The Eighty's Still? -Meet the new black

Matt Moore



The work of Chris Saunder's is stunningly vectorific. If he can make this feel new, what else can he do?

The 1980's may dead, but only in the same what that Camo never really goes away, I'm afraid to admit.
In an effort to create this new presentation for the future of the 80's, and it's effects on contemporary design, I am actually finding myself rather enthralled with new recipes of delicious eightysness.

Lucia Lotti shoes from Spain. Luscious.


More, more, more, of Maine's Matt Moore! I love his work, and apparently, so does Nike, Wired, and moore.

In Heart with Papercuts

Doing some research recently on folk art influences, I was shocked at the number of Etsy stores dedicated to the art of paper cutting. Even more shocking, is how modern and beautiful much of the work is, particularly the work of Elsita Mora.

Elsa work goes on sale any day now at the Couturier Gallery in LA, and on their site soon.

Adore Katie Kirk

Just discovered illustrator Katie Kirk, and I love both her style and color palette. Yes, her work looks similar to mine, so I don't want to hear it! But maybe, that is why it appeals to me so much. Clearly, she understands vector graphics and period influences enough to make magic. If there is anyone to watch move the line on style, I think it is Katie. Her work is modern and fresh, and her typeography design is particularly sweet. Check out her work, and her stock images, here.

Lost Charlie Harper Artwork Found

I've loved Charlie Harpers work ever since I was a kid in the 70's. My Aunt Ann would buy be a subscription to National Wildlife Magazine each year, and Mr. Harper's work was often featured in those articles. Add to that, the fact that I was a bird nut ( I wanted to be an Ornithologist or a wildlife artist), I really connected with his work. Although, I think I felt that it was too modern, at the time ( meaning, not realistic enough for me).

If I only had the insight that not only would I beta test Adobe Illustrator in 1988, but that I would become a vector art geek in my adult life, Imagine the possibilities.

When Todd Oldham released his massive and impressive Charlie Harper: An Illustrated Life two years ago, I was reminded of his amazing work, and so impressed that it felt so fresh and new, in 2008.


Now, the estate of Charlie Harper has released news that more lost works have been found. Check them out here.

Erich Strenger and friends. 1960's Porche Posters

Thanks to GRAIN EDIT again, I had saved these vintage Porche posters by many of the classic sixties designers like Targa Florio 1967 - Volz, Erich Strenger, Renn Termine 1971, Atelier (studio),
Most of these images are from via AUSmotive.com via Auto kopen. The rest of the images via VP Racing.com.

But more so, this has me curious about these designers, many of whom I have never heard of. There is a lot to mine out there, clearly, and although many informed designers surely know who Erich Strenger was I didn't so here is some foundational information about him, and his work. All very interesting and good visual influence to any of you building a library of relevant influence ( both figuratively and literally). All information courtesy of racingweb.com

Erich Strenger was born december 1, 1922 in Bad Cannstatt which is a part of Stuttgart. Nowadays this part of the city is well-known among the Mercedes-Benz addicts, since the MB museum is situated here. But that's another story.

Strenger was intrested in arts and photography since his youth, so it is clear that after he finished his basic school, he started studying repro-photography. After completion of this studies, he went to the Kunststaatsakademien (Governal Art School) in Stuttgart for an artistic education. In 1942, 2 years after WW 2 broke out, he was ordered to join the German army. As a mountain trooper he staid in France, Norway and afterwards in Russia where he was taken prisoner. As Prisoner of War, he had to stay in a Russian prison environment till 1949. That's exactly when he returned to his birth-town Stuttgart.
Soon after his return in Stuttgart he noticed a little sportscar in town, which impressed him a lot and influenced his further life. That was the car of his dreams, a Porsche. Unfortunately for him, at that time, he could not afford a car like that.

Coincidentally he met Richard von Frankenberg, which at that time was working on the startup of the Porsche Marketing department. Both were attending a Miss Cover Girl election in a movie theater, and they started talking. As you understand the subject was Porsche. This coincidence soon gave birth to the Porsche Christophorus magazines, and lots of brochures and posters designed by Erich Strenger for Porsche.


