How Keep Calm and Carry On became a divisive 21st-Century phenomenon

Simplicity of design

The slogan has also been appropriated by protesters, “subverting the original propaganda message by adapting it to new situations and new social challenges (‘Keep calm and resist’)”, says Parry. “This shows how existing familiarity with a phrase can provide a shorthand tactic to attract attention, and hopefully get your message across in a memorable and often humorous way.”

The poster’s plainness has also contributed to its resonance. “The simplicity of the design is crucial to its adaptability, with the crown at the top, and five large words, in white sans serif typeface, on a red background. Red is a powerful colour and catches the eye. [That’s] why it is adaptable to contemporary visual culture, where a vast array of media messages compete for our attention,” Parry explains.

Alamy

And the endless copying and commodifying that took the poster from serious wartime messaging to a kitschy consumer product is hardly new. “Pictures like Van Gogh’s Self-Portraits, Munch’s The Scream… these are very intense works, and yet they have been endlessly subverted,” British graphic designer and typographer Jonathan Barnbook tells the BBC. He adds that human beings can take the most serious of contexts and subvert them into something unexpected – tenderness, humour, or even absurdity. “Turning pain into play, or anguish into understanding, it helps us connect with each other,” he says.

The endless parodying and reworking has proven deeply unpopular with some, however, who see it as a symbol of British elitism, wartime propaganda, or a tone-deaf response to genuine crises. Over the years, critics have mocked its stiff-upper-lip ethos, questioning whether “keeping calm” is always the right answer. For others, its endless parodies – from Now Panic and Freak Out to Keep Calm and Drink Wine – have drained it of all meaning.