A few years ago, I bought a reproduction WWII poster. It simply had the text "Keep Calm and Carry On" written in a modern, cream coloured typeface on a red background. The classic simplicity of both the look and meaning appealed to me. I wanted to put it at the top of the stairs leading into my flat.
We do regular house tours of our stencilled home, and I thought the poster's saying was appropriate when visitors are bombarded with so much pattern and colour in our house. It has taken me this long to get the poster framed and in the meantime, it has grown in stature. The current economic climate is so dire here that it has been likened to times during and just after WWII. So, all of a sudden, morale building posters and sayings from the war have become popular and sadly, relevant again. One can now purchase bags, t-shirts, mugs, mouse mats, teatowels and even a rug of this poster.
(photo: www.pedlars.co.uk)
However, I didn't realise until I read a piece in the local paper the other day that the whole phenomenon started right here in Northumberland. One of my favourite places in our county is Barter Books.
It is an enormous second-hand book emporium in what is the old train station at Alnwick just up the coast. Alnwick is home to Alnwick Castle (home of the Duke & Duchess of Northumberland) where the famous Alnwick Garden is situated and parts of Harry Potter were filmed. It is a nice (and regular) day out for us to drive up the coast and go to Barter Books for a good browse and then tea out somewhere nearby.
(photo: Simon Greener)
It is at Barter Books that I bought my copy of the poster. They had an original framed and on the wall people were always asking to buy it so they had copies printed and would sell them. According to the article in The Journal, the poster was found in a box of books. There is only one other known original copy of the poster because it was never put into use at the time. To date, Barter Books have sold over 40,000 copies to all sorts of places worldwide. It may never have been used at the time, but it has certainly become iconic now and I just love the fact that its worldwide popularity started right here in our little corner of the world.
But, never mind keeping calm, I think I'd rather....
(photo courtesy of gruntzooki on www.flickr.com)
If you fancy making your own variation on the Keep Calm poster, then we could make a stencil for you of your desired text. Our FNT05 Classic Modern typeface is the perfect copy needed to create the look.
What is your favourite morale boosting saying?
Rachel.
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