A History Lesson: Keep Calm and Carry On

A few months ago, I blogged about one of my customers' favorite new designs. Keep Calm and Carry On has not only been extremely popular on its own, but has spawned so many different versions for every possible occasion: in addition to the ones I already mentioned, I've had requests for Keep Calm and Kill Zombies, Keep Calm and Argh Matey,  and Keep Calm and Carry On My Wayward Sons as well as designs for sororities, fraternities and different teams. I really like this concept and have had a lot of fun coming up with different designs both for customers and to entertain myself.

 

It's funny what a life this simple phrase has taken on in pop culture, especially considering its origins. The design was originally commissioned just before World War II by King George to reassure the British people and was recently rediscovered in a British bookstore. My knowledge of the design's history pretty much ended there until I stumbled upon this charming video today.



It's interesting to think that this simple message was meant to calm citizens in a situation where remaining calm would be the last possible imaginable reaction. I have to admit, of all the funny and clever designs I've seen so far, the original remains my favorite.

P.S. A visit to Barter Books was just added to the Bucket List. It looks amazing!

Visit my public Facebook album for more ideas using "Keep Calm and..."

Keep Calm and Uppercase

It all started with King George. In 1939, prior to the outbreak of World War II, his Ministry of Information commissioned the now-ubiquitous "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster as a message to motivate and reassure the British population. Rediscovered in 2000, the poster has taken on a new life and you can now find it on socks, tins, stationary and so much more, with dozens of variations.

When the new Uppercase Living catalog was unveiled this past summer, I was thrilled to see the original "Keep Calm and Carry On" included. My customers were, too, and have enjoyed selecting this expression in different sizes and colors to fit their decor. Of course, it doesn't just have to go in your home. Personally, I think every car on the Los Angeles freeways needs one for its back window.

 

Since the beauty of Uppercase Living is our endless options for customization, it wasn't too long before I started coming up with other "Keep Calm" designs. First, this one for Halloween, which fit in perfectly with my friend JoAnne's decor.

After that, I decided to have some fun with Thanksgiving. It wasn't long before I turned "Keep Calm And Give Thanks" to "Keep Calm And Eat Pie." At the same time, I realized that there are some sentiments that aren't limited to just the holidays. Thus were born "Keep Calm And Drink Coffee" and its big sister, "Keep Calm And Drink Wine" (could tequila be far behind?).

 

Before long, it was time to start thinking about the holiday season. I had a couple ideas of my own, such as
 

 

and

 but JoAnne insisted on

Of course, I couldn't forget Hanukkah, so I also designed

And then when the snow started to fall on the East Coast and Midwest, I realized that people might get into somewhat of a panic. To reassure them, I created

Obviously, the possibilities are endless. As I thought about all of the different embellishments Uppercase Living offers, I realized what a great addition these signs would be in sorority and fraternity houses. We have all of the Greek letters and over 50 colors to choose from. So something like this design is quite easy to create.

And so is a design to share your team spirit:

Wouldn't that be great for tailgating?

All of the designs shown here are sized to fit a 16x20 canvas (available inexpensively in most craft stores) that can be painted in any color. Of course, they can also be applied to the wall, door, cars, etc. Because they are custom designs, the size is completely flexible. In this size, most designs are under $30.

Whether it's a reminder to yourself to keep calm, or a custom gift for someone else, this is one expression that will be fun to have around. Contact me so I can create the perfect "Keep Calm" for you!