Meet The Man Behind The Obama Poster Phenomenon

Washington Post:

When the street artist and guerrilla marketer Shepard Fairey got word from the Obama people that they would welcome his contribution to the campaign, he knew what he wanted to create: a phenomenon.

All political art is propaganda (that is the point), but most political posters are bland, forgettable, wallpaper, like Fred Thompson on an off day. Fairey wanted something more iconic -- aspirational, inspirational -- and cool. In other words, he wanted to make posters that the cool cats would want. The 2008 Democratic primary season equivalent of the Che poster (with all that implies). More Mao, more right now. The kind of poster that might make its way onto dorm room walls of fanboys. The kind of poster that might sell on eBay, as a signed Fairey Obama recently did, for $5,900. He wanted his posters to go viral.

"I wanted strong. I wanted wise, but not intimidating," Fairey says of the look for his Obamas. The agitprop pop art has become a must-have accessory among a certain subset of the candidate's supporters, who have gobbled up more than 80,000 of Fairey's posters and 150,000 postcard-size stickers since Super Tuesday.

Read the whole story: Washington Post

Comments

[Youth4Obama]

Wow, some ppl cant just see a great poster for what it is...

I love it, I have one on my wall in my gym. It's inspiring...

[NeoLiberal]

Good artwork.

Be careful, though.

They're bordering on fascist art---look at Germany's, Japan's and even the US's WWII posters.

[TimmySlagle]

Kind of the idea, isn't it?

Emotionally hot words like "Change" and "Hope" were also very popular last century.

[rmetz74]

It's interesting that so many people are somehow offended by this image... It's too 'Soviet', it's boring, it's not really art, blah blah blah. Which completely misses the point.

In fact, it's the kind of thing ad companies cream their jeans over - an effective way of communicating with a voting demographic that has been unreachable in the past. "Young people" loved the 'Obey' posters - in part because adults didn't understand them. This image ties to that, and makes them feel like Obama is reaching out to them - without that icky, pandering, creepy-grandpa thing that happens when every other politician reaches out to "the youth."

And Obama allowed Fairey to do it independently - the campaign didn't co-opt it. They recognized that he knew more about what he wanted to do than they did, so they trusted him to do it. Imagine. It's a novel approach in politics, and the polar opposite of Rove-style campaigning.

You don't have to like the image, but you gotta admit - it worked.

[NC4Obama]

My poster is right beside one with the last day of bush`s term.

[SENCvoter]

My hubby's car has a "1.20.09 The end of an error" sticker and an "Obama 08" sticker right above it, kind of the same idea as yours. I love it!

[CornellRedneck]

LOL-- The poster is as hokey as the guy it is supposed to glorify. Reminds us of Dukakis the Tank Commander! ;-)

[paulbikes]

You guys comment on the huff post all day long, and all you do is make yourselves look even more ignorant than you already are.

Give me hard facts, why is McCain (4 more years) better than Barack Obama? Who and What does this country need? Are you a top exec. at a multi billion dollar corporation? In the oil Business? Honestly, if you aren't then what do you stand to gain from another 4 years of Bush Policy? The people who voted Bush into office are the people who have suffered the worst.

[ResidentChimp]

The picture is typical of the marxist propaganda that Obama likes to use. It will make people think of all the marxists trying to overthrow governments around the world.

[paulbikes]

The American Government needs to be shaken to its foundation. Whats been going on the last 8 years and longer is criminal at best. If you have the balls to say that the current administration represents American ideals and values then please, continue.

[ResidentChimp]

Be glad to. And if the Dems decide to go with Obama we will have another four years of a Republican President.

[Crozier]

"Marxist Propaganda" dumb-dumb, is having Communist China own two trillion dollars of your debt to be paid by the next three generations because good Capitalist American Republicans have borrowed trillions and maintained a decade long trade deficit with Communism's only and last super power.

You gullible rightwingnuts make me vomit !!!

[ResidentChimp]

You should thank us for keeping your weight down.

[paulbikes]

Here's some reading on this Artist
http://www.art-for-a-change.com/Obey/index.htm

I really do like the obama poster and what its done, but he's in the game for $$$

[justShareandbeNice]

Everyone will interpret the image differently and we could critique it until the cows come home.

What is really important is that Obama may or may not be a brilliant leader who understands what real change is about. It is like he has tapped into the "when, what, where, how" of peaceful, wise, progress.

He is possibly a historic figure of world-wide influence. Or not. We will see. Poster or not.

