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A black line illustration of a pair of glasses on a bright yellow background. The circular frames are arranged to mimic the five interlocking rings of the Olympic logo.

Graphic Design: Fons Hickmann M23 put together some powerful political posters for Amnesty

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Date
21 March 2014

Thus far we’ve only featured Fons Hickmann in the context of their work for cultural institutions. They’ve continually produced stunning work for Dresden’s Semperoper and Wuppertal’s Impulse Theater, drawing on the heritage of their locales to create imagery that has an inherent nostalgia but remains distinctly modern.

In this instance though, they’ve got a different kind of design in mind: the iconic slogan poster. These punchy, minimalist images accompany each new issue of Amnesty International’s Amnesty Aktion magazine, taking a subject high on the charity’s agenda and reducing it down to a hard-hitting graphic. A little harder to swallow than their theatre catalogues perhaps, but all the more effective for it.

A graphic poster for Amnesty International featuring a white silhouette of a person running. The figure is partially obscured by thick, vertical black and green stripes that bend around their body. A white box in the top left reads “ACTION SAVE LIVES!” alongside the Amnesty International logo.
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Fons Hickmann M23: Amnesty International Posters

A graphic poster on a bright yellow background features a sad face created from black silhouettes. Two hand grenades form the eyes, while a banana creates a downward-curving mouth. Text at the bottom reads “Bananas are more strictly regulated than weapons worldwide,” alongside the Amnesty International logo.
Above

Fons Hickmann M23: Amnesty International Posters

An illustration of an assault rifle composed of various national flags against a pink background. The US flag forms the magazine, while the UK, German and Italian flags appear across the body and stock. In the bottom right, a logo for Amnesty International sits beside the text “Control Arms!”.
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Fons Hickmann M23: Amnesty International Posters

A graphic poster for Amnesty International on a blue background. Four hands in black and white are bound together by a thick red ribbon, with the text “Russia Under Control” and its Russian translation above.
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Fons Hickmann M23: Amnesty International Posters

An illustration of George Washington’s portrait overlaid with a red, white and blue pattern of stars and stripes. A white banner at the bottom reads “STOP AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL THE DEATH PENALTY IN USA!”.
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Fons Hickmann M23: Amnesty International Posters

A poster featuring blue wavy lines that distort the text “Egypt is wonderful for diving and waterboarding!”. At the bottom, a banner reads “Stop torture in Egypt!” alongside the Amnesty International logo and website.
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Fons Hickmann M23: Amnesty International Posters

A red and white graphic poster featuring a stylized hangman’s noose. The loop of the rope forms an octagonal stop sign containing the word “STOP”. Text in the top left reads “STOP THE DEATH PENALTY!” alongside the Amnesty International logo.
Above

Fons Hickmann M23: Amnesty International Posters

A graphic poster on a bright yellow background features a black line drawing of glasses. The lenses and bridge are formed by five interlocking rings, mimicking the Olympic logo. Text at the bottom reads “Putin” alongside the Amnesty International logo, followed by “We are watching you!” and a website address.
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Fons Hickmann M23: Amnesty International Posters

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About the Author

James Cartwright

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James started out as an intern in 2011 and came back in summer of 2012 to work online and latterly as Print Editor, before leaving in May 2015.

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