{"id":7166,"date":"2013-03-12T16:59:04","date_gmt":"2013-03-12T16:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.solopress.com\/blog\/?p=7166"},"modified":"2020-06-09T08:22:55","modified_gmt":"2020-06-09T07:22:55","slug":"st-patricks-day-10-classic-guinness-posters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.solopress.com\/blog\/print-inspiration\/st-patricks-day-10-classic-guinness-posters\/","title":{"rendered":"10 classic Guinness posters"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A thirst-quenching pint of the black stuff is your perfect accompaniment to these vintage Guinness posters\u2026<\/i><\/h3>\n

Whichever way you decide to celebrate St. Patrick\u2019s Day on 17th<\/sup> March, a pint of Guinness is more than likely to play some part in the proceedings. But Ireland\u2019s popular stout is no overnight sensation. Like pouring out the beer itself, it\u2019s taken a long time for Arthur Guinness and his successors to establish this Dublin born alcoholic beverage as a global brand.<\/p>\n

My Goodness, My Guinness<\/h2>\n

English artist and illustrator John Gilroy<\/a> created this iconic series of cartoon posters for Guinness. They starred a hapless zookeeper encountering a variety of animals – such as a kangaroo, lion, ostrich, pelican and sea lion – trying to nab his precious pint or bottle of Guinness. Gilroy produced nearly 50 posters for Guinness over the course of 35 years.<\/p>\n

\"My<\/p>\n

Image Source: Brookston Beer Bulletin<\/a><\/pre>\n
Guinness Is Good For You<\/h2>\n
Isn\u2019t it amazing what advertisers could claim about a product back in the 1930s and 1940s. Then again, we still have The Lynx Effect being used in today\u2019s ads. The famous phrase of \u2018Guinness Is Good For You\u2019 dates back to when advertising agency S. H. Benson took over the Guinness account in 1928. Gilroy produced this poster in 1930.<\/p>\n
\"Guinness<\/p>\n
Image Source: Blah Blah Blah<\/a><\/pre>\n
Lovely Day For a Guinness<\/h2>\n
Gilroy\u2019s toucan creation went on to be something of a spokesperson for Guinness over the years, even appearing in several famous TV adverts directed by Len Fulford<\/a> during the 1970s and 1980s.<\/p>\n
\"Lovely<\/p>\n
Image Source: ~Blackers33<\/a> on deviantART<\/pre>\n
After Work Guinness<\/h2>\n
Put your feet up after a hard day\u2019s work and enjoy a soothing pint of Guinness in this striking 1960 advertisement made by English poster artist Tom Eckersley<\/a>. Eckersley had previously established the UK\u2019s first undergraduate course in graphic design when he joined the London College of Printing (now known as the London College of Communication<\/a>) in 1954.<\/p>\n
\"Guinness<\/p>\n
Image Source: Chisholm Gallery Vintage Posters<\/a><\/pre>\n
Guinness As Usual<\/h2>\n
Stout was a popular drink in Great Britain until lager, wine and spirits eventually became the nation\u2019s favourite tipple. Back in the day, Guinness cleverly used the strapline of \u2018There\u2019s Nothing Like A Guinness\u2019 to help differentiate their brand from the competition. This cute smiling face in the pint glass is a regular character in Guinness posters during this era. Old smiley mush reminds me of Costa\u2019s Coffee Heads commercial that\u2019s currently running on TV. (But done well.)<\/p>\n
\"Guinness<\/p>\n
Image Source: @GuinnessNight<\/a> on Twitter<\/pre>\n
Have A Guinness When You\u2019re Tired<\/h2>\n
The first Gilroy poster to feature a speedy tortoise appeared in 1936. It\u2019s supposed to emphasise the restorative value of drinking a Guinness, rather than the lengthy 119 seconds it takes to pour the perfect pint.<\/p>\n
\"Have<\/p>\n
Image Source: A Taxi Driver\u2019s London<\/a><\/pre>\n
Battle of Britain<\/h2>\n
Although their worldwide headquarters were based in neutral Ireland, Guinness did their bit to help the British war effort during World War II. Not only did they boost morale with humorous propaganda posters like this one, the company even sent a free bottle of Guinness to every British soldier deployed in France during Christmas 1939.<\/p>\n
\"Guinness<\/p>\n
Image Source: Blah Blah Blah<\/a><\/pre>\n
Guinness For Strength<\/h2>\n
The Guinness For Strength advertising campaign kicked off with Gilroy\u2019s popular Girder poster in 1934. Probably one of the earliest examples of a viral advert, people actually began asking for a \u201cgirder\u201d rather than a Guinness down the pub. For this Christmas special, the girder was replaced by Santa carrying a Xmas tree.<\/p>\n
\"Guinness<\/p>\n
Image Source: Authentic Ireland<\/a><\/pre>\n
Ahoy Sailor<\/h2>\n
Gilroy\u2019s Lovely Day For A Guinness poster series continues with the sailor and seagulls edition. We\u2019ve all had our beer goggles on at some time or another, but I\u2019ve never mistaken a seagull for a pint of Guinness. Yet.<\/p>\n
\"Sailor<\/p>\n
Image Source: BeerShop<\/pre>\n
Guinness At Home<\/h2>\n
We\u2019ve now reached 1970 with this Guinness At Home poster. The classic smiley face has now been transferred onto a can of stout. Check out those red & black chequered slippers to match the can\u2019s colours. Very stylish.<\/p>\n
\"Guinness<\/p>\n
Image Source: Chisholm Gallery Vintage Posters<\/a><\/pre>\n
Solopress Design Insight<\/h2>\n
\u201cDesign and printing was extremely limited in these eras and everything was done with an illustration, and very rarely a photograph,\u201d says Julie Simpkins, one of the experienced graphic designers at Solopress. \u201dThe copy and typefaces are also very limited, as can be seen on all the posters. Their printing back then would have been far different from the modern printing processes available now. The only one I can see that has moved forward in design and printing among these vintage posters is After Work \u2013 Guinness. But again, it is still very simple in terms of modern posters<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Made of More<\/h2>\n
As well as these 10 iconic posters, Guinness are equally famous for their innovative television and cinema advertising. Here\u2019s our favourite TV ad from 1994, featuring the superb Louis Armstrong song “We Have all the Time in the World” and some groundbreaking CGI for its time:<\/p>\n