Collection: ORIGINAL VINTAGE ADVERTISING POSTERS

Advertising posters were designed to do one job quickly: make a product, brand or idea difficult to forget. That practical purpose gave designers enormous scope for wit, illustration, photography, typography and colour, and many campaigns now survive as fascinating pieces of commercial design.

This collection brings together original advertising posters across food and drink, transport, fashion, retail, automotive and other subjects. Some names will be immediately familiar; others are reminders of brands and products that have disappeared entirely. We describe each poster with its date, format and condition, plus artist, printer or campaign information where known.

For more on why advertising posters belong within the wider history of graphic design, see our short history of the poster.