The Second World War brought back the need for government propaganda again. 

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​Resources became limited and so, advertising, marketing, and promotion also changed.  While companies continued to market themselves, they also made sure to include how they supported the war efforts.  Graphic Design was switching once again to adapt to the needs of the times.  The government used Graphic Design to communicate to the people encouragement, direction, and other important information.  It was the designer’s jobs to communicate this in an eye-catching and hopeful light.  This historical event placed an emphasis on just how Graphic Design was important to not only a general understanding, but also to communication. (Roberts, 20-21)

The British streamlined ways that could influence post-war design practices.  “It commissioned and guided the creation of all forms of publicity, including films, and maintained a creatable standard of production against a background of material and human shortages.”  American designers created propaganda to promote unity throughout the country.  In Europe, the threat of Nazi take over created the move for some European artists to move to America, Switzerland, and Britain. (Roberts, 22-23)

For the years following the Second World War, American and Swiss approaches to design became very inspirational.  In Switzerland, the strength and unity of the country lead to ‘finely detailed quality of typography and graphic presentation’.  The survival of such a small sequestered country had no choice but to succeed. 

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In America, design “embraced everything from the vibrantly crude to the most elegantly refined, Las Vegas to Lloyd Wright.  Their finest typography and graphics bring together careful craft with the full exploration of wit, humor, drama, and contrast in the way words are presented visually, and images reinforce verbal ideas.”  Some influential designers of the time included Paul Rand, William Golden, Lester Beall, Alvin Lustig, Bradbury Thompson, Aaron Burns, Herb Lublin, and Gene Federico. (Roberts, 22-23)

With the world rebuilding after the Second World War, peace began to be restored.  Design magazines called Graphis and Domus showcased developments throughout the world.  Again, universities and art schools started to see a need to develop classes to enhance and supply the demand of an industrial society.  The government saw design as a pedestal to ‘promote trade and increasing appeal of products.  “Large exhibitions such as ‘Britain Can Make It’, and the ‘Festival of Britain’, had much to do with opening markets for trade in a recovering world.” (Roberts, 22-23)

Designers also started to take note of identity design after the Second World War.  They “developed a notion of visual identification beyond the trademark and logotype.”  Firms started to use ‘house-style’ manuals to create a brand for themselves, much like we do today. (Roberts, 40-41)  The style of this time period was heavily based on fashion, economic statistics, and print technologies of the time.​