Billboard advertising (Mar 1895)

jfifbogd ^gdvef tTsin g^ ART IN POSTERS. Buificu 1 for viewed ir. their proper perspective, one of il,e most noticeable features will be the immense importance given to the art of mh'ertlsing. No century lias seen such .e to grow as quickly in the future as as in recent year* is a question only nerable by posterity. Were thecom- al ready studied his productions, may not be amiss. Cberet's aim is always to pro- duce a poster at once striking and har- monious, and in brilliant colors; and he therefore discards black and white, all secondary or tertiary colors, like purples browns and similar tones preferring the pure primaries,—red, blue and yellow. That his success with these isas greatas his daring in the use of them is well' known. The lettering of the poster is invariably designed by himself, in order to preserve tbe balance of the whole i the only i pant, and often are to-day, one would earnestly hope that posterity would an- swer us with a "No." But fortunately, these old. mediocre, and unoriginal ideas are gradually becoming out of date; and the enterprising business man sees that art, either pictorial or literary, and often aphy i- of r all its neighbors. Dudley Hardy, an English illustrator, admittedly drew bis chief inspiration in poster work from tbe pioneer, Cheret, but he works out his own ideas in a personal way. "Simplicity,'' he says, in a short article iu an English magaiine, "will be found the secret ot success. For exam- ple, single fiigures are more effective than a group. . . . Neither do 1 believe in the necessity for a background." Red is Hardy's most effective color, and be also considers yellow admirably adapted meats of his v-res, if he would attract and please the public. Dot of the most quickly noticed of the every day sights of the city of London is tbe extraordinary amount of enterprise in advertising It would seem as though gigantic poster, the night transparency, or the tin and board announcements, of a size convenient for the bus or tram. A ride along the principal thoroughfares a steady panorama of pill and of cocoas, '. beef-teas, soaps, books and stationary, theatres, and other kinds of business innumerable. The stranger is naturally confused in finding the right omnibus, when advertising placards on tbe outside occupy larger and more con- spicuous places than the name androute ol the vehicle. With ihe traveler on the underground it is even worse, since the in of soap and baking The question whether there is not a remedy for this tedious monotony recurs constantly to the observer. Yourcorres- to shew itself having taken its inspira- tion from the example of another cily, smaller in siie, but greater in art —Paris. As conspicuous for its advertising iu a way as London, Paris goes about the mat- ter in quite a different method and spirit. Seldom it ia that one's (esthetic sense is offended. The Parisian bus ia quite free Irom the shrieking placards of the Eng- lish capital, while street advertising is limited to. the circular or octagonal shaped "kiosques" (beautiful spots of ilur 10 Paris, and the frequency of its presence shows with what care this city guards againstrtfH wiMJ i BUl l j. - United States bu, it is in Paris almost solely thai one sees his work in its proper setting It is he who instituted the de- parture in the art of poster designing, and practically launched the school ol new ideas. To-day bia followers are many. His ideas, to those who have not duction, Cheret painting the the stone with bis own hands,—a difficult and delicate process, requiring more skill than the making of the firsVdesign. Cheret has almost invariably a targe, central, dashing figure, usually^a woman in a striking gown, and in the, back- The entire thoughe, however, centres on this stain figure, whi:h explains the advartisemeri^ It would be useless t" who has produced so much. Hi*. ajfi(h?s mount into the hundreds. Tbe laurels, however, in the line of poster work do not rest alone with this perhaps best known man. There is an other artist, rival of Cheret, who produc- es posters which are most eagerly sought by the lovers and collectors of the origin- al. This is Eugene Gra With Cheret, Dudley Hardy hold: The ability of such bills as this and others of its kind to catch the eye at a great distance and hold it to closer ex- amination is the secret of their success. That America has produced some credit- able posters must be admitted, but that there is still a wide field there vet un- worked. is true The improvements of the future must be along the lines of greater simplicity, fewer and richer