Since the AIDS epidemic erupted in 1981, many creative mediums have tried to communicate awareness of the disease by urging people and governments to act, listen, and learn. The inexpensive poster quickly became the weapon of choice in combatting AIDS. Visual design has played a huge role in spreading knowledge for the war against AIDS. Today protest materials such as Keith Harring’s work (portrayed above) are considered modern masterpieces.

Posters became the best method of communicating the AIDS virus because of their low-cost nature, ease of replacement, and their impact on public visibility. Posters have a way of grabbing attention in order to encourage action. Poster creators wanted to”claim power and attention,” for their cause, according to art historian Joan Saab. Protestors would say “if the state or the institutions aren’t going to support the cause, we’re going to do it ourselves.” This generated massive public strength against the virus. The posters were meant to educate populations that were unaware of the disease and its dangers.

Today, AIDS posters are not as commonplace as in the past. The AIDS virus has become more normalized and become more acceptable to talk about these days. Now, it’s written into sexual education curriculums and is tested for in pregnant women’s prenatal care. 30 years ago, people didn’t know what it was or how it spread. Due to the prevalence of visual art, people now know about AIDS.

Although many points of views have been visually represented throughout time, the poster gave way for all audiences to find their own point of entry to the AIDS discussion.

For more on AIDS posters, visit this article on “30 Years of AIDS: 6,200 Iconic Posters, 100 Countries, 1 Collector”

A portion of every ONE® Condoms sale goes to HIV/AIDS prevention efforts at home and abroad. ONE® Condoms supports self-expression and visual storytelling to emphasize important public topics.