The Incredible Shrinking Poster

In the so called pioneer days of post independence Singapore, and at the start of that incredible journey that “turned a backwater swampland into a thriving metropolis”, as the ruling party’s propaganda machine likes to remind us, we the citizens played our part in “nation building” by participating in endless campaigns to that end. 

Yours truly was summoned by the clarion call to Keep Singapore Clean by contributing a poster in the nationwide contest. I submitted four designs as follows: 


Four arms of different skin tones representing the four main races of the population.

The Lion of Singapura (Lion City) doing his bit for "nation building."

Who would refuse the flag waving Lion's appeal to duty?

Nothing like pulling the heart strings.


Although all were rejected for the top prize, one did receive a Highly Commended Award which, for unknown and unremembered reasons, I did not show up to collect even though the presentation and exhibition venue was the Singapore Conference Hall just two streets across from my office. 


The notification and invite letter.


Later I was surprised and flattered to discover that one design was turned into a postage stamp style sticker to help spread the campaign message. It also appeared in the news reports. Perhaps that was the one that was highly commended by the judges, I will never know.


The postage stamp style sticker shrunk from the poster submission.




The poster image was featured in news reports.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Inspired by the Salon des Refusés, Paris 1863

Stone Age tribe found in Singapore.

A life-changing rejection