Lovely Day for a Guinness
POSTED BY Jana Neil
March 17, 2011
Oh the iconic Guinness posters … witty and encouraging.
Guinness ads have changed a lot since those early 1930’s poster with messaging like “A GUINNESS a day, is good for you.” or “Guinness for Strength”. Gone are the days of beer advertisements convincing you of drinking your way to better health.
You can find all of these posters on the Guinness website. Within their Gallery of Ads there are posters from the 1930’s to 1980’s illustrating the evolution of Guinness advertising.
Personally I love the nostalgic posters of the 30’s and 40’s with John Gilroy’s humorous animal illustrations. The 1936 “My Goodness, My GUINNESS” Ostrich is a classic example of what Gilroy brought to Guinness. This poster caused some concern, as several people pointed out that if the ostrich had drunk the pint, the glass would have been the other way up. In response Gilroy stated, the ostrich had been trying to balance the glass on its beak when it slipped (copying the seal’s balancing act of course!).
John Gilroy was an English artist and illustrator, who worked for S H Benson's advertising agency. In 1928 Benson’s won the Guinness advertising account and Gilroy became the creator of the iconic advertisement art featuring the Zoo Keeper and animals. Gilroy apparently found inspired for the first poster when watching a seal at the circus.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
To view the collection of posters visit: www.guinness.com
Guinness ads have changed a lot since those early 1930’s poster with messaging like “A GUINNESS a day, is good for you.” or “Guinness for Strength”. Gone are the days of beer advertisements convincing you of drinking your way to better health.
You can find all of these posters on the Guinness website. Within their Gallery of Ads there are posters from the 1930’s to 1980’s illustrating the evolution of Guinness advertising.
Personally I love the nostalgic posters of the 30’s and 40’s with John Gilroy’s humorous animal illustrations. The 1936 “My Goodness, My GUINNESS” Ostrich is a classic example of what Gilroy brought to Guinness. This poster caused some concern, as several people pointed out that if the ostrich had drunk the pint, the glass would have been the other way up. In response Gilroy stated, the ostrich had been trying to balance the glass on its beak when it slipped (copying the seal’s balancing act of course!).
John Gilroy was an English artist and illustrator, who worked for S H Benson's advertising agency. In 1928 Benson’s won the Guinness advertising account and Gilroy became the creator of the iconic advertisement art featuring the Zoo Keeper and animals. Gilroy apparently found inspired for the first poster when watching a seal at the circus.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
To view the collection of posters visit: www.guinness.com
