Five sources of knowledge for print & poster lovers

From vintage prints to contemporary poster art; from books and movies to blogs and podcasts - we selected five sources which are interesting databases full of print and poster stories, facts, galleries and news. Enjoy watching!

1. The Poster Boys

Two designers, Brandon Schaefer and Sam Smith, talk about the world of graphic design, explore the history of poster design, share their thoughts and influences. Among the podcasts prepared by Poster Boys you can find Cuban film posters, Penguin Books, episodes about designers such as Paul Rand, Saul Bass, an episode about the Polish Poster School and much more. Of course, you can not only listen but also watch - the gallery on Poster Boys blog shows nice poster selection, related to each discussed topic.

2. The movie - Graphic Means

The documentary which shows the story and process of graphic design production from the 1950s through the 1990s - from linecaster to photocomposition, and from paste-up to PDF. The independent film, directed and produced by Briar Levit is now in production and you can support it by pre-ordering your copy here. In the meantime - check the official trailer:

For more info and updates - check also the GM Facebook page.

3. The book - Posters: A global History

This publication by Elizabeth Guffey tells the story of posters from nineteenth century to the contemporary time: works of propaganda and protest, pop culture projects, advertising -  both familiar and lesser-known examples from the Soviet Union, China, Eastern and Western Europe, the U. S. and elsewhere. It shows the lives of posters, describes where and considers why they were made.

4. Poster Poster 

The website not only for vintage poster lovers, but also for those, who like to know the updates about contemporary posters, exhibitions, competitions and artists. An interesting part of the Poster Poster page is the "Masters" section where you can find presentations of famous, experienced poster creators from all over the world.

5. Poster/Blog

Facebook page about current poster exhibitions, competitions and publications. Follow it if you want to keep up with the news!

Posted: Mar 31, 2016 | Tagged: graphic design, history, illustration, magazine, poster, print, printing, publication, video, vintage, vintage posters

A Brief History of Collecting Vintage Posters

We are all familiar with displaying posters as an art form. For some of us it's a flashback to our youth. I still remember the architectural print of the Acropolis my dad bought for me when we lived in Athens. It hung on my wall for years, simply attached directly to the wall, until one Christmas my mom had it professionally framed. I still own it to this day. Of course it fared better than the Star Wars, Michael Jackson and Vancouver Canucks hockey posters long forgotten as we parted ways at some garage sale before a move.

It wasn't until many years later that the poster and I reestablished a relationship, this time it was at a vintage poster gallery in France where I remember being awestruck by what I saw on the walls. The overall beauty, range in styles, colours, and sizes of these posters were incredible. Upon learning that these beautiful, original pieces were made as early as the 1860s, and gaining an understanding of what it took to produce lithographic prints in those days, my appreciation grew further. I couldn’t get over how much cool history was hanging right there for me to ogle at!

The poster market originated in the 1870s thanks to a Parisian artist named Jules Chéret, now commonly referred to as the Father of the Poster. He invented a printing technique called colour lithography that allowed for the rapid and inexpensive production of images with intense colour and rich texture. He produced many beautiful lithos. In the 1890s, the advertising poster market grew speedily, and posters filled the streets of Paris.    

Posted: Dec 14, 2013 | Tagged: collecting, history, vintage posters