"Loose lips sink ships"
- phrase coined by the War Advertising Council
Source: Calvin University.
In all of these posters, the viewer is encouraged to avoid “careless talk,” which is seen by both the authorities and by members of society as unpatriotic. However, what’s most important about these posters is not what’s shown, but rather what isn’t. In the first image, only a shadow of the enemy is shown. This gives the illusion that the enemy is about to pounce.
In the second image, only a hand with a swastika ring is shown to signify the enemy. This was effective because the masses react to symbols they view as threatening, and the puzzle piece combined with Nazi iconography threatens and then creates guilt from the viewer due to their "careless talk."
Poster by Stevan Dohanos. Source: Google Arts and Culture and Museu do Caramulo.
Source: National Geographic
The third poster, which is perhaps the most effective, doesn’t show the enemy, but only the enemy’s informant. This is impactful because it instills fear and suspicion in a unique way: it radiates an aura of relatability, or a sense that the subject of the poster could be a figure in the viewer’s life.