Postcard

Art of the poster label

Poster progress, 1908-1925 : The Underground's early poster campaigns coincided with a period of intense debate about the qualities of good poster design. Books and magazines offered guidance for emerging artists. Few commentators were as influential as John Hassall, who ran the School for Art and Poster Design in Kensington and later a very successful correspondence course.

His promotion of flat colour technique was endorsed by critics, although commercial advertisers often preferred a more literal approach. The Underground continued to commission a range of styles, including realistic subject depiction as well as more progressive approaches. Some of the most popular designs were reproduced as promotional postcards.