Some pamphlets and prescriptive lit from the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Department of Labor, and the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs. All from the mid to late 70s. The graphic designers aren't credited by name, which is a shame. I have a vision of some recent art school grads laboring away in a windowless room. Some of the pamphlets aimed at nature preservation are really beautiful in their mix of landscape photos and clunky graphics (more of this later). The drug prevention material is a bit weirder, and like a lot of anti-drug rhetoric has the unintended effect of making drug use seem very fun. The discrepancy between the stunning artwork and the moralizing, paternalistic prose makes for a very strange reading experience. The "fact sheet" on drugs is hilarious: "A person under the influence of marihuana finds it harder to make decisions that require clear thinking."
Amazing stuff! Did you scan all these?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I found them in the library. The college has a really cool gov't docs collection.
ReplyDeleteI really hope this becomes a regular feature of Toys and Techniques. ;))
ReplyDelete- Jb.
Cool, I'll see if I can scrape some more pamphlets together.
ReplyDelete