Since its discovery by Nikola Tesla in the late 1800s, radio has vastly influenced the world, changing how we get our news, how we communicate and how we entertain ourselves. This informative and entertaining graphic looks at the evolution of the technology from its birth to the modern age of internet radio, looking at how it has adapted to different times and uses. [Read more...]
The history of the American brewing industry has been one of dramatic ups and downs, from a vibrant past of locally stocked saloons, to prohibition and the complete shutdown of the industry, to todays far reaching microbrewery scene. This fast-paced motion graphic from our friends over at Visual.ly, explores that wild ride through the past 110 years. [Read more...]
Just when I was feeling pretty young because I didn’t understand some of my older friends’ pop culture references from the 60‘s & 70’s, I came across this amazing YouTube Channel and realized I’m no spring chicken! The Museum of Obsolete Objects is a catalog of videos- each featuring an archaic apparatus that was once cutting-edge technology and is now relevant only to antique collectors in today’s society. [Read more...]
Who are the mysterious actors underneath the masks of our favorite movie and TV characters? When an elaborate costume like Chewbacca’s is featured on the big screen, that image will reserve a spot in our memories, but what about the person behind it all? Don’t they deserve some acknowledgement as well? Without these talented and animated actors the characters wouldn’t be nearly as memorable or amusing. Let’s pay tribute to the talent behind the mask. [Read more...]
If there’s one thing missing in modern designs, it’s a whole lot of patterns… I mean lets cover everything in checkerboard print! I’m not sure if these shots of far out interiors from the 1970s are showing us how far we’ve come in design or how far we’ve regressed… but it certainly makes me want to let my hair down and relax over some warm fondu. [Read more...]
When I was a young kid, I literally spent months drawing home plans. My childhood designs where heavily based off the vintage books I spent hours pouring over, little knowing they where long outdated designs from 50s and 60s America. So when I ran across this small booklet of vacation home plans from the Douglas Fir Association in 1960, I have to say I had a very soft (I mean soft!) spot in my heart for these fantastically creative and classic designs. The booklet is filled with stylishly painted illustrations of the homes, floor plans and interiors, depicting a leisurely existence of life at the lake, horseback riding, barbecues and dancing at midnight. [Read more...]
We are now past the days of long, hand-written letters, post marked with stamps you had to lick and sent with the care that said “this is a paper based expression of me.” But just how expressive can a small piece of paper be? In the case of these vintage letterheads, very. These personal designs of the past were a tangible expression of the person sending it, designed with the knowledge that soon it would be held in the hands of a friend or fan and possibly cherished for years to come. The letterheads we bring you here, found on the phenomenal and extensive site Letterheady.com, include examples from entertainers, writers and even inventors, from Groucho Marx to Thomas Edison, all showing their distinctive choice of how to represent themselves. [Read more...]
Just what exactly makes a company “good,” especially when that company is an advertising agency? Leo Burnett, founder of the eponymous ad agency, had a pretty good handle on the answer to that question back in 1967 when he made his retirement speech titled “When to take my name off the door.” Now, on the 75th anniversary of the firms beginning, a Brazilian design studio has made a stylish retro animation to celebrate the executive behind such iconic advertising campaigns as the Pillsbury Doughboy, Tony the Tiger and the Marlboro Man. If you’re addicted to watching Mad Men like so many others, this fellow is the real deal. [Read more...]
Nothing could warm the heart of a vintage comic book geek more than these sensational new artworks by Alex Gross. Taking antique photographs called Cabinet cards from the 1870s to 1920s, he hand-painted each one to look like comic heros, movie characters and even some colorful character creations of his own. He cleverly reworks the often plain backgrounds of the original image, moves arms around and changes their dress to something more “super,” retaining the face of the original portraits figure. Suddenly a solemn 19th century portrait becomes a stoic and colorful visage of Bizzaro standing before a war torn city. [Read more...]
We all have at least one special vintage photo from our past that brings a smile to our faces every time we look at it. Whether it’s the one your mother brings out to embarrass you when you introduce her to a new friend or the one you keep in a frame to remind you of a time of innocence and whimsy, [Read more...]
