5 ms·

Stark, Spare, Beautiful Midcentury British Safety Posters

131 points by prismatic 10y ago

_joel 10y ago
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-roadshow-series-39-10-golden-age-of-travel-special http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0822pdm/antiques-roads...
- pavel_lishin 10y ago
  What currency is this? http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/posters/CollectionItem?objid=1987-9108 http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/posters/CollectionItem?o... gns?
  - graedus 10y ago
    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 10y ago
      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
iplaw 10y ago
Where can I source reproductions?
- Symbiote 10y ago
  Perhaps here: http://www.rospaprints.com/view_all http://www.rospaprints.com/view_all
speps 10y ago
A most often cited parody British council related to this kind of PSA : http://scarfolk.blogspot.com/ http://scarfolk.blogspot.com/
- ljf 10y ago
  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 10y ago
    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.
- Lio 10y ago
  "Dying is like drifting off into a nice, deep sleep... ...except that it is not nice; it is profoundly traumatic and painful and you will never wake up ever again." Brilliant! :)
teddyh 10y ago
I’m reminded of these, from Dresden Codak: 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 https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code... And also these, from Scary go Round: http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/don-t-tit-about-on-ladders-print http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/don-t-tit-about-on-ladd... http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/rules-of-the-pool-print http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/rules-of-the-pool-print
- aninhumer 10y ago
  Note that that last one is based on a real poster which existed at many swimming pools when I was younger.
  - jessaustin 10y ago
    That's basically everything that's fun to do in a pool, prohibited?
  - teddyh 10y ago
    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.
  - teddyh 10y ago
    Comic related to the ladder poster: http://scarygoround.com/?date=20120902 http://scarygoround.com/?date=20120902
eecc 10y ago
Seems to be a revival of these kind. See some Soviet ones here: https://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/11-wonderfully-violent-soviet-work-safety-posters https://www.buzzfeed.com/copyranter/11-wonderfully-violent-s...
- pavel_lishin 10y ago
  Those are all terrifying.
giarc 10y ago
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
- deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
- Fomite 10y ago
  The background I use for the "Public Presentations" account on my laptop is a WPA-produced public health poster. They're excellent.
  - giarc 10y ago
    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.
DonaldFisk 10y ago
There are some French safety posters here, photographed in an abandoned thread mill in Lille: http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/overseas-sites/10150-mossley-sartel-lille-france-april-2009-a.html http://www.derelictplaces.co.uk/main/overseas-sites/10150-mo...
0xdeadbeefbabe 10y ago
Compressed air kills?
- detaro 10y ago
  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 10y ago
    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-air/ http://www.aircontrolindustries.com/dangers-of-compressed-ai...
- gaius 10y ago
  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Co-workers-pump-air-into-teens-body/articleshow/21944713.cms http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Co-workers-pu...
- AReallyGoodName 10y ago
  Compressed air will cut you. I'm more curious about the welder earthing one. It's low voltage. The risk of a shock there is similar to the risk of shock from a car battery. It can happen in theory but realistically arc welding has some bigger hazards to worry about than the grounding connection (like the molten slag flying everywhere). Sure I wouldn't weld knee deep in salt water or whilst leaning against a metal wall but outside of ridiculous examples the grounding clamp isn't going to kill me. When i weld the grounding connector often has a poor connection for whatever reason (usually due to weathering on the metal). The result is simply that the welder doesn't work well and i have to adjust the clamp to fix it. I don't suddenly die of electrocution.
cpplinuxdude 10y ago
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.
- Symbiote 10y ago
  Always? How about this: http://www.rospaprints.com/image/1061275/bruce-angrave-lift-right http://www.rospaprints.com/image/1061275/bruce-angrave-lift-... Or this: http://www.rospaprints.com/image/825548/leonard-cusden-lets-have-a-safety-record-to-crow-about http://www.rospaprints.com/image/825548/leonard-cusden-lets-... Or: http://www.rospaprints.com/image/825556/bruce-angrave-courtesy-is-infectious http://www.rospaprints.com/image/825556/bruce-angrave-courte... In any case, I don't see a single poster threatening fines.
- mikeash 10y ago
  Isn't that kind of inherent with safety stuff? The best case is that you leave with the same number of digits, limbs, and organs that you came in with. The potential downside is huge (death, dismemberment) and the potential upside is zero.
- vacri 10y ago
  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 10y ago
    This post contains characters known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
  - mturmon 10y ago
    It may feel police-statey, but it's lawyers, plaintiffs, juries, and unintended consequences that are responsible.
numlocked 10y ago
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=1815153394 http://www.internationalposter.com/artist-detail.aspx?id=181... They don't make James-Bond-esque military-industrial conglomerates like they used to!
mattlevan 10y ago
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 10y ago
  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.
junkblocker 10y ago
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/

