Advertising in the digital age is more ubiquitous than ever. With increasingly interactive and unconventional advertising formats, it is sometimes easy to forget about one of the fundamental classic mediums for delivering advertising: print.

In one form or another, print ads have been around since the 15th century. However, it's the last 100 years that have contributed most to what we now think of as the modern print ad.

Advertising both mirrors culture, and helps create it. Just as the needs and desires of the consumer changes, the style of the print ad evolves to accommodate these changes. Below is an exploration of the ever-evolving style of print ad design.

1910s

Print advertisements in the 1910s still resembled the visually crowded and copy-heavy ads of the 19th century. However, we see the seeds of the modern print ad being planted here: though these ads rely on long body copy, the decade did manage to produce some iconic images such as the 'I Want You' ad for the US Army.

1920s

Though print ads in the 1920s still relied heavily on long bodies of copy, images begin to play a larger role. We begin to see a better use of negative space which makes the ads appear less cluttered than in previous decades.

1930s

The stock market crash of 1929 and the subsequent Great Depression had a great impact on the advertising industry. Advertising generally slowed down and we see little change in style from the 1920s.

1940s

Print ads in the 1940s begin to depend more on imagery - some even eschewing block copy altogether in favor of images and slogans. We start seeing less and less copy and a better use of negative space.

1950s

The 1950s brought an experimental approach to ad layout and many of these new layouts are still in use today. They begin to push most copy towards the bottom, though there is generally a better balance between imagery and copy in this decade.

1960s

Advertisements such as Volkswagen's "Think Small" ad were the first of what would later be called the 'Creative Revolution' of the 1960s and 1970s. These ads rely more on big ideas than in previous decades, and we begin to see the more modern style combining a balance of headline and body copy. Think Don Draper!

1970s

Advertisements in the 1970s tend to use bright photographic images paired with a large headline and body copy.

1980s

The ads of the 1980s are much more simplistic than we have seen thus far. We now see even less copy and a focus on the female as the primary consumer.

1990s

The stylistic simplicity of the 1980s carries through into the 90s. This decade features some of the most creative and most recognizable ads of all time, including Nike's 'Just Do It' and the California Milk Processor Board's 'Got Milk?' campaign.

2000s

In the 21st century, simplicity and minimalism is key. Advertisements these days are often extremely image based with a reliance on digital manipulation. There is commonly an absence of, or very little, copy, and an employment of neat, simple ideas.

2010s

The 2010s has further embraced the minimalist use of copy, focusing to an even greater extent on high resolution imagery to sell the message. There is a slant towards surrealist imagery, enhancing strong elements that focus more on contrasts, as well as positive and negative spaces.

Conclusion

This showcase of print advertising shows the evolution of the medium over more than 100 years - and it has evolved a lot. The harmony of copy and design, and the balance therein, has varied considerably.

From the copy heavy ads of the early 20th century to the increasingly experimental and image driven ads of today, it is obvious that both the standards and the trends in print advertising are ever-changing. The only question remains: How will this format adapt to a market that now demands fully-integrated campaigns with a heavy focus on online advertising?

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This article was originally curated by Jordan Gladman, a freelance graphic designer from Canada, in May 2013. Additonal images and editing by Diyva Abe.

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Written by DesignCrowd on Monday, December 14, 2015

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