As far as the poster itself goes: I love the artist and his work, but I love his ideas even more. The posters are cool, but I would have done it a bit differently. :-) I am sure many people who don't understand what Obama is talking about won't get it. I think it is saying "People, do you understand that this guy is FOR REAL?"

[paulbikes]

Sheppard Fairey doesn't have idea's, he uses other peoples. and he's not an artist.

Maybe not the place for this argument, but he's an enormous hypocrite and a profiteer. Straight up P.O.S.

[paulbikes]

http://www.obamaspoke.com/ was the link, got all worked up lol

[paulbikes]

I'm glad that these posters have created some buzz

but

Sheppard Fairey, "artist" behind obey, is a complete and utter hack.
He routinely steals his art from old, and often famous, anti war posters. he then changes the colors, and writes obey on them. Theres no point, he's in it for the money, and myself along with every other artist and designer absolutely loathe this guy. Again, glad he did the posters, i hope every dime went to barack and not his pocket though. And the spoke cards? Stole that idea too, www.spokecards.com , someone already made them, but there is no limit to fairey's theft.

[Mij13]

Everyone who can't make it complains that those who do "steal" ideas. You sound jelous, frankly.

[paulbikes]

He didnt make it!

He's a profiteer, and his work has no purpose. And rest assured what he "does" isn't difficult.

[paulbikes]

Here:

http://www.art-for-a-change.com/Obey/index.htm

[paulbikes]

Jesus, furthermore are you trying to imply that i can't make it? judged on my rightfully harsh critique of Sheppard Fairey?

Next time you meet a 19 year old successful business and home owner, you let me know.

[GerryS]

I do see subliminal problems with the poster, and I saw it immediately-
that is what made me read the story and post- and no, I'm not another "Greed On Parade" poster to this story or website- g

[globalcitizenlinda]

Thanks Shepard Fairey for this great piece of art. I am lucky to already posses some of these incredible posters.

I have read some of the criticism of this art and I know that the detractors just do not get the fact that Obama is not a convetional candidate so those who get it get it while the rest are left behind wondering about what is going on.

Obama is the future and has made politics to become cool again - what a tremendous gift to us political junkies

[Supermatter]

Wonder how many professional anti-Obama Republican comment-posters we are going to see in here and elsewhere on the web now that the general election has really gotten underway?

[Mij13]

I thought they were kidding when I first read someone else point this out. Then I started reading some of them. They're fairly obvious, thankfully.

[lboucher]

Bigger head and more Red!

[Rog49Thomas]

Am I the only one who thinks the poster looks vaguely Soviet?

Perhaps a little more red?

Let's not send subliminal messages.

[devadasi]

ROG49THOMAS---it's called Abstract Expressionism---which the Soviets adopted from Europe.

[Rog49Thomas]

Yes.

My point is what it evokes not its genesis..

Let's be very very careful not to "blow" this election by giving our adversaries things to throw back at us.

[havisham]

It's totally a soviet knock-off...especially with the lovely totalitarian-futuristic use of "progress." It reveals perhaps to much about the psychology of some of the movement's supporters...

[devadasi]

HAVISHAM---It's not a Soviet knock-off....the style is called Abstract Expressionis which originated in Europe. 'The psychology of some of the movement's supporters?' Really, it's people like you that make me embarrassment sometimes to be an American. We're the laughing stock of Europe, for god sakes, because of comments like yours. Maybe we should change the colors of our flag, take out the red, take out the blue, have it all white, what do you think?

[justShareandbeNice]

Please explain what you mean by "the lovely totalitarian-futuristic use of 'progress'".

Are you saying that Obama, and his supporters, are shoving progress down people's throats? And this progress is somehow dangerous to our democracy? What is this progress you envision us supporting?

You call Obama's vision of progress "totalitarian"?? You mean you feel he is running for king and not president of a (albeit struggling) democracy?

And by "futuristic" do you mean... Unrealistic? Scary? Imminent? Is he too techie for you?

And it is interesting that you call it a "movement" and not a campaign. Does the power of his leadership impress you or scare you?

Are you saying, in summary, that Obama and his supporters are scary totalitarians working towards electing a king who will lead a "movement" towards a futuristic vision of progress?

It would be interesting to read an honest elaboration of you comment. Please attempt to prevent all of us from thinking you are an idiot who doesn't know one damn thing about real history, real progress, a real leader, or even a real democracy.

Big words need big ideas to back them up. Otherwise, just refrain from using them. They are a dead give away when used poorly.

[drzoon]

you can thank Victoria of the CD 30 for a lot of the heat its picked up. i was there when he saw it.. he loved it!