It was in the 1920s and 1930s when the industry of American advertising and graphic design really took off. Although graphic design had been going through a steady transformation between the two World Wars, Americans were still trying to separate their ideals from European precepts. With the beginnings of a new world and the ideals of a born nation, American graphic design transcended old traditions and manifested the conception of a new image.
Beginning
In the beginning of the nineteenth century, advertisers were thinking of capturing the public's attention on a grand scale. America just established itself on the world's social currency ladder, and businessmen were looking to cash in.
Henry Ford
Advertisement with eye-catching graphics were heavily exploited by Henry Ford beginning in 1926.
1930s
American artists had a steady stream of work with the new wave in advertising. In 1930s, they started to think about their own images and turned away from what was copied from French and European artists.
Mehemed Fehmy Agha
Mehemed Fehmy Agha, a man from the Ukraine, inspired a new level of American graphic design with his "Vanity Fair" cover in 1932.
Patriotism
The government got in on the new type of American graphics and advertisements when they started the WPA Federal Art Project 10 in 1935. The project created over 35,000 posters and 4,000 murals from various American artists.
