Includes bibliographical references and index.

Foreword / Margaret Timmers -- 1. Moving through the mainstream. Post-war reconstruction -- Commercial art, graphic design and the 'creative revolution' -- The continuing power of the poster -- 2. Alternative directions. Pop, psychedelia and the poster boom -- Protest poster-making -- Posters and popular music -- 3. Into a digital age. Renaissance in outdoor advertising -- Bill posters will be prosecuted (Bill Posters is innocent) -- The art gallery of the streets -- 'People do love huge pieces of paper' -- Speaking truth to power.

"Drawing on the V & A's wide-ranging poster collection, this book maps how the poster has evolved in Britain since 1945 in the hands of graphic designers and fine artists, advertising agencies and counter-cultural groups. The range spans 'Keep Britain Tidy' campaigns, lavishly produced Benson & Hedges billboards, punk rock posters, hand-printed indictments of politicians and public art projects on the Underground. Defying regular predictions of its demise, the poster in Britain has adapted itself within a changing technological environment. It has absorbed new directions in art and design and has met unfolding social and commercial challenges."--Page 2 of cover.