Saturday, May 08, 2010

Keep Calm and Carry On - the best motivational poster ever?

Yesterday, after the UK Election I started to get interested in hung parliaments and what the options are for government.

Inevitably, I started to log all my bookmarks on a squidoo lens (IMO they're a really great way of organising my bookmarks - and then sharing them) - and came up with Hung Parliament - what happens next? - which those of you in the UK might be interested in.

I know I was really surprised it's NOT the awful disaster some of the newspapers would have us believe.

Anyway, I then needed an image for the lens and decided that the Keep Calm and Carry On poster would be just right.

Which then meant I got interested in the whole history of the poster, its impact as a motivational poster and how it then developed as an internet meme and generated a lot of parodies (eg Keep Calm and have a Cup Cake !)

Before I knew it I'd got a second site - all about The Best of Keep Calm and Carry On

This is what happens when your car battery manages to drain itself yet again - which is why I wasn't shopping this afternoon!

However the moral of the story having researched its origins and development as an Internet Meme is never underestimate the potential of graphic art to make people feel better!

I'd love to know what's your favourite parody of this now very famous poster - see POLL: 10 Parodies of Keep Calm and Carry On - what's your favourite?

3 comments:

  1. I like 'Keep Calm and Carry Rum' - it's probably my convict history. My personal mantra is 'Don't Do Anything - You May Never Have to!'

    Have been thinking about you and fingers crossed for a good outcome.

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  2. How about "Keep calm and Carry a Rum-Filled Cupcake"? Though, yes Robyn, most of the time we're frantic with the anticipation of what COULD happen and not what has already taken place.
    Thanks for keeping us upbeat Katherine!

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  3. It is a great poster, I have had a framed tea towel version up in the house for a long time, it was in the kitchen when we had a houseful of rowdy teens then it got religated to the loo after a male member of the household had kidney stones...how mean was that!

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