Heat Cold | 1937

Heat Cold Rural Electrification Administration, 1937, by Lester Beall

This striking poster features a stylised thermometer bisecting the composition, its bulb resting in a bold blue field labelled “COLD,” while its column rises into a vibrant red background marked “HEAT.” Thin black lines representing power lines cut across the central divide, suggesting the reach of modern energy into rural areas. The typography is clear and purposeful, and the use of primary colours enhances the graphic clarity. The image conveys the transformative power of electricity, with the thermometer symbolising environmental control—warming and cooling alike.

Commissioned by the U.S. Rural Electrification Administration (REA), this poster was part of a 1937 campaign aimed at promoting the benefits of bringing electricity to America’s underserved farming communities. At the time, over 90% of rural households still lacked access to electric power. Beall’s poster uses minimal text and a visual metaphor to express how rural electrification could drastically improve daily life. These posters were not simply decorative—they were a central part of Roosevelt’s New Deal communications strategy, aiming to win support for federally backed infrastructure projects during the Great Depression.

Lester Beall (1903–1969) was a pioneering American graphic designer known for introducing elements of European modernism to U.S. commercial art. Inspired by Constructivism and the Bauhaus, Beall worked with geometric forms, strong diagonals, and photomontage to achieve visual immediacy. He was one of the first designers to be given a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1937) and played a key role in defining modern American corporate identity through work for clients like the REA, IBM, and the U.S. Government. His REA posters are now considered landmarks in American design history.