# Demotivational Posters

> Demotivational Posters is a 1998 image-macro format created by Despair, Inc., pairing black-bordered images with sardonic captions designed to mock and deflate office motivational posters rather than inspire.

Demotivational Posters are mock motivational posters that parody the inspirational wall art found in offices and schools. Created by Despair, Inc. in 1998, the format pairs a black-bordered image with a sardonic caption designed to deflate rather than inspire[1]. The format became one of the earliest widespread internet meme templates during the 2000s, spawning millions of user-generated versions across forums, imageboards, and blogs[4].

## Origin
The format was invented by E.L. Kersten, a former management academic with a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication, along with twin brothers Justin and Jef Sewell[2]. The three were working at an internet service provider in Dallas (later Austin), Texas, where they felt "hosed" by their employer. They started creating satirical takes on motivational posters as a private joke among colleagues[2].

In 1998, they turned the joke into a business called Despair, Inc.[1]. The company sold physical demotivational posters, calendars, coffee mugs, and office supplies, all branded with their cynical anti-motivational messages[3]. Kersten positioned the company as "the brand for the cynics, pessimists and the chronically unsuccessful"[1].

Early products included posters like "TEAMWORK: A few harmless flakes working together can unleash an avalanche of destruction" and "MEETINGS: None of us is as dumb as all of us"[1]. The products specifically targeted workers trapped in cubicle culture who found corporate motivational campaigns patronizing[2].

- **Platform:** Despair.com (original product), forums and imageboards (meme format)
- **Creator:** E.L. Kersten (Despair, Inc. founder), Justin Sewell (co-founder), Jef Sewell (co-founder)
- **Date:** 1998

## Overview
A Demotivational Poster follows a strict visual formula: a photograph or image centered on a black background, framed with a thin border, with a title in large white capital letters and a smaller tagline underneath. The format directly mirrors the glossy motivational posters common in corporate offices and classrooms, but swaps uplifting messages for cynical, defeatist, or darkly humorous ones[6]. Where a motivational poster might show a soaring eagle with the word "ACHIEVEMENT," a demotivational version might show a bear about to eat a salmon with "AMBITION: The journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very, very badly"[1].

The visual consistency of the format made it instantly recognizable and easy to replicate, which drove its massive adoption as an internet meme template[4].

## How It Spread
Despair, Inc.'s images spread rapidly through office email chains in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Workers forwarded the images to colleagues, though the founders initially hadn't thought to include their web address on the images, meaning the content went viral before the company could capitalize on it[2]. Justin Sewell later called this a slow-burn advantage, as people kept discovering the company for the first time years after launch[2].

By 2004, CNN reported that Despair had grown to $4 million in annual sales[1]. That same year, the format had already spread beyond Despair's official products into user-generated content. On September 1, 2004, a Chamber of Secrets forum user posted a thread of custom Harry Potter Demotivational Posters, one of the earliest documented examples of fan-made versions[4].

Throughout the mid-2000s, the format exploded across blogs, message boards, and imageboards[4]. TechRepublic published a slideshow of Despair's demotivators in July 2006, bringing them to a tech-savvy audience[7]. Websites like Sloshspot began creating character-specific poster collections, including sets for Peter Griffin and Kurt Vonnegut quotes[8][10].

By 2008, the New York Times profiled the company, noting sales had climbed to $4.5 million annually and were up 15 percent that year as the economic recession drove people to search for terms like "despair" and "failure" online[2]. The format had by then become a staple of internet humor, with anyone able to create their own version using free online generators.

The user-generated wave eventually overtook the original Despair products in volume. Forums like 4chan, Something Awful, and countless others adopted the black-bordered format for everything from fandom jokes to political commentary[4]. The format's simplicity made it one of the most accessible early meme templates, requiring only basic image editing skills.

## How to Use
The classic demotivational poster format follows a simple template:
1. Choose an image, typically one that's funny, ironic, or captures something absurd
2. Place it centered on a solid black background with a thin white or colored border
3. Add a one-word title in large white capital letters below the image (like "COURAGE," "SUCCESS," or "POTENTIAL")
4. Write a short tagline in smaller text that subverts the title's positive connotation with a cynical, deflating, or darkly funny observation

## Cultural Impact
Demotivational Posters tapped into the same vein of workplace dissatisfaction that made Dilbert and The Office cultural touchstones[2]. The format gave cubicle workers a way to push back against corporate optimism without directly confronting management. As one office manager told the New York Times, the images were "not just funny, but honest, and provide a kind of escape from corporate optimism masking the latest round of job cuts"[2].

Kersten parlayed Despair's success into a book called *The Art of Demotivation*, which led to an interview with the Harvard Business Review discussing the gap between corporate positive psychology and genuine workplace wisdom[2]. The company also produced video podcasts extending what Justin Sewell called the "narrative context" of the Despair worldview[2].

