Postcards from the Chicago World’s Fair (1933)

27/04/10 – Small selection of ‘linen-finish’ postcards from the Chicago World’s Fair in 1933. All cards printed by Curt Teich & Co., Inc., Chicago, and marked ‘Art-Colortone’. (more…)

1960s & 1970s Scandinavian design logos: part 3

19/04/10 – Third installment of 1960s & 1970s Scandinavian design logos on Flickr//. The collection features the logos and trademarks of furniture, textile, glass, ceramic and general housewares manufacturers. (more…)

Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Designs Denmark (1960)

12/04/10 – Teak ice bucket designed by Jens Quistgaard for Dansk Designs Denmark (1960). Base marked: Dansk Designs Denmark JHQ.  Dimensions: 19.25″ x 9.25″

Karl Gerstner: The forms of colour (1986)

25/03/10 – In his book, The forms of colour, Karl Gerstner examines the complex interaction between colour and form and develops his own system: ‘The Colour Form Model.’ (more…)

C.P. Hornung: Handbook of designs and devices (1946)

22/03/10 – A small selection from the 1,836 examples outlined in C.P. Hornung’s Handbook of designs and devices (1946): (more…)

Eric Gill: An essay on typography (1936)

16/03/10 – A selection of excerpts from the second edition of Eric Gill’s An Essay on Typography (1936). Gill’s frequent use of the ampersand (&) retained throughout.

The Theme
Even if a man’s whole day be spent as a servant of an industrial concern, in his spare time he will make something, if only a window box flower garden. (i)

The application of these principles [i.e., the the industrial and the 'humane'] to the making of letters and the making of books is the special business of this book. (ii) (more…)

Vision + value series edited by Gyorgy Kepes (1965-6)

28/03/10 – Between 1965 and 1966, New York book publisher George Braziller published a six volume series under the title Vision + Value. (more…)

Laszlo Moholy-Nagy: The new vision (1938)

15/01/10 – A selection of excerpts from Moholy-Nagy’s The New Vision (1938).

Foreword

The New Vision was written to inform laymen and artists about the basic elements of the Bauhaus education: the merging of theory and practice in design. (5) (more…)

A selection of graphics from Bauhaus publications

27/11/09 – A selection of diagrams and information graphics from Bauhaus publications by Gropius, Itten, Kandinsky , Klee, Moholy-Nagy, Schlemmer, et al. (more…)

A new history of Canada vol. 1 (1972)

25/10/09 – Volume one, New Worlds to Find 1000-1600, in the fifteen volume series: A New History of Canada. Educational textbook for children. Published by Editions Format in 1972 in Montreal. (more…)

Tatra T600 Tatraplan 1946-7 streamlined automobile

23/09/09 – Old toy model of the Tatra T600 Tatraplan automobile designed in 1946-7 in Czechoslovakia by Josef Chalupa, Vladimír Popelář and Hans Ledwinka. The Tatraplan had a monocoque streamlined six-seater saloon body with a drag coefficient (Cd) of just 0.32. It was powered by an air-cooled flat-4 cylinder 1,952 cc rear-mounted engine. Only 6,342 were produced. Toy dimensions: 10″x 3.75″ x 3.5″. (more…)

Le Corbusier: Towards a new architecture (1923)

16/09/09 – Excerpts from Le Corbusier’s Vers Une Architecture (1923), first English translation (Towards a New Architecture) 1927. (more…)

1960s & 1970s Scandinavian design logos: part 2

31/08/09 – Second installment of 1960s & 1970s Scandinavian design logos on flickr//. Includes logos from a variety of furniture and textile firms. (more…)

1960s & 1970s Scandinavian design logos: part 1

24/08/09 – First installment of a collection of Scandinavian design logos/logotypes circa 1960/70 on flickr//. Initial assortment strictly Danish furniture and textile firms. More to come from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway. (more…)

Air made visible: a visual reader on Bruno Munari (2000)

20/08/09 – Far vedere l’aria / Air Made Visible: A Visual Reader on Bruno Munari (2000) edited by Claude Lichtenstein and Alfredo W. Haberli. A catalogue for the exhibition at the Museum fur Gestaltung Zurich. Printed in Switzerland by Lars Muller Publishers//.

Falkland Lamp by Bruno Munari for Danese Milano

12/08/09 – Falkland Lamp by Bruno Munari for Danese Milano (1964). Spontaneous form tube-like suspension lamp. More images//

Ladislav Sutnar: Design and paper, number 13 (1943)

17/07/09 – Selections from Design and paper number 13: controlled visual flow by Ladislav Sutnar, Marquardt and Co., New York (1943). (more…)

Ladislav Sutnar: Design and paper, number 19 (1945)

16/07/09 – Selections from Design and paper number 19: shape, line and colour by Ladislav Sutnar, Marquardt and Co., New York (1945).

Design and paper was a series of softcover booklets produced by New York paper wholesaler Marquardt and Co. between 1937 and 1952(?). Its production ran quarterly for 39 issues and was printed at a very high standard. The series showcased the finest papers for printers, art directors and others in the printing trade. After number 7, issues were primarily devoted to individual artists and designers. Ladislav Sutnar featured in numbers 13 and 19.

In issue 19, Sutnar gives a brief and illustrative lesson in the use of shape, line and colour for organizing and presenting information. Sutnar’s characteristic style is evident in the bold use of colour, dynamic spreads and organizational signposts.

Issue 19 colophon:
Cover: Crysteel Bristol – High Plate – 22.5 x 28.5 – 200M
Text: Dullbrite White – Substance 25 × 38–70
Plates by Royal-Jones Photo Engraving Corp.

Numbers 13 and 19 were accurately reproduced in 2003 from the collections of the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague// by Fraktály Publishers. (more…)

Tapio Wirkkala for Iittala: 1968

13/07/09 – Tapio Wirkkala Ultima Thule glassware for Iittala, Finland (1968). Set of six juice/whisky sour glasses (18 cl.). (more…)

Karel Teige a typografie: asymetricka harmonie (2009)

28/06/09 – Monograph for Czech artist and designer, Karel Teige (1900-1951): Karel Teige a typografie: Asymetricka harmonie (2009) by Karel Srp, Polana Bregantova and Lenka Bydzovska. Text in Czech. (more…)