Poster Art

The International Poster Collection holds more than 3,200 poster entries from the Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition (CIIPE). It was created through the collaboration of the Colorado State University Libraries and the Department of Art and is part of Archives and Special Collections.

View the majority of the posters from the 9th through 23rd shows (1995-2024) in our searchable database of posters. Posters restricted to CSU viewing only are also available for the 7th and 8th shows (1991-1993). Exhibition catalogs from 1979-2024 are available through the main database link.

To find the annual award-winning posters, search for the phrase "award winner." To find posters by exhibition year, search for the phrase "Exhibited yyyy" replacing yyyy with the year of interest.

Poster at right: Helmut Langer, "Agua" (2007-073)

Through an agreement with the Colorado State University (CSU) Department of Art, the International Poster Collection was established in 1991 to house second-copy posters received from the Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition (CIIPE). Posters in the collection reflect changing trends in graphic design and provide a far-ranging view of social, cultural, and political perspectives. Artists from over 40 countries as widespread as the United States, Colombia, Zimbabwe, Hungary, and Japan have created over 3,200 posters housed in the collection. Nearly all of the posters have been digitized and are available on this site.

The physical posters are housed in the Libraries' Archives and Special Collections Department and are non-circulating. To make arrangements to see the original posters or images not available on this site, please contact Archives and Special Collections (info at right). The Libraries also holds additional poster collections.

Poster Copyright and Permissions

Use of the International Poster Collection is intended for Educational Purposes Only. For these purposes, you may reproduce (print, make photocopies, or download) materials without prior permission, on the condition that you provide proper attribution of the source in all copies. Users are warned that copyright or trademark laws may restrict the use of these images. Users assume all risks of copyright or trademark infringement. Permissions for commercial use, publication, or anything other than educational purposes should be obtained from the parties originating these works and/or owning the rights to them.

Although we do not require you to contact us in advance for educational uses, we do appreciate hearing from teachers, students, and researchers who are using our resources in interesting ways. Please contact us (info at right).

Information About the Unavailable Images

While poster images from the 1995 and later exhibitions are available for viewing without restriction, those from the 1991 and 1993 exhibitions are restricted to Colorado State University users due to the artist agreements for those years. Instead of the full-size poster images for 1991 and 1993, non-CSU users will see an "Image Unavailable" graphic. For additional information, please contact us (info at right).

The first Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition (CIIPE) was organized in 1979 by the Colorado State University Department of Art's highly regarded graphic design unit. The purpose of CIIPE is to bring outstanding examples of international poster design to an American audience. This is accomplished by inviting entries from distinguished poster artists around the world.

Each biennial exhibition features posters created by nearly 100 artists from about 30 countries. Each artist is asked to submit two copies of up to two posters, resulting in exhibitions approaching 200 posters. One copy of the poster is exhibited and sold, while the other copy becomes a part of the International Poster Collection in the CSU Libraries. With the variety of subjects, viewpoints, and techniques that the posters represent, both the exhibition and the collection are excellent sources of education, enlightenment, and enjoyment.

CIIPE remains the only international poster exhibition of its kind in the United States and one of a growing number of similar exhibitions in the world. The program's long-range goal is to continue to focus on the poster as it responds to the contemporary world, to assess the impact of new technologies and the information age on the poster medium, and to spotlight emerging noteworthy designers.

The exhibition was held every other year since 1979, except for 2021, when it was delayed a year because of the global pandemic. It is now held in even-numbered years.