There’s something poignant and beautiful about old illustrated tourist maps that satisfies my love of retro design – and my nosiness about people’s excursions and travels…
These fold-out maps of Paris and London are from an elderly couple who kept these as souvenirs from their early 50s trip – the London map even had a little dried sprig of foliage pressed inside.
A quick detour through the local Vinnies had me pondering the death of the LP. The large area of the cardboard sleeve provided huge acreage for artwork and typography – sometimes amazing, sometimes cringey, sometimes touching off fond memories of my parent’s collection – I’m talking Neil Diamond, Glenn Campbell, Charley Pride… wait, maybe I was flicking through their old collection?!
I had to have this Perry Como album with its saturated colour, 70s type and super-tanned Perry, and gave it a spin on the old hi-fi. I defy you to listen to ‘And I Love You So’ and not mix a martini.
50c bought this great Golden Books’ ABC rhymes record – you read along with the record, and the illustrations by Roland Rodegast and Grace Clarke are absolutely charming.
I didn’t design this lovely label… I just wish I had!
Discovered this on the weekend in the venerable ‘Bucks Off Liquor Store’ and instantly fell in love.
The gorgeous type – my kind of slab serif (maybe it’s Caecilia – one of my favourites?); the minimal effect; the wonderful silver foil; the detailed fork illustration with a lovely spot varnish… ahh. When label design works.
So I’m yet to sample its wonders, but it’s going in the fridge now, and hey, if you’re the designer, salut to you!
And please drop me a line to say so.
I picked up some old type blocks at the Oxford St Market on Saturday. These fab blocks make interesting displays and have lovely textures – can’t wait to ink ‘em up.
Just returned from our R+R break in Sydney: 5 days and about 500 kms walking! One day we hiked from our hotel in the CBD to Woollahra and back – in teeming rain! We also covered Darlinghurst, Surry Hills, Newtown (don’t ask) and even Parramatta Rd one day (Deus ex Machina the highlight there). Not to mention the Art Gallery of NSW, Museum of Sydney, cocktails at the Café Sydney on top of Customs House, an Opera House tour and a ferry trip to Manly. See that cool place Nookie? It must be the smallest coffee joint in the world – the barista works in a room the size of a cupboard.
When it wasn’t raining, I would grab a few snaps along the way – great architectural details, cool type and bits of urban art everywhere. We were delighted to discover Calder’s stabile sculpture in front of Seidler’s Australia Square building (see above).
Now it’s back to the reality of not having room service at our disposal! And where’s my turndown service and pillow mint?
What designer can resist a vintage, boomerang-shaped promo? For P&O cruises ‘boomerang’ excursions to England – I guess so-named as you would finally arrive in England to ghastly weather and boomerang straight back to Oz!
In 4 spot colours, it’s an ingenious piece of advertising. Gorgeous type.
This amazing booklet was released to accompany South Seas Adventure 1958, fifth in a series of Cinerama travelogues, narrated by Orson Welles.
It features great pics of hip-swivelling girls, exotic cocktail-drinking, warrior spear-waving, and a guide to hosting your own Backyard Luau “the romance of the South Sea Islands is beautifully and simply expressed in its foods”. And here’s a great tip: “make punch cups by sawing coconuts in half”!
Great retro type and illustration on the cover, produced in 3 vibrant colours. Found at a collector’s fair for $7 (it’s right there on the cover!).
