Abram Games: His Wartime Work

Naomi Games

• Publisher: Amberley Publishing
• Year: 2019
• eBook ISBN: 9781445692463
• Edition: 0
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Graphic Design
• Index: History

In 1946, Abram Games left the War Office armed with this testimonial: 'His work had to be subtly persuasive, or directly "propagandist" – but it was always effective, compelling, and of outstanding quality.' During the Second World War, Captain Games, holder of the unique title of 'Official War Poster Artist', designed a hundred posters for army use. The Ministry of Information adapted several designs for civilians. There is a tale to tell about many of these images, especially about his infamous but most successful ATS Blonde Bombshell recruiting poster. Being the son of a photographer, Games employed many ingenious photographic tricks to convey his message of 'Maximum Meaning, Minimum Means' in his designs. Most books on Graphic Design have included images by Abram Games. This is the only book published that concentrates solely on Games's war work. The Estate of Abram Games holds his large archive, which includes a memo from Churchill, personal correspondence, press cuttings, sketches, paintings, and maps for the Army Bureau of Current Affairs, and photographs from Games's seven years in army service.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Chronology of Abram Games
• 1 - A good name is better than good oil
• 2 - During wartime, the client is the government and the country
• 3 - Patriotism and not pulchritude!
• 4 - Posters to catch the eye and prod the military conscience
• 5 - Nothing is too good for ordinary people
• 6 - Opportunities for the professional grouser and agitator with a glib tongue
• 7 - The function of a poster is to attract the eye and deliver the message
• 8 - Posters don’t just tell people to do things; they tell them why
• 9 - Out of the depths
• 10 - ‘Do you want to see my work? Come to my studio, it’s just around the corner’
• 11 - Draw anytime, anywhere and anybody
• 12 - There is so much to learn but I still consider myself a beginner
• 13 - Finding the ideas is easy; making them work is the hard part
• Galleries
• Glossary and UK poster sizes
• List of war posters
• Acknowledgements
• About the author