Design is integral to our work at Elf - it's our bedrock upon which we dream up all our ideas and make them come to life. While much of our work today involves digital screens, we love posters, an iconic cornerstone of print graphic design too!

Posters celebrate ideas and moments in history or in the life of a person. They help us remember the past while looking forward to the future. Posters can be both gorgeous works of art as well as printed historical reference for their time period. We're most inspired by posters that go beyond mere illustration to actually shaping how people think, act and feel, thereby shaping the future. 

Here's a look at some iconic posters over the years.

Absinthe Robette

This Henri Privat-Livemont’s poster in the 1920s is typical of the period's style. A Pre-Raphelite inspired figure enjoys and celebrates what was considered a luxury good at the time – in this case, Absinthe Robette.

I Want You for U.S. Army

This famous, iconic poster by J.M. Flagg in 1917 used the artist's own face to depict Uncle Sam and was used to recruit soldiers to fight in both World War I and World War II.

Keep Calm and Carry On

Designed by the British Ministry of Information in 1939 to boost and sustain public morale during World War II, the poster was not used much at the time.

However since 1999, this iconic British slogan has gained tremendous popularity and is now used everywhere.

We Can Do It!

Designed in 1943 as an American wartime propaganda poster to boost worker morale, the poster was rediscovered in the 1980s and the heroine proclaimed 'Rosie the Riveter,' a symbol of feminism and empowerment.

In the 1980s it was rediscovered and its hero, who came to be known as ‘Rosie the Riveter,’ found fame again as a symbol of feminism and political empowerment.

Metropolis

Designed by German artist Heinz Schulz-Neudamm, this 1927 poster for the German sci-fi classic Metropolis movie has had a tremendous influence on both poster and movie set design.

In 2005, the original poster sold at auction for $690,000 - the highest fee for a poster design.

See America

During the Great Depression, President Franklin D. Roosevelt set up the Works Projects Administration to spur economic growth. The artist Dux Alexander created a series of prints to bring tourists to visit American national parks.

SS Normandie

Adolphe Cassandra created this poster with an Art Deco style to match the 1935 Normandie ocean liner's interior while demonstrating the ship's large bow. Built in Saint-Nazaire, the Normandie was the largest and fastest ship of its time.

Vertigo

Saul Bass designed this poster to match the distinctive style of Alfred Hitchcock’s blockbuster. The poster invokes a feeling of vertigo as two figures fall in space. Bass used geometric shapes called hypotrochoid curves to create this effect. 

Die Gute Form

Known as the International Typographic Style, this new style of poster emerged after World War II. Amin Hofmann, a well known Swiss designer, created this modern poster with a grid-based design, bold use of san serif typeface Helvetica and monochrome photography.

Giornata Olimpica

This style of iconic Olympic posters takes the sport back to its roots in a simple, elegant and distinctive form.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

This 1961 poster by Robert McGinnis depicts Audrey Hepburn in her most memorable role as Holly Golightly in the movie, Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Dylan

This poster with psychedelic colors in the singer's mane, was designed by Milton Glaser in 1966 to accompany Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits album.

E.T.

This poster captures the marvelous moment in Steven Spielberg’s movie E.T. where Elliott and his friend E.T., cross the moon as they escape to the forest. 

Got Milk?

These posters were created for the California Milk Processer Board and have helped boost dairy milk consumption.

Since these posters appeared in the 1990s, many famous people have worn a white mustache. This image in 1996 features baseball star Cal Ripken Jr.

Dumb Ways to Die

Created by the McCann agency in Australia, this poster ran along with a viral video for a rail safety campaign by Metro Trains in Melbourne, Australia.

Funny and to the point, the poster series and video showed that there are plenty of dumb ways to die and successfully prevented as many as 20 percent of accidents that occurred in the Melbourne Metro after its release.

Visit Mars

SpaceX, the space company founded by Elon Musk, created a series of posters similar to NASA's series with the goal of future interstellar travel. 

Iron Man

This poster of Iron Man in the trilogy's first movie, reintroduced the Marvel comic's iconic character to the public. Depicted by Charles Downey Jr. with great style and humor, the character of Iron Man has transformed both the movie and television industry as audiences loved the excellent storytelling, use of technology and personal empowerment conveyed. www.marvel.com

Alcest

These limited edition posters by the dreamy French pop band Alcest, demonstrates both craftsmanship and silk screening prowess.

The band is known for always seeking out original styles and new art forms for its print and digital media.

This style also demonstrates a growing popularity in the last decade for handmade, silkscreen prints and a return to artisanal craftsmanship. www.alcest-music.com