Hoping against hope…
In 1989, designer (and South Carolinian) Shepard Fairey began to paste stickers all over the Northeast, featuring an iconic face and the mysterious message “Andre the Giant Has a Posse” or “Obey Giant.” Since then, his palette, geographic range and activities have increased enormously; when he offered to support Barack Obama’s campaign with some posters in January 2008, he readily got permission from Obama to do so. Within a day, he had finished two designs, one with the text “PROGRESS”, and another with “HOPE”– both now well known…
For an account of the extraordinary story from there (e.g., one of Fairey’s mixed media versions sold at auction in July for over $100,000)– and for a look at a selection of knock-offs (not all pro-Obama), just visit Rene Wanner’s PosterPage.
As we sharpen our pencils, we might recall that it was on this date– Oscar Wilde’s birthday– in 1923 that Walt Disney and his brother Roy founded The Walt Disney Company (though until 1926, it was known as “Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio”).