Aanplakbiljet Possibly 1919

This public announcement was printed by the local government in Amsterdam, probably using a printing press, sometime in April 1919. It's a simple poster with a limited colour palette, just shades of orange on a pale background, typical of printmaking. I love the way the text fills the space, each word carefully placed, and how the information is so carefully laid out. It reminds me that art-making, whatever the medium, is always a process of decision making. The bold, sans-serif font feels very direct, and the texture of the paper adds to the sense of immediacy. Even the imperfections—the slight misalignments and variations in ink density—tell a story. See how the ink is slightly smudged in the upper corner? These small details connect us to the physical reality of the printing process. You can see the influence of early 20th-century graphic design in this announcement; I'm thinking of Russian Constructivism. Like those artists, this poster embraces function and clarity over purely aesthetic concerns.