Motivational poster

A motivational poster in the style of those produced by Successories

A motivational poster (or inspirational poster) is a type of poster commonly designed for use in schools and offices.

Intent

Poster created in World War II in Britain

The intent of motivational posters is to make people achieve more, or to think differently about the things that they may be learning or doing. The company Successories has long been credited with popularizing the motivational poster. A couple of their most famous works include: a poster featuring a photo of rowers, titled Teamwork with the message "Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results."; and a poster of an outdoor runner, titled Persistence, with the message "The race goes not always to the swift but to those who keep running."

This is not how everyone views such posters, however. Art Petty, for example, in discussing innovation writes that it "cannot be mandated or legislated, and it definitely is not inspired by the corporate motivational poster".

Parodies and demotivational posters

A demotivational poster concerning Wikipedia

This kind of poster has been repeatedly parodied, and parody motivational posters have become an Internet meme. One famous motivational poster features a kitten hanging from a tree branch along with the phrase "Hang in There, Baby!" This has been the target of various reproductions and parodies, such as an appearance on The Simpsons episode "The Twisted World of Marge Simpson" where Marge Simpson notices the copyright date (1968) and comments, "...determined or not, that cat must be long dead. That's kind of a downer." Another reference to the poster is The Onion's 1999 "In the News" photograph titled "Inspirational Poster Kitten Falls To Death After 17 Years".

Despair, Inc. has made a business out of such parody and cynical posters, with demotivational posters ranging from a picture of a tree bent over by wind with the caption "ADVERSITY: That which does not kill me postpones the inevitable." to a picture of a sinking ship with the caption "MISTAKES: It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others."

Further reading

• Alyson Ward (2005-04-02). "Posters like this are designed to inspire you to do your very, very best in the workplace. But do they really just inspire you to strangle the well-intentioned manager who put them on the wall?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Texas: The McClatchy Company): pp. 1F. 
• A. L. Marshall, A. E. Bauman, C. Patch, J. Wilson, and J. Chen (2002-12-01). "Can motivational signs prompt increases in incidental physical activity in an Australian health-care facility?". Health Education Research 17 (6): 743–749. doi:10.1093/her/17.6.743. PMID 12507349. http://her.oxfordjournals.org./cgi/content/full/17/6/743. 
• M. S. Dolan, L. A. Weiss, R. A. Lewis, A. Pietrobelli, M. Heo, and M. S. Faith (2006). "'Take the stairs instead of the escalator': effect of environmental prompts on community stair use and implications for a national 'Small Steps' campaign". Obesity Reviews 7 (1): 25–32. doi:10.1111/j.1467-789X.2006.00219.x. PMID 16436100. 
• Ross E. Andern C. Franckowiak, Kim B. Zuzak, Elise S. Cummings, Susan J. Bartlett, and Carlos J. Crespo (November, 2006). "Effects of a culturally sensitive sign on the use of stairs in African American commuters". Sozial und Präventivmedizin/Social and Preventive Medicine (Birkhäuser Basel) 51 (6): 373–380. doi:10.1007/s00038-006-5095-5. 
• Jacob A. Hyman (2003-08-22) (PDF). Computer Vision Based People Tracking for Motivating Behavior in Public Spaces. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. http://architecture.mit.edu./house_n/documents/Hyman03.pdf. 
• Stuart Biddle and Nanette Mutrie (2001). Psychology of Physical Activity. Routledge. pp. 305–306. ISBN 041523526X.  — a summary of two more studies, in 1980 and 1985, of the impacts of motivational signs at the point of decision on stair use