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structured form. It consists ofthe summarised description of
the Unimarc records, where the information is stored in XML,
allowing importation of Unimarc records available by Aleph.
3. The classification system adopted by some leading
publications
Over the course of this research, some publications about
posters were selected in orderto study the distinctions made by
some authors in the creation of their own taxonomies, thereby
furthering our knowledge of the subject and broadening our
horizons as regards the existence of and reasons for different
systems.
Françoise Enel distinguishes three types of poster (commercial,
propaganda and cultural), justifying this division on the basis
of differences existing between them. The first, she claims, is
related above all to business and thus links economics and
society; such posters are not only informational in character,
but also seek to influence consumers by stimulating desires
and inciting them to buy. 'Arousing complex feelings like
desire for prestige and respectability, the poster stimulates
new needs and creates tensions in the individual, while at the
same time suggesting how those tensions can be resolved'
(Enel 1974:118)
Normally, this type of poster is large format and has a simplified
message and picture, using as few graphic elements as
possible in order to cause the biggest impact.
As regards the propaganda poster, she considers that this
differs from the commercial poster in that there is no direct
sale of any product, despite the fact that a message is
transmitted between the organization and the public. 'This
category includes all posters that could be considered to
be "of public interest", in the sense that they do not 'sell' a
product or doctrine as such, but function rather as a way of
protecting the individual - against alcohol, the destruction of
the environment, etc' (Enel 1974:119)
The propaganda posterusessimilarresourcestothecommercial
ones, Enel points out; it establishes communication in a similar
way via image, text, colour, composition and rhetoric, and uses
similar persuasive techniques that operate subconsciously.
The differences reside only in the desired results. While the
commercial poster seeks to arouse sentiments of possession,
wellbeing, status, etc, the propaganda poster attempts to
stimulate subconscious feelings or emotions of hope, life,
death, rivalry, fear, sensitivity, etc, thereby changing people's
behaviour.
As regards the cultural poster, Enel considers alt those
concerned with Intellectual and artistic activities, generally
aimed at a more restricted audience and transmitting more
specific information which does not need to be understood
by everybody. Unlike other types of poster, cultural posters
are related to cultural events. '(...) the concert, exhibition,
conference... They scarcely use the persuasive techniques of
the commercial poster. The cultural poster does not attempt
to manipulate reality or to give It any kind of mythical charge'
{Enel 1974:127-128)
This category includes posters for shows and films. Abraham
Moles reduces the number of categories to two, i.e.
advertising/commercial posters and political/propaganda
posters. Although the message and representation techniques
are the same, he claims that the former is concerned with
socioeconomic matters while the latter inclucies non-
advertising organisations. However, he also considers that
posters may be classified according to their message and
representations, presenting the following classification
system, to which he attributes the following characteristics:
(1) poster that has been photographed or drawn
(2) poster in black and white or in colour (two-colour,
four-colour)
(3) use of argumentation or seduction
(4) primitlvist (- Savignac) or elaborate
(5) poster of a recognisable "style", eg. 1900-style,
1926 (Art Deco) style, or "modern", or no appeal to any
definite date.
(6) abstract, symbolic or concrete {high degree of
iconiclty, eg. packed soups) {Moles 2005:199).
In additiontothlsclassification, he suggests a system of records
that could be applied to posters. The various classifications
are presented on the same record card with the subjects
listed above, from which one subject can be selected for each