Shepard Fairey - Behind the Obama Poster Mania
Most political campaign art is just propaganda, usually boring and forgettable. When Shepard Fairey got word that the Obama campaign would welcome his work, the guerrilla marketing genius went to work on creating a new phenomenon. He set out to create something iconic, something more than just the average political campaign poster. He wanted to create THE poster for the 2008 Democratic party. Something hip and "right now", that would make its way onto the walls of college dorms across the country."
I wanted strong. I wanted wise, but not intimidating," Shepard Fairey says of the appearance of his limited edition Obama posters, which have sold well more than 80, 000 copies since their release, and have been copied all across the internet, as people try to jump on the Obama / Fairey phenomenon.Shepard Fairey is a skater punk, turned CEO. He gained fame in 1989 at the Rhode Island School of Design, when he created the Obey Giant campaign, by slapping "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" posters and stickers on any and every available surface, creating a viral marketing campaign before it was the "in" thing to do.
His Obey Giant campaign created a niche market for his rebel style of artwork and graphic design. He has since created artwork for movies and music (Led Zeppelin "Mothership" album cover). At 38 with boyish good locks, he still routinely appears at functions in a simple outfit of jeans and a t shirt.He has done political work in the past. In 2000 he helped campaign for Ralph Nader and in 2004 he depicted George W. Bush as a smiling vampire. In 2008 he again threw his hat in the political arena when he decided that he wanted to campaign for Barack Obama. Because of his somewhat rebellious past, Fairey took a more cautious approach, because of the fact that he did not want to cause political harm to the Obama campaign. However the Obama campaign was all for it and asked that Fairey go ahead with his plans, much to Fairey's surprise.
To create the poster, Fairey grabbed a "political looking" picture of Obama off of the internet. He then simplified the picture into a series of bold lines and geometry, using the a patriotic red, white, and blue palette, and stamping the posters with the words HOPE, CHANGE, and PROGRESS. The pictures became a cultural phenomenon and can now be found on the internet for a much higher price than Fairey's original intended price of the orignal 950 or so prints. That have become a sort of collector's item to Obama supporters and art enthusiasts alike.
Fairey promises that he has more tricks up his sleeve, but we can only wait and see what he has in store for us next.
About the Author:Mike is a software developer, web designer, and loving father.
He also supports the Barack Obama Posters website foundation for Hope.
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