Despair, Inc. expanded beyond posters into novelty products like Bittersweets, Valentine's Day candy hearts stamped with messages like "I MISS MY EX," "TABLE FOR 1," and "SETTLE 4 LESS," marketed as "perfectly suited to the dejected spirits of those who will spend the holiday alone"[9].

The format's influence on internet culture was massive. Demotivational posters helped establish the visual grammar of image macros, with their combination of bordered image and overlaid text paving the way for later meme formats like Advice Animals and modern image macros[5]. Wikipedia notes that parodies of motivational posters became one of the internet's earliest recognized meme formats[5].

## Fun Facts
- Despair, Inc.'s founders originally created demotivational posters as private jokes they hid from their bosses. Justin Sewell described it as "less a matter of speaking truth to power than of muttering truth behind power's back"[2].
- The company sells a clear coffee mug with a line marked to show precisely when it's half empty[2].
- Sales at Despair, Inc. actually increased during economic downturns, with a 15% jump in 2008 as recession-hit workers searched for "despair" and "failure" online[2].
- One anonymous motivational seminar speaker warned CNN that "it takes a lot of work to motivate people, but only one sourpuss to turn an office into a bunch of sourpusses"[1].
- Despite selling anti-motivational products, Despair, Inc. grew into a $4.5 million business by 2008, proving there's solid money in pessimism[2].

## Frequently Asked Questions
### What are Demotivational Posters?
Demotivational Posters are satirical images that parody corporate motivational posters. They feature a picture on a black background with a title and cynical tagline designed to deflate rather than inspire[1].

### Where did Demotivational Posters come from?
The format was created in 1998 by E.L. Kersten, Justin Sewell, and Jef Sewell, who founded Despair, Inc. after growing frustrated with their tech company employer in Texas[2].

### What does a Demotivational Poster mean?
They mock the empty optimism of corporate motivational culture by subverting inspirational clichés with dark humor and cynicism. The format speaks to workplace dissatisfaction and disillusionment with corporate platitudes[1].

### How do you make a Demotivational Poster?
Pick an image, place it on a black background with a border, add a one-word title in white caps, and write a short cynical tagline underneath. Free online generators also automate the formatting[6].

### Are Demotivational Posters still popular?
The original Despair, Inc. format peaked in the late 2000s as an internet meme template. While user-generated versions are less common now, Despair, Inc. still sells products and the format is widely recognized as a classic early internet meme[4].

### Who founded Despair, Inc.?
E.L. Kersten, a Ph.D. in Organizational Communication, co-founded the company with twin brothers Justin and Jef Sewell in 1998[2].

### How much money did Despair, Inc. make?
The company reached $4 million in annual sales by 2004 and grew to approximately $4.5 million by 2008[1][2].

### What is "The Art of Demotivation"?
A book written by Despair co-founder E.L. Kersten that satirizes management culture. It led to an interview with the Harvard Business Review[2].

### Why did Demotivational Posters get popular during the 2008 recession?
Sales jumped 15% as laid-off and anxious workers searched online for terms like "despair" and "failure," finding Despair, Inc.'s products[2].

### What are Bittersweets?
A Despair, Inc. product: Valentine's Day candy hearts with dejected messages like "TABLE FOR 1" and "SETTLE 4 LESS," sold in flavors like "Banana Chalk" and "Fossilized Antacid"[9].

### What's the most famous Demotivational Poster?
Among the best-known is the "GIVE UP" poster featuring a cat hanging on (parodying the classic "Hang In There" motivational poster), with the tagline: "At some point, hanging in there just makes you look like an even bigger loser"[2].

## References
1. [CNN.com - Despair Inc. the brand for cynics - Jan. 17, 2004](<https://web.archive.org/web/20041217071821/https://edition.cnn.com/2004/BUSINESS/01/17/offbeat.life.despair.reut/>)
2. [Rob Walker - Consumed - The New York Times](<https://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/magazine/27wwln-consumed-t.html?_r=1>)
3. [Demotivators® - The World’s Best Demotivational Posters Page 2 - Despair, Inc.](<https://despair.com/collections/demotivators?page=2>)
4. [Demotivational Posters - Know Your Meme](<https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/demotivational-posters>)
5. [Motivational poster](<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motivational_poster>)
6. [Demotivational Posters - Urban Dictionary](<https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Demotivational%20Posters>)
7. [Images: Demotivators strike again - TechRepublic](<https://www.techrepublic.com/pictures/images-demotivators-strike-again/>)
8. [Family Guy's Peter Griffin Motivational Posters and Awesome Quotes - Slosh Spot](<https://www.sloshspot.com/blog/03-30-2009/Peter-Griffin-Motivational-Posters-139>)
9. [My Funny Valentine | minifashionistablog](<https://minifashionistablog.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/my-funny-valentine/>)
10. [Kurt Vonnegut Motivational Posters - Slosh Spot](<https://www.sloshspot.com/blog/01-24-2009/Kurt-Vonnegut-Motivational-Posters-107>)

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