This page contains images of some of the HIV and AIDS posters that AVERT has collected in its archive from around the world. Whilst the collection is in no way a comprehensive representation of all of the posters that have been produced over the years, the images we have selected do cover a range of styles, topics and years.
back to top The early posters (1984)
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These two posters from the UK were produced by the Terrence Higgins Trust. They are interesting from an historical perspective, as they were produced soon after HTLV-III was identified as the virus that caused AIDS. HTLV-III became known as HIV in 1986.
back to top Who can get AIDS (1985 - 1987)
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These two posters are examples from 1985. They explain who is at risk from AIDS.
This poster, produced by AVERT in 1986, also explains who is at risk, but additionally includes some of the more simple messages that the next group of posters use. It is also of an historical interest, as it predicts that there will be 400 deaths a month and 250,000 people infected in the UK by 1991. These figures were quoted by the Public Health Laboratory Service in 1986. In fact, the actual rates were nowhere near as high as this.
In 1986, the British Government mounted a poster and leaflet campaign with the slogan "Don't Aid AIDS". This changed into the theme of "Don't die of ignorance" over the course of the next year. This poster fits in between the two campaigns. It does mirror the television advert by using an image of the word AIDS on a tombstone.
back to top Simple transmission messages (1985-1988)
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- American poster tackling fears over HIV transmission, 1985
- 'None of these will give you AIDS' poster
- 'Is it safe? The chalice and AIDS' poster
- 'I have AIDS please hug me' poster
- Poster tackling myths about HIV transmission
- 'Can you get AIDS from a toilet seat?' poster
- HIV prevention poster aimed at drug users
These seven posters, ranging from 1985 to 1988, have a common theme of getting across a simple message about transmission. This was a time when HIV/AIDS was becoming a more familiar term, and these posters aim to explain about HIV/AIDS in a simple, easy to understand way. It was also a time of misunderstanding and fear, and posters such as the Terrence Higgins Trust poster from 1986, aimed to answer people's questions over HIV transmission, in this case over sharing the chalice in church.
back to top More complex messages (1987-1992)
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- 'AIDS in the black community' poster
- Gran Fury poster
- 'She shows all the signs of having HIV' poster
- Gran Fury poster
- 'No one is immune' HIV prevention poster
- 'AIDS Can Affect Anyone' UK poster
These six posters try to put across their message in a slightly more complex way.
back to top Safer sex and condoms (1987-1997)
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- Early campaign to promote condom use in America
- Danish safe sex poster
- 'Condoman' poster
- American campaign poster
- 'Europe against AIDS' poster
- 'Choose safer sex' poster
- German condom promotion poster
- 'Smart girls carry condoms' poster
- 'It should be you' poster promoting safer sex
- 'Enjoy safer sex' poster
- UK poster promoting condom use, 1997
- 'Choose safer sex' poster
This group of posters range over a ten year period, from 1987 to 1997. They have moved on from simply putting out messages about how HIV is transmitted, or who is at risk, to explaining how to stop yourself becoming infected.
back to top More recent posters
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- 'You are not the only one' AIDS awareness poster
- South African HIV prevention poster
- "If you don't have HIV' UK prevention poster
- 'Prejudice is rooted in ignorance' poster
- UK AIDS awareness poster
- 'How do you know what you know?' HIV prevention poster
- 'Do you have a death wish?' HIV prevention poster
- 'Help protect your baby from HIV' campaign poster
- South African poster promoting HIV testing
- 'Condoms are free' poster, UK
- 'Condom countdown' poster, World AIDS Day 2003
- New Zealand HIV prevention poster
More recent HIV/AIDS posters have featured a whole range of health and social issues affecting people today. Themes covered by the posters above include antenatal testing for pregnant women, racism, basic HIV transmission issues, ethnic minority needs and stigma and prejudice.
We welcome any donations of HIV/AIDS or sex education posters that you would like to donate to our collection. Please send them to the address at the bottom of this page. Please note that we are unfortunately not able to send out any original copies of any of the posters that are displayed here.