I am a fan of all things movies. I camped out for Star Wars Episode 1, have every single ticket stub dating back to 1998 and am still in awe of the latest Batman film that I saw last night.
So when I saw this new map designed by Dorothy I quickly filed it under my “Christmas presents to buy for myself” folder. It is a film map that includes over 900 film titles such as Forrest Gump, Jurassic Park and Reservoir Dogs. The design is based on the style of a vintage Los Angeles street map so Hollywood Boulevard fits in perfectly.
Dorothy is three-person team based in Manchester and has lots of other cool items to buy in their shop.
- Steve
Sideshow Sign Co. specializes in giant vintage prints and light up marquee letters, inspired by old school entertainment industry venues. Based out of Nashville, Sideshow Sign Co. is run by Australian native Luke Stockdale, who seems to have perfectly channelled the southern city’s vintage musical charm into his design.
- Maggie
The 1903 film version of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” was made 37 years after the publication of the novel, just eight years after the invention of moving film. Though the silent movie clocked in at 12 minutes, the film was damaged - a single copy exists of the original material - and only eight minutes of the reel could be restored. More than a century since its release, the British Film Institute presents “Alice in Wonderland” in its original 1903 color scheme.
The clip above shares several minutes of the film, and it’s fantastic to see what modern day motion pictures developed from. It’s equally mindblowing that we can now watch a film made in 1903, which once existed as a delicate roll of 100 year old material, from any computer with internet access from any single spot on the globe.
Be sure to check out the short reel of the classic story. It’s a very enjoyable three minutes, if not occasionally mysterious. Is that a time traveling Maurice Sendak character at 2:29?
Mysterious, indeed. *(Waves kerchief)*
- Maggie
As designers Julie and Tim laid out the graphic backdrop to the new Block Club Creative website, they had some fun with the “About Our Team” section. Check out Tim’s amazing movie poster designs for Block Club’s film picks, above.
Playing with a minimalist, vintage-inspired look, his designs strip an iconic image or scene to its bones, evoking the endless potential for inspiration and imagination from these favorite films of ours.
- Maggie
Graphic designer Simon C. Page has created a beautiful series of posters in celebration of 2011, the International Year of Chemistry. With a nod to the theories and advances of famous chemists from Marie Curie to Albert Einstein, his minimalist designs bring the appropriate throw-back feel as chemists celebrate their past, looking ever forward.
- Maggie
Cavalier Men not your style? Check out an awesomely vintage tumblr at My Daguerreotype Boyfriend, a fascinating peek into the past for anyone interested in old-time fashion. And if I may be so forward: Sir, those stripes! Tell me about your tennis match, forever.
- Maggie
Designer Taylor Pemberton presents a beautifully (handsomely) executed brand experience in Cavalier’s upcoming men’s line. Launching this November, Cavalier Essentials is a line of vintage products designed for the rugged, yet sophisticated gentleman. Alternatively: “If Steve McQueen carried a beat-up leather duffle bag on the back of his motorcycle; what would be in it and how would the products look?” (Campaign designed and produced by Taylor Pemberton, photographed by Collin Hughes).
Looking good, boys.
- Maggie
Check out this great collection of vintage logos from the mid-70’s.
-Steve
This month sees the release of Alex Steinweiss: The Inventor of the Modern Album Cover, Taschen’s LP-sized retrospective of work from the originator of album cover art.
Alex Steinweiss invented the album cover as we know it, and created a new graphic art form. In 1940, as Columbia Records’ young new art director, he pitched an idea: Why not replace the standard plain brown wrapper with an eye-catching illustration? The company took a chance, and within months its record sales increased by over 800 percent.
A favorite is Gershwin’s “Concerto in F,” on which graphic designer Steve Heller comments:
“This is one of Steinweiss’s most symbolically eloquent and graphically exquisite works. The thin, condensed typography echoes the light coming through the building windows. The color of the city is not in the skyscrapers but on the street, where the tenements meet the El.”
- Maggie
Oh man, I j’adore the Muppets so much. Ever since they took Manhattan, they’ve been my best non-human friends. I hope their movie coming out this Thanksgiving is as cool as it should be. These posters do a pretty swell job of getting me excited at the thought of it.
Who’s your favorite Muppet?
-Ben
Awesome!
- Courtney
X-Games Go Retro Cool.
I love this branding for ESPN’s X-Games 2011. The illustrations are just kooky enough to signify ‘extreme sports’, the color palette is totally out of some 1970’s vintage gear (and works in a fantastic way), and the typographic explorations available after the jump are to die for.
By Jordan Metcalf, found on behance.net
- Courtney
I would definitely eat here. Om nom nom nom nom!
- Courtney
