
Compressed air kills?

~~~
detaro
Overpressure blowing up a container or piping isn't pretty. Air compresses
very well, so it gains _a lot_ of volume quickly and gives flying debris a lot
of energy compared to e.g. a bursting water tank.

~~~
brassic
You don't need a failure for compressed air to be dangerous. The air itself
can damage you in all kinds of ways:

[http://www.aircontrolindustries.com/dangers-of-compressed-
ai...](http://www.aircontrolindustries.com/dangers-of-compressed-air/)

------
iplaw
Where can I source reproductions?

~~~
Symbiote
Perhaps here:
[http://www.rospaprints.com/view_all](http://www.rospaprints.com/view_all)

