Israeli graphic designer

David Tartakover (דוד טרטקובר) (born 1944) is an Israeli graphic designer, political activist, artist and design educator.

He studied at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, Jerusalem, and is a graduate of the London College of Printing. Since 1975, he has operated his own studio in Tel Aviv, specializing in various aspects of visual communications, with particular emphasis on culture and politics.

From 1976, Tatakover has been a senior lecturer in the Visual Communication Department of the Bezalel Academy, is a member of Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI), has been a president of the Graphic Designers Association of Israel (GDAI), and is a laureate of the Israel Prize (2002). His work has won numerous awards and prizes and is included in the collections of museums in Europe, U.S. and Japan.

He has established a reputation for a series of politically provocative self-produced posters, some at the time of Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish new year). His compositions are driven more by content or themes than by high aesthetics.

He describes himself as "a local designer," meaning that the subjects he tackles concern Israel. He follows the mantra of Hebrew expressionist poet Avigdor Hameiri (b. Andor Feuerstein): "Freedom of opinion is not a right but a duty". Influences on Tartakover's work stem from Gustav Klutsis, John Heartfield, Alexander Rodchenko, Ben Shahn, and Andy Warhol. He claims that his mentor has been comic-book artist Bob Gill and that best work is the Hebrew-lettered "Peace Now" logo. Tatakover is one of the most prominent Israeli graphic designers; others include Franz Kraus (1905–1998), Gabriel and Maxim Shamir (1909–1992, 1910–1990), and Dan Reisinger

Vintage Poster Restoration

Poster restoration and conservation. The backing of posters with fabric dates back to 19th century France, where posters were occasionally glued to linen for reinforcement. This provided some protection, but with the passage of time the paper continued to become brittle and was frequently torn by stress. Modern backing techniques have eliminated this problem by using an acid free paper between the poster and the fabric. The adhesive used is wheat paste treated to inhibit mold growth.

Why fabric-back a poster? The principal reason is to provide support for the paper. It also enables the conservator to flatten the folds and to more easily make repairs. Fabric backing also eliminates the waviness that can occur when the poster is framed.

Reversibility is a concept that is important in all conservation work, because today's curators and collectors are only temporary custodians of a cultural object (the poster) that will have continuing and timeless interest for future collectors. We strive to make certain that materials and techniques that are applied to the poster are not harmful over time and are reversible to bring it back to the state in which we found it.

Restoration can dramatically improve the appearance of a poster. Damage caused by clear adhesive tape, residual stains, water marks and dirt can be easily repaired; combining this with the replacement of lost paper can bring the poster back to virtually its original state.

Propaganda and political posters

During the First and Second World Wars, recruiting posters became extremely common, and many of them have persisted in the national consciousness, such as the "Lord Kitchener Wants You" posters from the United Kingdom, the "Uncle Sam wants you" posters from the United States, or the "Loose Lips Sink Ships" posters that warned of foreign spies. Posters during wartime were also used for propaganda purposes, persuasion, and motivation, such as the famous Rosie the Riveter posters which exhorted women workers during World War II that "We can do it!". The Soviet Union also produced a plethora of propaganda posters, some of which became iconic representations of the Great Patriotic War. During the democratic revolutions of 1989 in Central and Eastern Europe the poster was very important weapon in the hand of the opposition. Brave printed and hand-made political posters appeared on the Berlin Wall, on the statue of St. Wenseslas in Prague and around the unmarked grave of Imre Nagy in Budapest and the role of them was indispensable for the democratic change. A recent example of an influential political poster is Shepard Fairey's Barack Obama "HOPE" poster.