Showing the world’s most extraordinary Cuban poster designers and artists, published and exposed by Slanted, an independent magazine about typography, photography, graphic design and illustration.
 ABOUT THIS PROJECT 
We discovered the amazing power of Cuban poster art. First, Natalie Seisser, a graphic designer form Paris, came up to see us this year in April to show striking work from her Cuban designer friends. I (Lars Harmsen, editor of Slanted) went to Cuba this summer and met some of Natalie’s friends – as well as other artists and photographers. All of them are creating beautiful work, more analogue than digital, with a very human and warm touch. How could we create wider awareness for their amazing work and give those artists an international voice? As editor of Slanted magazine, together with Julia Kahl (editing manager), we thought it would be great to create this special issue: CUBAN POSTER ART – The New Generation. HISTORICAL CONTEXT During over fifty years of revolutionary power, the history and evolution of Cuba are connected to images and pictures. The society is based on culture and puts forward its creativity and diversity. Cuban poster production has reached its summit between the years 1965 and 1975. Artists and Graphic Designers have created their own efficient graphic language in order to educate and convey revolutionary ideals. The history of Cuban Graphic Design has seen then the birth of its masters. 
From the eighties, Cuba has suffered many economic difficulties due to the deterioration of exchanges with the USSR. The poster is as a consequence no more a government priority and material means become scarce in the workshops and orders are rare. A majority of Graphic Designers decide to leave the country and part of the island culture disappear with them. 
In 1984, the government opens the first Graphic Design School in the country, the ISDI (Superior Institute of Industrial Design) with the target to train professionals in the Design and Communication sector. Five years later, the first Graphic Designers graduate, start to work and boost the poster production. Little by little the organisms work again with this new generation and the history of Cuban Graphic Design is revived. GOAL: MAGAZINE AND EXPOSITION
 This special issue of Slanted, will be released in spring 2013, attracting attention to an international level. This project has the goal to raise € 10,000 additionally to our usual budget. We want to cover expenses we usually don’t have: 1. For an exhibitions with original silkscreened posters, touring from city to city. Shipping, organization and insurances for first shows in Berlin, Leipzig and Paris will cost € 4,000,- 2. Translations: The magazine will be bilingual (Spanish/English). With a volume of 320 pages we will have to translate all interviews and texts either to English or Spanish. This needs to be done professionally and will be € 4,500 3. Additional print of 1,000 copies that will be shipped to Cuba. Whoever has been in Cuba knows how hungry Cubans are for good printed matter. Extra printing: € 1,500,- This project funded will enable us to share what we see as being an extraordinary inside view into Cuban design, reflecting the reality of life in Cuba and the beauty that lies within its complexity. > Slanted is … 
… an independent magazine; so dependent on you! We (Lars Harmsen, Florian Gaertner and Ulrich Weiss) are design junkies and borderline (okay, all-around) typography obsessives and met 1996. Since that time we run a small design studio in Karlsruhe, south Germany. It occurred to us one day in 2005 to put our heads together and work on a typography and design magazine we knew we’d be enthusiastic enough to give our nights and weekends to. We first launched a blog (www.slanted.de), today one of the most important ones in German speaking area. The magazine followed and became a source of inspiration and reference in the fields of creation, typography, graphics, illustration and photography. Meanwhile 20 issues of Slanted had been published. Blog and magazine won numerous international awards. We understand the need for delivering a high quality product. And we are Germans, means accurately as possible and on time. We will ship the issue to all our backers around the world within our promised delivery date, Spring 2013. Your happiness is our business! Get more information about the project at http://www.slanted.de/cuba