'Bananas' 1926

The poster artist and graphic designer Edward McKnight Kauffer notably worked for London Transport amongst other clients. 'Bananas' is his original painting for the Empire Marketing Board poster. He used gouache on paper. Although the final print would look similar to a modern graphic design there were more steps and materials involved than for designers today who mainly draw and design using computer graphics. The design is simple and uses bright colours and block shapes to attract the viewer. The poster is advertising bananas, but this is not immediately obvious. Instead, Kauffer is trying to evoke a feeling of what the tropics represents to the British public. The figures here are stereotypes of plantation workers with very little visual information given. The poster shows a positive British perception rather than reality.