Aggie Toppins wrote in Eye on Design that many historical posters with a great cultural impact were “anonymous, amateur, or otherwise non-canonical design.” In other words, works like the legendary “I AM A MAN” protest poster move hearts just as much as polished campaigns by designers.

This observation has continued to the present day. Designers put a lot of hard work and effort into making beautiful posters. But just as a well coordinated series can impress upon an audience, so can a simple message written in Arial or Calibri on blank white printer paper--perhaps by someone with no design experience at all! These sorts of messages are paradoxically the essence of design: an elegant solution to a visual problem.