Pertti Pohjola (1931–1995) graduated from vocational school in 1947 and went to work in the advertising department of retail cooperative Elanto. Pohjola was involved in developing Elanto’s own silkscreen printing press.
Pohjola was a very prolific graphic artist. More than 360 posters, labels, packaging and announcements left his desk. In the 1950s, there was still little to sell in stores, so the colourful silkscreen printed posters in store windows delighted the public. Pohjola stated that the golden age of poster art in the 1950s and 1960s was the happiest time of his life.
Pohjola was appointed artistic director of Elanto’s advertising department after the Norwegian Arnold Olsen. During Pohjola’s time, poster art developed a lot: first the posters were drawn, then came silkscreen, colour photographs, black and white hard image photographs and text posters.
In 1974, Pohjola was awarded a poster stipend by the Finnish section of Ulkomainos Oy’s Nordic Graphic Artists. The recognition was given for long-term and high-quality work in the field of poster art. Pohjola became a freelancer after 28 years of service in 1975. He did a lot of work for Postipankki, Fiskars and Neste, among others.