iron fists

Another book - 'Iron Fists: branding the 20th century totalitarian state' by  Steven Heller. This is the most relevant book I've found so far to my theme as it concentrates specifically on the Nazi and Communist Russia propaganda, as well as fascist Italy and communist China, which is what I want to base my essay around. It explores all the design techniques - specific reoccurring symbols, patterns, type within the posters which helped create a 'brand' for all four dictators which I think is really interesting. The book continually makes comparisons to advertising campaigns for products - as the totalitarian states are trying to sell themselves as leaders of some sort of utopian world while using very similar techniques as companies. 

quotes I've gathered so far:

The book looks at the propaganda graphics created by the totalitarian governments – the iconography they produced that were universally recognised as their brand, illustrating how all the elements were ‘put to disturbingly effective use in selling the totalitarian message’. The book focuses on how 4 of the most destructive regimes proved to be extremely creative in their use of branding strategies to sell their political messages.

‘the diabolically effective ways in which their propaganda machinery created powerful visual narratives to seduce their respective populations. In each case they developed unique visual schemes that triggered immediate recognition. The symbols and design objects devised as rallying points were so alluring on aesthetic as well as formalistic levels that they captured the attention of the world’ pg9

Obviously the views and concepts of parties such as the Nazis were horrifying and unacceptable, however their propaganda was extremely effective in aestheticising these views into something the public thought they wanted. They managed to manipulate so many people into voting and following Hitler, a lot of this success was down to the 'brand' the Nazi party created for itself, it was very thought out and planned. 

‘effective branding is centred on a core narrative, and these totalitarian regimes offered two parallel stories, one rooted in hate, the other projecting a utopian future’
‘Hitler’s rant against the jews was inextricably linked to the nazi belief that the german superiority would lead to world domination. Lenin exhorted workers of the world to break the shackles of despised capitalism to achieve the utopian freedoms of a classless society.’
the posters were used to promise the people something the parties knew they wanted 

Aldus Huxley wrote “the survival of democracy depends on the ability of large numbers of people to make realistic choices in the light of adequate information. A dictatorship on the other hand, maintains itself by censoring or distorting the facts, and by appealing, not to reason, but to passion and prejudice, to the powerful ‘hidden forces’, as Hitler called them, present in the hidden depths of every human mind.” Pg 10
Hitler did a lot of research into statistics surrounding the public - taken from companies - of what they wanted and responded well to, so to then use that information to create his own advertisement of himself

Huxley wrote, “There are no masterpieces, for masterpieces appeal to a limited audience” ‘and the propagandist  - the branding expert – has to reach as many people as possible. Even though some of the individual artefacts are remarkably well designed and crafted, the ideal was to attain what Huxley called, “moderate excellence” which is appealing but never goes over anyone’s head’
the posters had to appeal to everyone - most of the public would be lower class, or possibly illiterate so couldn't be too complicated or specific to one audience.