Welcome to the Jungle

(Above) Jungle Doctor's Case Book by Paul White (1967)

The clear and quirky design & illustration of this cover first attracted me. I expected the contents to be quaint tales of medical missions, which they are. The heavy handed preaching that sets in and clobbers the life out of the stories is tedious however. So, enjoy the cover.

(Above) Flame of the Amazon by Eric Leyland (1952)



 "What he calls fun other people call DANGER"
The inside flap of the dust jacket also proclaims:
 "The boy who doesn't know David FLAME is like the boy who doesn't know 'BIGGLES'"
...which is probably true.

(Above) Tarzan and The Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1918)

Surely, Tarzan's dust jacket artwork and design (above) is unlikely to have been concurrent with the printing of the book itself, in this case 1918. The typeface and amount of bare skin seems anachronistic, wouldn't you say?

The story itself is now culturally bizarre. Tarzan gratuitously kills 3 lions within the first half of the book and other animals are lucky to escape him. Our attitudes towards nature have evolved. The author's continual and breathless adulation of this man-lord-beast-savage - "a majestic man, a noble beast" - is also a strange testament to ideas of machismo.

But I like the covers. Enjoy!

Victorian Theatre Programme

(Above) A Victorian theatre programme (cover) for 'Sweet Nancy' at the Royalty Theatre
"every evening at 9 o'clock punctually",  gate-folded DL printed on card.
(click image to enlarge)

(Above) Inside Spread
(click image to enlarge)

(Above) Detail: El-Ancor dinner claret advertisement

(Above) Detail: Aspinall's Enamel advertisment

(Above) Detail: Dr Duncan's advertisment

And just in case, you were wondering what mouilla soap is, 

the following comes from "The Nursing Record & Hospital World", Oct 6, 1897

(courtesy of rcnarchive.rcn.org.uk/data/.../page295-volume19-09thoctober1897.pdf)

Ratatouille End Titles - Retro Design (Ratro design?)

Pixar pays homage to illustration of another era with this retro end credit sequence.

Herb Alpert Album Cover Art 1963

Esther at Stax o Wax and I disagree about the merits of this 1963 album cover art - graphic, 2D and striking while surprisingly whimsical with its procession of little figures, I love it.

Japanese License Plates

Curious to know the era of these license plates, I'd love to hear if you have a clue. Each plate is 15cm long (about 6 inches). They'd look right at home in anything by Studio Ghibli.

Toyota MasterAce Surf

Ah, what a vehicle! The Toyota MasterAce Surf in its natural habitat - on the road.

This 1987 four wheel drive (yes, you heard right, 4WD) was first driven in Nagano, Japan before making its way to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania by way of Dubai. From Tanzania it drove through Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia to reach its possibly final home, South Africa. When it arrived, it was still wearing snow-tyres from Nagano.

Affectionately known as Deepak, in honour of its previous Tanzanian owner, this vehicle features 6 skylights (4 that open) and revolving, foldable interior seats for multiple configurations of lounging, chilling, chatting, touring or sleeping under the stars. What a gem!

The orange and brown side decals are classic and interestingly, the letters 4WD have been designed to mimic the silhouette of the vehicle itself ~ class.
(This is clearer from the opposite side of the vehicle but if you look closer you'll get the idea :-)

Typeface - great characters, both wooden and human.

This downbeat 'trailer' (6 minutes) explores a vintage art: letterpress printing with movable wooden type. I want to see this movie. I like it already. I want to touch those big letters and see the bright ink come up on the page. Technology is useful but old school rules.



The title sequence/trailer below is also definitely worth a squizz.




Below, inspiring typographic design associated with the film, Typeface.
All proceeds from the sale of the limited edition prints featured below will go towards completion and distribution funds for Typeface.

(above) Typeface Print by David Ichiyama.

(above) Typeface Print by Dennis Ichiyama.
More by Dennis Ichiyama here.

(above) Print by Nick Sherman.
More Nick Sherman.

(above) Print by Stacey Stern.

All the above prints and others are available here.

Radio Gaga

(above) DeWALD American Art Deco Radio, circa 1938. More here.

I couldn't resist sharing this amazing looking radio from Ric and Iza Emmett at Modernism Gallery.

1930's Wallpaper Design

(Above) A French Art Deco colour woodcut of a wallpaper design from the 1930’s by Raoul Dufy (1877-1953), depicting 'sailors with their ladies amid exotic foliage'. Click image for a closer look and here for more.
(Above) 1930's French Art Deco colour woodcut of a wallpaper design by Jules Leleu (1883-1961). Click image to enlarge or here for more 1930's deco at Modernism Gallery.

1930's Poster Design

(Above) 1936-38 "Keep Your Teeth Clean"

The WPA (Works Progress Administration) published this poster between 1936 and 1938 as part of a public health program to promote oral hygiene.

See more and available here.

(Above) 1936-38 "See America"

Designed by Jerome Roth in 1937 for the United States Travel Bureau, promoting travel to Montana. See more here.

Lovers' Luau - Les Paul and Mary Ford (1959)

Despite a patch of damage, there's plenty I love about this record cover: its amber hue, lurid splashes of colour, great textiles & anthropological feel.

For the full luau, visit Esther at Stax o' Wax. I'm listening, swaying & smiling right now.

60's / 70's Design - Sounds Wild

(above) 60's / 70's Album Cover, Sounds Wild.
So grrroovy. Hands in the air everybody. Havin' a good time.

(above) From Inside Spread: Zow!


(above) Back Cover.
Everybody jumping. Frolicking. Gotta love it.

City Lights

This newspaper ad for Charlie Chaplin's City Lights appeared in the Rand Daily Mail, Johannesburg, 1931.

The design & type are classic (bordering on generic) but the copy is a hoot.

Clearly not afraid of hyperbole, patrons were promised "The King of Comedy in the supreme laugh sensation of the century. The greatest cure for blues, gloom and trouble ever concocted by the Sunshine Doctor of good cheer. A series of hilarious adventures to warm the hearts of the world".

The style of the title is synonymous with the 30's but the chunky letters and hand-painted feel give it a fresh feeling.
You can get a similar look with MVB Bovine from FontShop. Or you might like ITC Mr Chuckles, amongst others, from Fontscape. These sites are easy to browse and high quality, though for non-commercial or home use, you might want to do a separate search for free fonts.

BTW I'm looking forward to sharing a whimsical cityscape with you by Cape Town artist and illustrator, Julia Anastasopoulos. Look out for it soon.