col- ors, the use of less black in the pictures, and a wider knowledgeof design. That there- has been almost no demand for the sort of work such as Paris has been turn- ing out for a number of years in one lend a needed charm to one of the features imely, our bill- tue doctrine of having-tne lettering done He is much snperior to Cheret in the style and shape of his letters. The post- er designs of the "The Yellow Girl,' 1 "The Gaiety Girl," in red, "St Paul's," and ' To-day" are conspicn A Wont to Circus BUI Posters. o the public the latest ni given herewith of the every man in the advance brigade Now orkofAi' widely known, perhaps, as Cheret, his posters have in them that knowledge of design and decorative color which places his work, in the estimation of many, on a higher level than that of his confrere. With the great public, who give ajjickes bnt a passing glance, the work of Grssset lir, though by no means lampleofthe style of this mi r of _fin.de-siec/e artists. His doctrine advertising is ai absolute neces- sity of modern life—is indeed a true one, and his theory—that ' if it can be made beautiful as well as obvious, so much the beiter for the makers of soap and the public likely to wash"—is likewise good. Aubrey Beardsley has produced more in the line of book illustration than in post- er work; and this, in fact, may be said of many of the most sncce-siu] workers in thislatter field His productions have is no idle admonition, for the man who is industrious and steady is bound to obtain a better position next season. To day there is hardly an agent of any promi- st flaming .■,,:,,r generally deeper ideas, render his work has been at his best in such posters as that of Sarah Bernhardt in "Joan of Arc;" that of the' Fetes de Paris,' : ol the "Li- brairie Romantique," Chocolat Mexi- caine," and others. His designs for va- rious holiday covers for Harper's Bazar and Weekly may recall his style to some, otherwise unfamiliar with it. this field, of whom one might name GuMaunie. Steinlin, and Willette What has been the effect ui all this on the vulgarity of British advertising? What will it be on America, working through the many students and con- these things? be found decried by the American critics for one tn dwell farther upou it here The ac- compa ling illustration is to x 30 inches, the colors being dull red in the dress, dark orange-yellow in the hair, and bright green for the leaves of the tree. Beards- ley can be seen again on the cover of the the men engaged in it - ought to feel prondof it. Thewriter ol this article is no preacher, but he has been in all stages of life, in amusement circles and he knows whereof he speaks, so boys when the call is sounded in a few weeks, start prepared to do your level best and your reward will surely come. Let's all puH together for a good is a future for every one of yon, if yon but try and keep a trying all season; yon wi.I be the winner if you but persevere etl-orl. show i.livi.lsial- the field hold that the design need not necessarily have any distinct relations to the article of merchandise whose virtues it is supposed to publish The main ob- ject is to catch the eye by a beautiful spot Of color or an agreeable arrangement of form The legend on the poster furnish- es oftentimes sufficient mercantile in'or- ■right red figure moving along a street t a short distance away, visible through : trees The eye could not escape with a feeliugof pleasure that one amid a desert of most ordinary posters, such an original one, for instance a. that of Dudley Hardy announcing ihe St. Paul's ilfag,i;ine, It is a simple al- most archaic, figure ot a woman hold ; ng a lily, while a decorative line of smoke cnrlsbehindher. Thewords 'St Paul's" in red, old English type at the top. form the only letteriugon the sheet, while the when it was seen to be a poster of Jules Cberet's displayed on one of the street aiiver.isiug carts, pushed by men. Tbe ficially frozen ice may be indulged in at any time; and it showed a dashing skat- ing figure in a brilliant red cloak. The background of ice and atmosphere was was rendered in one or two simple tones of blue, which threw out the ikatinggirl with wonderful effect. Neier use cuts to illustrate your wares unless the cut reflects credit upon them. I n prepar ng copy remember it's the way you say it, that counts' You may say a thing a thousand limes without deriving any great benefit therefrom, unless there is a convincing ring to your statement. Mauberret's Printing House of New Orleans, the largest of the show printers of the South has recently been merged into a Limited Company with Victor