Reproduce and personalize

"a poster that has been reproduced, parodied and trivialized, and that has become a truly iconic image of the 21st century. It's design is considered simple and timeless, and now commonly recognizable.

However it is perhaps the words on the poster that people find the most enchanting. Like a voice out of history, it offers a very simple, warmhearted message to inspire confidence in others during difficult times, and is something that should never fade from fashion..."

KEEP
CALM
_AND
CARRY
ON

Step 1: KEEP CALM AND GET INSPIRED!

Reproducing and physically making your iconic poster is surprisingly simple. The hard part is deciding on what your message is going to be.
Do you want your message to be heartfelt? humorous? personal? universal? To get inspired, check out trusty google images. Here are 3 variations of the poster I resonated with.

Step 2: KEEP CALM-O-MATIC!

After finally deciding what your message is going to be, you'll need to make some decisions regarding the poster's design. Luckily this doesn't have to be painfully time consuming. While reading about war propaganda posters, I discovered KEEP CALM-O-MATIC, a simple to use, free website that generates personal KEEP ON posters in seconds. Awesome!

Step 3: KEEP CALM THE LASER IS ON

After generating your image using KEEP CALM-O-MATIC, open a copy of your image into Adobe Illustrator. From Illustrator's print dialog box, adjust speed and power settings, as well as select the appropriate resolution and job type for the material you are working with.
I chose to create my poster using yellow mat board I found around TechShop, but you can make your poster out of paper, cardboard, wood, acrylic...all sorts of materials.

Step 4: KEEP CALM AND LASER ON

After etching the first iteration of your poster, don't be afraid to experiment with different colors, materials, textures, and concepts. I eventually cut my poster down and mounted it on some brown mat board. What do you think? What would your KEEP CALM poster look like?