Peter Kennard is London based photomontage artist seeking to reflect his involvement in the anti-Vietnam war movement. I chose his poster, Never Again (1983) because I found the subject matter quite interesting, Kennard wanted to inject renewed meaning into images of nuclear war which had become severely clichéd. This photomontage combines a large mushroom-like explosion with the body of a skeleton to reconnect the explosion with its horrific consequences for human life. What made the poster stand out to me was the use of bold yellow lettering almost acting as a plea for peace. Kennard also included the exact dates in which nuclear bombs fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I find this information to be quite disturbing but also raises awareness to these past events.

William Klein is a photographer and filmmaker noted for his ironic approach to both media and his use of strange photographic techniques. I chose Klein’s photo, Gun New York (1955) as I liked the drama within the shot, the framing could be considered as quite threatening due to the barrel of the gun being out of focus drawing your attention to the child’s angry face. The juxtaposition between the two children is intriguing as it is almost a split between innocence and violence. This image has shock factor, no one would really expect a child to be in possession of gun but it raises questions as to whether it is real or fake.

The final image I have chosen is by Typographer Johnathan Barnbrook. I chose this piece of work as I was immediately drawn to the fonts and colours used, the bright neon pinks and blues contrast against each other creating an interesting composition. I also like the cut off point of the poster where ‘Design Ego’ falls off of the page, almost as if its too big to fit.

Peter Kennard, http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O100758/never-again-poster-gladwin-peter/

William Klein, http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2013/03/26/10-lessons-william-klein-has-taught-me-about-street-photography/

Johnathan Barnbrook, http://www.barnbrook.net/