London born Abram Games’ 60 year long career has made him one of most important graphic designers of the 20th century. Appointed the only ever war poster artist, his saying “maximum meaning by minimum means” made his work unique for that time, creating simple posters with powerful messages.
The other day I went to a talk about the designer’s career in posters given by his daughter Naomi and got to know more about his life. As a visual communicator, Games was a big fan of the airbrush and used the tool throughout his designing life- therefor it’s very easy to recognize his work. Games made a lot of political posters, questioning society at that time and especially during and after the second world war.
I am not a huge fan of all his work although I understand how important he has been for graphic design in terms of the new modern way of making posters and images he implemented. A pioneer before his time, two of his posters stuck out for me because of the more moderate use of the airbrush. What I like about these specific images are the colors and layout (especially the grid system on the left one) that came to set the tone for many designers after him and a style we still see today. Underneath: Horizon and Orient Line to Australia.
Read this brilliant article from the Guardian to find out more about Abram Games and his life.
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