Communication strategy is a crucial element of war. War represents a state of disorder and chaos, with loss of lives and resources. Various forms of communication have been used to inform, motivate and ignite soldiers and civilians in during wartime in history including books, posters and banners, symbols and emblems, radio, television, exhibitions and fairs, etc.
The First World War established the importance of visual communication design. Signs, symbols, diagrams and illustration were used to inform and persuade people during wartime. Signs and symbols were effectively used to assign rank and create a code of status. Motorized transport needed to be marked in order to identify units by corps and division. The British army used coloured stripes and rectangular patches to make it harder to identify their formations.
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The posters used for recruiting troops appealed to patriotism and bravery, and tried to induce guilt of letting others face danger on their behalf. The 1914 British poster titled ‘Your Country Needs You’ is probably the most well known recruiting poster. It inspired many posters to come from different countries; the most popular being the American version- ‘I want you for the US Army’. Over four million copies of this poster were distributed between 1917 and 1918. The poster is a self-portrait of the artist, James Montgomery Flagg, as Uncle Sam. The arrangement of the elements paired with the use of the tri-colour-red, white and blue inculcated a sense of patriotism and belonging. ‘Uncle Sam’ represented a reliable, honest man devoted to his country. The idea of being directly addressed by leaders appealed to the common people. Due to its popularity, it was used again during the Second World War. After the war, it was used in advertising for several years, appearing on a range of products from cereal boxes to insurance