Suppose we turn the hands of time back to when I was in the Navy operating a silk-screen process shop for Uncle Sam to use in the grim process of war. I was located in the city of Jacksonville, Florida, when I happened to see a poorly designed bus ad for a religious evangelistic meeting. At first I was neither impressed nor inspired to attend the services. However, I came across a handbill and a newspaper ad, put out by the same preacher, that were much better. Being an advertising man, I realized that someone was spending a lot of money to get people to go to church.
My curiosity was aroused, and I suggested to my wife that we ought to drop in on the preacher at Eleventh and Main Street who felt he had so much to say that he was willing to spend a lot of money to let us know about it. We agreed that if he stuck to the Bible in all that he preached, we would continue to attend his meetings. After searching the Scriptures and checking him closely we were convinced that here was a man who had a real message.
I was troubled as I reflected that he was not getting half out of his advertising that he should. My curiosity got the better of me, and I ventured to ask him about the cost of his advertising. I was shocked to find out how much he was paying for so little return. Silk-screen advertising had not yet been developed further than a sign-painting stage. And in buying advertising in as small a quantity as his needs required, printing and lithography were out of the question. The Spirit of the Lord began to move upon me, and I felt a strong burden to help this preacher who had a message to give.
I volunteered to supply, this preacher his bus ads at no cost to him except the cardboard. It was a thrill to me to feel that my art experience would be able to help so worthy a cause.
THREE BASIC FACTORS OF DESIGN.—Our first objective was Simplicity. Titles and descriptions and locations had to be reduced to the least number of words possible and still be effective.
The second point of consideration was the value of illustrating. Sometimes it is hard for a preacher to see the value of anything but words, but this evangelist was an exception to the rule. I realized that when I saw the manner in which he conducted his evangelistic meetings—with the successful use of charts, diagrams, and devices. Advertisers who spend thousands and thousands of dollars a week have found that the old, old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words," is true, and the saying has lived through the ages for a real reason. Point number two, then, is the Illustrative Quality of the poster.
Our third point to consider was what should the illustration be? It should be a dramatization of the title, such as "Mr. X Is Guilty"—placing the importance on the words "is guilty." This was further developed by the outline of a judge in a courtroom, pronouncing the sentence of guilt.
We applied this same process to the poster on "The Unpardonable Sin." Here the word "sin" received the emphasis, and our problem was reduced to picturing sin in some way. With the use of shadow repetition a man holding his head emphasized the dreadfulness of sin. We can hardly draw any other conclusion from this poster than that this man had a deep problem of sin.
It takes the artist to present color and design in such a way as to excite interest. This brings us to our third and last phase of poster making, Color and Design.
Our design must be of the same caliber as the best advertising if it is to impress the observer. People all over know that good advertising costs money, and if the evangelist can present his advertising on the same level as national advertising or better-grade art, he has commanded the respect of those who read it. He has cashed in on a little of the prestige so dearly but profitably paid for by big business. He has lifted the world's most important message out of the class of cheap advertising and placed it where it belongs. Color and design both have their role in this respect.
Design It as for a Billboard
I'd like to define just what an artist means when he speaks of design. Webster says that design is to plan mentally, to outline, to fashion according to a plan. But aside from these facts there is another aspect of design—the physical aspect. The best rule for achieving a good physical ensemble in graphic advertising is this—consider every piece of advertising, whether a two-page advertisement, a broadside, a folder, or a postcard, as if it were a billboard. People move past all forms of advertising just as fast as they move past the billboard. So make it brief and simple; keep it whole and entire, and in the very act of obeying these restrictions you will have a better chance of making the ensemble interesting and memorable. It will take you a little longer to do it this way—but that is design for you.
I am sorry that the value of color is lost in studying the cuts of the posters designed for Elder Osborn, inasmuch as they appear here in black and grays. Thus the greatest effect has been
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