New prints in the shop!

We're really excited to feature these awesome Philly-inspired prints by designer Dan Blackman.

Danish Wall Units

Ardewerk en Zo is a furniture store located in a small village in the northern part of The Netherlands specializing in Royal System wall units designed by Poul Cadovius. They have a pretty sweet flickr page that also shoes vintage ads.

One day I will own one of these wall units...one day.

Alvin Lustig and Barton's

Just found this AMAZING shot of Barton's candy store in New York (Architectural Forum, August 1952.) Victor Gruen was the architect while Alvin Lustig consulted on graphics. I'm a huge fan of Lustig—he managed to design in just about every medium possible. Below are a few examples of his work. To learn more about him and to get a look at his work go here.

Book cover design:


Signage design:


Fabric/pattern design:

Jim Flora

Here's a look at the work of Jim Flora:

Vintage music buffs and eBay trawlers have long been bedazzled by bizarre, cartoonish record sleeves tagged with the signature "Flora." In the 1940s and '50s, James (Jim) Flora designed dozens of diabolic cover illustrations, many for Columbia and RCA Victor jazz artists. His world pulsed with angular hepcats bearing funnel-tapered noses and shark-fin chins, who fingered cockeyed pianos and honked lollipop-hued horns. In the background, geometric doo-dads floated willy-nilly like a kindergarten toy room gone anti-gravitational. Jim Flora wreaked havoc with the laws of physics, conjuring up flying musicians, levitating instruments, and wobbly dimensional perspectives. As he reflected in a 1998 interview, "I got away with murder, didn't I?"

Jim Flora jazzed up the world of commercial art in countless ways: magazine covers and interior illustrations; newspaper graphics; sales lit; ads; 17 children's books; and a catalog of unclassifiable artifacts. Jim Flora had fun making a living, and that sense of fun sizzles in his creations.

Read more here.

Flora's ABC cards:












































Covers designed for magazines:













































Sketches:
































Beautiful art:

























Covers for Coda, a monthly new-release booklet put out by Columbia records in 1943:








































And finally, album art:













































To see more of Flora's work go here.

YouTube Holiday Find

Flickr Find

Margherita Urbani's Walnut Street Stories 2

Announcing the latest Shag arrival: Walnut Street Stories 2 by designer/illustrator Margherita Urbani's.







About Margherita: Margherita Urbani is from a small town in the north east corner of Italy. In 2008 she graduated from IUAV University in Venice where she studied graphic design and interaction design, and shortly after she moved to Philadelphia and found a job in an advertising agency. Outside of her work routine she likes drawing and making collages, as well as any other crafty projects.

New Mike Burton prints in this Friday!

Direct from Mike Burton—new prints. And coasters, too!

A Mid Century Graphic Find

Northcoast Zeitgeist recently found this amazing book while visiting the Kent State University Library. So adorable. See more here.

Sherwin Williams Paint and Color Style Guide 1941

Ok. This is a paint and color style guide from 1941—a bit pre-mid century. BUT, I could not pass up sharing it. It's incredible. Incredible.

Optimism Is the New Black

A colleague at 160over90—Adam Garcia—is participating in the Design Within Reach Paulistano Uncovered contest. DWR asked Philadelphia designers to create a new cover for the Paulo Mendes de Rocha classic Brazilian sling chair (originally designed in 1957.)

The concept for Adam's design:
A contemporary take on Paulo Mendes da Rocha’s iconic Paulistano, the Optimism Script chair is a testament to happiness. A whimsical contrast to the strict and functional modernism of the late-1950s International Style, this hand-drawn pattern consists of motivational sayings, meditative words and overall positivity to literally surround you with joy. The illustration is a hybrid of calligraphy and graffiti, “calligraffiti” if you will. If Optimism is the New Black, it’s good, because happiness transcends trend.

Adam's design has been selected as a finalist and will be on display at the Paulistano Uncovered 2009 event on Thursday, August 27. Stop by the Walnut Street DWR between 7 and 9 pm to see his, as well as other Philadelphia designers', creations.

Incredible Mid Century Inspired Prints

These nursery rhyme prints NEED to be in the home of any mid century loving parent. Go here to get yours.

Hatch Interview on Grain Edit

The San Francisco based design firm Hatch has been getting a lot of press for JAQK, their own wine company. The packaging nods to mid century graphic design and illustration. Check out the interview and behind the scenes photos posted on grain edit (a great source for mid century graphic design inspiration.)

Once more for the Flickr...

I've stumbled onto yet another great collection of images from the 50s and 60s—Science and Tech Ads. This is awesome and inspiring, enjoy.

Featuring Prints by Mike Burton

As part of our mission we will be featuring and selling the work of Philadelphia artists. Currently, you'll find original silk screened posters by Mike Burton on our walls. Learn more about him here.

Awesome Vintage Visuals

Thought I would share some great vintage finds I recently came across on flickr, ffffound, and other sites. Enjoy.