WWII Poster - Warning the American People

The point of government-produced or government-commissioned posters was to grab an American's attention - and hold it. The point, among other things, was to make the people worry.

In 1942, the federal government's Office of Facts and Figures issued the following statement in How to Make Posters That Will Help Win the War:

War posters that are symbolic do not attract a great deal of attention, and they fail to arouse enthusiasm. Often, they are misunderstood by those who see them.

In other words ... create something that will grab the public's attention - and then make them act the way the government wants them to act.