Atmostheory is the one-man design studio of Christopher David Ryan… a Portland, Maine-based graphic artist, daydreamer, pseudo-scientist, wanna-be astronaut and untrained intellectual who tends to find inspiration in pretty much anything… especially music, the universe, the human condition and natural phenomena.

Found a few old Swiss travel brochures via travelbrochuregraphics.

Last week I noted that this reminded me of some fractal-like plate designs but I couldn’t remember the source. Joshua Gajownik was kind enough to fill in the blank.  The second image is a plate from Klaus Haapaniemi’s Taika series for Iittala. The detail in these is amazing.

John Coulter sent me a bunch of wonderful Erik Nitsche images.  This is the first of many to come, so amazing.  I think this sort of illustrative design style is something that our generation has lost.  You rarely see anything quite like this anymore.  Most of the true illustrators these days stick to the sort of fanciful, handmade-looking things that you would expect and most pure designers stick with the computer producing things that sometimes feel a little too perfect.  This is an example of how great things can be when you create graphic design by hand, in the real world.  I know it’s not really practical in most commercial settings, you would hardly be competitive with other designers if you were trying to make everything by hand. But still, it would be nice to see a little bit more of this around.  What’s really amazing is that this work of art was commissioned by a defense contractor, my how times have changed. I wonder if companies are just placing less emphasis on the printed form as they migrate to newer media, or if people simply don’t see the value in quality design like this anymore.  Either way, it’s images like this that make me lament the passing of the golden age of design and the fact that I was born too late to be a part of it. I suppose that’s why I’ve always put so much emphasis on selling my work directly, by circumventing the world of client-driven design it’s still possible to create images with these ethics intact. 

Another page from Design Magazine #237. The balloons feature the original illustration for the ‘68 games by Ramirez Vazquez, Eduardo Terrazas (MEX) and Lance Wyman (USA) who designed the “Mexico 68” logo. Wonder if any survived?

These great shots sent in by Jason Bustin:

"I found a home graphics kit that was made in Canada back in 1974 named “Supergraphic”.  Its slogan was, “Professional wall graphics made easy for you to paint” and was geared towards creating cutting edge graphics in your household without having to hire a professional, (back at that time).  The examples featured in this do-it-yourself kit remind me of the graphics in your “High Ceilings” photo on your ISO50 blog."  

Some very familiar forms in there, check out the circle pattern reminiscent of the 1975 CBC report.  There’s also the L shapes that look like either an upside-down Huron Spectrum print or the Sacramento Regional Transit Logo. This concept is a bit garish by today’s interior design standards, but it would still make a nice addition to an office or rec room. 
The 70’s were really an interesting time for DIY arts and crafts.  It seemed like people were more willing to take on projects such as these back then.  I remember it seemed like everyone’s mom had a sewing machine, and actually used it. And a lot more people were into things like ceramics, wood working, and other hobbies with artistic leanings.  This is something that in my experience, has sort of been lost on our generation.  With everything in our lives either electrified or automated, I think we may have lost the patience for activities like these. 
Bonus: Name that font (The headline: "Supergraphic")

As Horacio pointed out in the comments, Batman makes a cameo on this 1968 Design Magazine Cover. Such a specific pop culture reference seems a bit out of place among it’s vaguely evocative surroundings (the Union Jack excluded).  As the title suggests, this all must be in reference to Carnaby Street which was sort of a fashion / cultural center to the Mod movement in 1960s England.  Perhaps it had lost it’s hip status by the time this issue was published and the cover depicts the death knell of the movement.  At any rate, a very nice illustration worthy of framing. Right after you clone-stamp out the byline at the bottom, that is.

This via Matthew Tellier.  Wish I had this illo by itself, really like the vibe.  At any rate, a standout cover for BusinessWeek to be certain. Looks like it was originally screenprinted, anyone know the artist?

Update via TKTK:  The artist is Jimmy Turrell.

Some more Otl Aicher Munich ‘72 artifacts.  I found this image on Flickr but now can’t seem to find who took it.  If you are that person, or know who did, please let me know so I can properly credit this.  Of course the design is amazing, but the picture is great too.  The reflections are really complementary to the designs. 

This image sent my way by Element Kuuda. This may be one of my favorites so far.  Are those seats, as in stadium seating?  Really love this color palette. Element sent some other nice images as well…will be posting those shortly.

In New york for the OFFF (which starts tomorrow) so not able to post as often, but here’s a nice poster for the time being.  As always, fill out the details if you have them.  Sort of reminds me of the NFB poster but not quite as clever.

This time French Canada comes with the design skills.  Not much info on this one, feel free to fill in the details in the comments.

There was a massive anti-war protest across the street this weekend, thousands of people everywhere.  All of the signs and posters reminded me of the Avant Garde "No More War" poster contest.  I dug around and found these two issues, #1 and #5. On the back cover of Avant Garde #01 (1967) they printed a call for entries for the contest and announced the judges, Herb Lubalin being among them (quite intimidating for the contestants I’d imagine).  The winners of the contest were announced in issue #5. I’ve posted my favorite example  above, an entry by Billy Apple (England) and Robert Coburn (US). Efficient and to the point, I think the key here is that it goes beyond merely engaging the viewer and calls for active, on-the-spot participation. The choice of language also plays a large role in the impact of the design; in 1967 this was still a very shocking word to see in print for most people.
Although this was 40 years ago, the message is as poignant today as it was then: we once again find ourselves mired in an unpopular foreign war with dubious motives and no clear end in sight.  I have to wonder if imagery like this was more effective in it’s time.  People today have seen so many things and become so jaded to visual input that it’s very difficult to jar them awake with something like this anymore. I think the 60’s were one of the first times it became almost mainstream for people to question the government, so ideas like these were still new and somewhat disquieting for many. 

Design: Otl Aicher / Kiel Design Team
Broadsheet containig maps and information for the Kiel sailing events of the Munich Olympics. Via Alphanumeric

Very cool poster from the ‘78 Argentina World Cup. If anyone has info on the artist behind this post it in the comments.