131 points by prismatic 10y ago

_joel 10y ago

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-roadshow-series-39-10-golden-age-of-travel-special http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0822pdm/antiques-roads...

pavel_lishin 10y ago
What currency is this? http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/posters/CollectionItem?objid=1987-9108 http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/posters/CollectionItem?o... gns?
- graedus 10y ago
  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 10y ago
    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

iplaw 10y ago

Where can I source reproductions?

Symbiote 10y ago
Perhaps here: http://www.rospaprints.com/view_all http://www.rospaprints.com/view_all

speps 10y ago

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

ljf 10y ago
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 10y ago
  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.
Lio 10y ago
"Dying is like drifting off into a nice, deep sleep... ...except that it is not nice; it is profoundly traumatic and painful and you will never wake up ever again." Brilliant! :)

teddyh 10y ago

I’m reminded of these, from Dresden Codak: 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 https://www.topatoco.com/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code... And also these, from Scary go Round: http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/don-t-tit-about-on-ladders-print http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/don-t-tit-about-on-ladd... http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/rules-of-the-pool-print http://shop.scarygoround.com/product/rules-of-the-pool-print

aninhumer 10y ago
Note that that last one is based on a real poster which existed at many swimming pools when I was younger.
- jessaustin 10y ago
  That's basically everything that's fun to do in a pool, prohibited?
- teddyh 10y ago
  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.
- teddyh 10y ago
  Comic related to the ladder poster: http://scarygoround.com/?date=20120902 http://scarygoround.com/?date=20120902

eecc 10y ago

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

pavel_lishin 10y ago
Those are all terrifying.

giarc 10y ago

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

deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
Fomite 10y ago
The background I use for the "Public Presentations" account on my laptop is a WPA-produced public health poster. They're excellent.
- giarc 10y ago
  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.

DonaldFisk 10y ago

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

0xdeadbeefbabe 10y ago

Compressed air kills?

detaro 10y ago
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 10y ago
  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-air/ http://www.aircontrolindustries.com/dangers-of-compressed-ai...
gaius 10y ago
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Co-workers-pump-air-into-teens-body/articleshow/21944713.cms http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kanpur/Co-workers-pu...
AReallyGoodName 10y ago
Compressed air will cut you. I'm more curious about the welder earthing one. It's low voltage. The risk of a shock there is similar to the risk of shock from a car battery. It can happen in theory but realistically arc welding has some bigger hazards to worry about than the grounding connection (like the molten slag flying everywhere). Sure I wouldn't weld knee deep in salt water or whilst leaning against a metal wall but outside of ridiculous examples the grounding clamp isn't going to kill me. When i weld the grounding connector often has a poor connection for whatever reason (usually due to weathering on the metal). The result is simply that the welder doesn't work well and i have to adjust the clamp to fix it. I don't suddenly die of electrocution.

cpplinuxdude 10y ago

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.

Symbiote 10y ago
Always? How about this: http://www.rospaprints.com/image/1061275/bruce-angrave-lift-right http://www.rospaprints.com/image/1061275/bruce-angrave-lift-... Or this: http://www.rospaprints.com/image/825548/leonard-cusden-lets-have-a-safety-record-to-crow-about http://www.rospaprints.com/image/825548/leonard-cusden-lets-... Or: http://www.rospaprints.com/image/825556/bruce-angrave-courtesy-is-infectious http://www.rospaprints.com/image/825556/bruce-angrave-courte... In any case, I don't see a single poster threatening fines.
mikeash 10y ago
Isn't that kind of inherent with safety stuff? The best case is that you leave with the same number of digits, limbs, and organs that you came in with. The potential downside is huge (death, dismemberment) and the potential upside is zero.
vacri 10y ago
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 10y ago
  This post contains characters known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.
- mturmon 10y ago
  It may feel police-statey, but it's lawyers, plaintiffs, juries, and unintended consequences that are responsible.

numlocked 10y ago

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=1815153394 http://www.internationalposter.com/artist-detail.aspx?id=181... They don't make James-Bond-esque military-industrial conglomerates like they used to!

mattlevan 10y ago

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 10y ago
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.

junkblocker 10y ago

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/