A very cool ampersand print with an interesting story…
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Category Archives: Artefacts
Friday find: Matchbooks
We’ve had matchboxes and cigarette packs on here before, so it’s only fitting to add matchbooks to the equation. As Johnny Cash points out, love is a burning flame!
The flipside of old New York Times photos
The New York Times recently launched a Tumblr to share old pictures from their newsroom archive. More exciting than the photos themselves, is the history recorded on the back of each picture.
Friday find: The Grapho-Scope and other forgotten art supplies
Whether you are old enough to have used a Grapho-Scope, or whether your first introduction to design was Adobe CS5, check out the online Museum of Forgotten Art Supplies curated by Lou Brooks…
Vintage Kodak packaging
Last night I saw an awesome movie called Super 8 which inspired me to find this old film and camera packaging.
Mysterious calligraphic album from the 1620s
These beautifully ornate calligraphic letterforms form part of an album entitled “Kalligraphische Schriftvorlagen” (calligraphic writing styles) produced by Johann Hering of Bavaria, Germany in the 1620s. Were they intended for educational use or simply practice sheets from Hering’s personal collection? According to BiblyOdyssey, there is … Read More →
Friday find: Book cover graphics
Julian Montague of Buffalo, New York started documenting interesting book covers from his collection in February 2009. Three years later (and over 1000 covers later) he is still at it…
IBM Film Ribbons by Paul Rand
A striking example of Paul Rand’s packaging design work for IBM from the 1960s.
Friday find: Bottle caps
I have always thought of bottle caps as an interesting little canvas and wondered how much attention actually goes into their design, but I had no idea that a passionate community of collectors exists…
Friday find: Jaunā Gaita magazine covers
Jaunā Gaita is a Latvian language magazine which has been published since the 1950s. Here are a few of their beautiful experimental covers from the past.
Vintage matchboxes from around the world
A look at the matchboxes of old, adorned with images of battle and grandeur. Oh and some toothpick boxes too.
Friday find: Gig flyer
Gig flyers have always been a playground for design experimentation, but they are usually not very representative of great typography. I think this one is a step up and I’ll tell you why…
The typographic allure of analogue control panels
In this age of touch screen interaction I think our senses are left underwhelmed by tapping and swiping and we often experience a yearning for the tactile response of dials buttons and gauges…
Friday find: Racing decals from the 1970s
I have always been a sucker for stickers, so it’s no surprise that these caught my attention…
Amazing vintage cigarette pack designs from around the world
Smoking or non-smoking, be sure to take a look at these fantastic cigarette pack designs from yesteryear, collected from different countries around the world…
Friday find: Atari logo
The Atari logo, sometimes referred to as the “Fuji” symbol, was designed at the company’s inception in 1972 by California based George Opperman.
Vintage record sleeves
Project Thirty Three is a blog by Seattle-based Jive Time Records, showcasing a fantastic collection of record sleeve designs, categorised by motif…
Handwritten letters of note
There is just something about handwritten correspondence that connects you to the writer unlike any other medium. Take a look at these examples from well known personalities, spanning several centuries…
Fantastic, strange, incredible, super, amazing comic book mastheads!
John Hilgart calls himself a curator of lost items. Among his assortment of finds, is SUPERTYPE! – a collection of high res vintage comic book mastheads to marvel at…
Friday find: Typewriter ribbon tins
Janine Vangool from Calgary, Canada has a great collection of vintage typewriter ribbon tins. How cool!
Friday find: Vintage erasers
Lovely eraser branding and packaging from yesteryear… and a skateboard deck!
Sex, prison and lost ligatures: The story of Avant Garde
I needed to clear this up for myself, the truth behind this great and mysterious typeface we know as Avant Garde. So for the benefit of those interested, here is the story…
Friday find: Flight thru Instruments, 1945
How awesome is this rare military flight manual from 1945? That front cover couldn’t be more perfect. An excerpt from the foreword: The pilot who cannot fly through instruments, therefore, consigns himself and his plane to a part time job and places both in the … Read More →
Incredible vintage typography from Sanborn Map Company
Examples of the incredible variety of ornate typographic titles which appeared on Sanborn Maps between 1880 and 1920.
Figural Cameos
Cameo refers to type design in which the characters are reversed out of a black background. In figural cameos, the background typically depicts the product or service being advertised.
Leonard Cohen’s letterhead, 1959
Letter from Leonard Cohen to Glen Shortliffe (Queen’s Quarterly), 7 June 1959.
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Vintage travel posters
Russell Johnston and Megan Jones have been collecting vintage Travel and Ski posters since 1979. The collection was started by Russell’s father Robert W Johnston, a Royal Air Force navigator after the Second World War…