Readers from across the pond may not be aware of a recent cultural and commercial phenomenon in the UK where we have been invited to 'Keep Calm and Carry On' in the spirit of the original WW2 poster via reproduction posters, mugs, t-shirts, underwear, socks, etc. etc. Do we really want to Carry On paying the banker bonuses? I'm fairly sick to death of the sentiment and propose this alternative! Print size approx 14 x 22" on 300gsm Somerset Velvet Cotton paper.
www.etsy.com/shop/flowersandfleurons
armed with aesthetics, With one l, and 62 other people added this photo to their favorites.
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gruntzooki 41 months ago | reply
Is this bloggable? It's flagged "All rights reserved"
flowers&fleurons 41 months ago | reply
Licensed changed to Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons - you can blog about it til the cows come home.
Keen as Mustard 41 months ago | reply
Excellent print, nicely set and a great impression!
I have some parody's of the original 'Keep Calm and Carry On' propaganda poster lined up for some letterpress prints too – I should be on with these very soon – albeit not as large as these beauties.
We also produced a version for our company Christmas card this year – using a screen print process (unfortunately I didn't get the time to print it letterpress, too much real paid work on!) – the message was "Keep Merry and Party on"
gruntzooki 41 months ago | reply
That's great news, except my blog, Boing Boing, is commercial.
flowers&fleurons 41 months ago | reply
Keen as Mustard: there is a Keep Calm flickr group with lots of variations - worth a peek. Look forward to seeing your letterpress creations!
flowers&fleurons 41 months ago | reply
gruntzooki: I'm no lawyer, I just want to print stuff.
The photo is marked Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs Creative Commons.
This Creative Commons license says you can Share — to copy, distribute and transmit the work under the following conditions:
Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
Noncommercial — You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
No Derivative Works — You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.
All these can be waived with my permission.
If you just want to post the photograph on your blog I have no problem, just say 'Reproduced by permission of Flowers&Fleurons'.
If you want to download the photo and sell it, or build upon it – that's a different matter and no you don't have my permission.
kimberlyblessing 41 months ago | reply
And a print can be purchased how? I need to wallpaper my office with these!
flowers&fleurons 41 months ago | reply
Lumachrome, Kimberley: there will be prints available soon on Etsy and Folksy.
J.Knecht 41 months ago | reply
Looking for your above noted etsy/folksy page.
flowers&fleurons 41 months ago | reply
Listed on Etsy as flowersandfleurons; may take a while for the item to appear on the shop page.
www.etsy.com/shop/flowersandfleurons
www.folksy.com/shops/flowersandfleurons
d the b 41 months ago | reply
can we get the (Illustrator?) source that made the poster? ... or are there pesky laws about that kind of thing?
perhaps a png image that's large enough to print on things?
flowers&fleurons 41 months ago | reply
d the b
ever heard of the phrase 'copyright'?
It's a LAW recognised in most countries which protects the rights of the artist whether they are a musician, illustrator, fine artist, writer etc. etc.
It protects my work if it's my original, it will protect your work if you make originals. It's a really good idea!
Do you really think I would hand over my artwork for anyone to profit from?
And for your information it's not a computer print out:
www.flickr.com/photos/8286330@N03/4322072262/
Have a nice day.
Mister Jay Em 41 months ago | reply
Charles Stross: "If you want information to be free you are taking on an obligation to make information, and give it freedom. An obligation to work to better the lot of humanity, not to merely sponge off the labour of others. *** Precisely what content have you released for free lately?"
www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2010/02/information-...
Aliceblueblazes 41 months ago | reply
Brilliant. I was just bitching about the "keep calm" phenom to some friends yesterday. This is a pitch-perfect response!
d the b 41 months ago | reply
copyright. indeed.
i just thought -- in the spirit of your work -- that you might want to spread the message. (particularly since your work is heavily based on a piece that was produced by an anonymous source.)
but, sure. i get it.
keep calm. carry on.
Aliceblueblazes 41 months ago | reply
also well put.
flowers&fleurons 41 months ago | reply
d and b - you want to spread the 'get excited' message?
- share it with your family by writing it in the condensation on your bathroom mirror
- write it on a post-it note, stick it to your forehead and wear it to work
- type it out in word and stick prints all over your neighbourhood
- write it on the back of a grimy bus
- climb to the top of the highest building in your town and flash the lights on and off in morse code
- pay a pilot to write it in the sky
- download this photo and send it as an attachment to every email you send
You don't need my artwork, the message is an idea - it's free!
All I'm doing is applying an elegant production process and some honed designed sensibilities to the message. In doing so some lovely ironies and attributes are created which gives depth to the product and makes it unique.
- The delicious irony of using a medieval process to spread the message 'change things'.
- The delicious irony of juxtaposing the crown next to a revolutionary slogan.
- The delicious irony of using vintage wood type Gill Sans, the bastion typeface of the post-war British Establishment – the BBC, the Railways, the Ministry; to suggest change.
- The delicious irony of using the letterpress technique and it's subtle suggestion of permanence via the bite of the type into the cotton substrate, to what is essentially a piece of ephemera.
As a designer the 'keep calm' poster is very easily simulated if you have the know-how, there's a whole collection on Flickr devoted to variations – practically all of them have been made digitally. Set it in Gill (though the original isn't) in Quark/ID/Ai, download a crown or symbol of choice off the web, press pdf, press print.
As an alternative I've used a process that has involved hours and hours of sourcing, moving, refurbishing and reassembling a 750kg press; more hours of sourcing antique wooden type which isn't manufactured anymore – not just any wood type, the right wood type – all bought at my own expense. Don't you think that effort and all the other effort made by craftspeople and writers and musicians who have practised and honed their skill over a lifetime deserve a little protection from the rip-off merchants?
Have a good day.
jcgr 38 months ago | reply
I love it.
jasecampbell 34 months ago | reply
Zombie37 27 months ago | reply
This is brilliant! I already liked it from the thumbnail before I clicked to see and read more. From across the pond here, I hadn't heard of the 'Keep Calm and Carry On' campaign - that sounds so very British! This has pitch perfect irony esp. with the crown, but also sounds positive instead of just snarky. Well done!