In 1951 Erich Strenger designs the first poster for Porsche. Later on, the Porsche race leader Huschke von Hannstein orders posters with Erich Strenger to desing the Porsche race victories. Since Huschke von Hannstein wants the posters real quick, Strenger has to work day and night to deliver them in time. Soon at race time he starts listening to the radio, and when he hears Porsche wins the race, he starts designing a poster as he knows Huschke von Hannstein will be ordering one.



Some time later he even decides to design posters even before races are held. So one day,Huschke von Hannstein calls him in the morning to order a poster, and Strenger just has to put the name of the winning race pilot on the poster. In the afternoon, Erich Strenger visits Huschke von Hannstein and show him the poster. Ofcourse von Hannstein was surprised that designing a poster didn't take more time, and he started thinking he was paying Erich Strenger too much. Strenger was paid 1000 German Marks for the design of a poster at that time. After that, Strenger wisely decided to wait a bit longer before going to von Hannstein to show him the new designs, as he didn't want to be paid less.
In 1987 Erich Strenger retired, after he had been working most of his time exclusively for Porsche. Strenger and his wife Ursula Eberst moved to Mallorca in 1988 , where he found the quitness he always wanted. He finally had time for one of his great hobbies, sailing, and in the quitness of the sunny island he found inspiration for the art he always wanted to make.

Februar 17, 1993 Erich Strenger passed away after a long illness.

The I Can't Read Movie Series....wait!

Sure....I am a complete Flickr freek, I can't help myself. But one of the most amazing aspects of the site, is the sharing of creative work beyond ones digital photos of their cat. I mean, I first found myself on Flickr not for photo sharing, but as a researcher - for it's better than any flea market for vintage ads, childrens book art, vintage cereal box covers, and even fabulous vintage book covers designed by dead mid-century graphic artists.......no wait. These are new!


Of course, I'm slightly late on the band wagon, and there is no excuse since I have bookmarked SPACESICK's animation blog for about 2 years now. I found these on his Flickr page while searching for some infuence for a new animated TV show I am designing, when, once I see these, I am smitten and had to download some for my office wall, when I later discovered that they are also featured in Entertainment Weekly. OK. So I am a validated trend hunter, but sometimes others get there first. Still....the graphic designer in me LOVES these fake book covers. Check them out here.

American i-doll A blurry spectrum of difference.

Guys have relatively been ignored by fashion, by style, by a glass ceiling, or by opportunity, right? But American Idol, the TV show that makes stars out of talent, does show more about our culture than screaming girls and Simons chitter with Paula. This latest season is demonstrating that young men are starting to evolve into expressing their soul, all in very public way. Guys now can cry, they can hug, move beyond the metrosexual movement into whatever they wish to become. A road which might be painful for many of us to watch, but in our modern world of Facebook and MySpace, reality is not just skewed, it doesn't really exist.

It is interesting to see how the writers and producers of this show, structures the edits to show stereotypes ( the welder and the oilman) but at the same time, they show the full spectrum of our society, which perhaps helps breakdown those walls of stereotypes and glass ceilings. Today, young people are more OK with macho, if they choose so, or camo, or fem, or gender blurring, our world is complex, both visually and figuratively, so it the influences are blurred, why too aren't who we are?

Watching American Idol last night, I noticed a trend or is is a newly accepted comfort zone, of some teenage males being increasingly flamboyant. However, greater pressure is on young males in terms of body image, with many feeling forced to slim down or beef up depending on their social network, many are also not afraid of femming it up, wearing earings, scarf's, purses, etc. Have you noticed that jean sizes seem to be getting smaller for guys? Many are even admiting that they prefer shopping for teenage girls' clothes to get the colours, fits and patterns they are looking for.
Still, guys get tattood, shave their heads, wear combat boots and they too aren't gay. What up? Welcome to the future, dude.
My 95 year old dad still says that "you can't tell the women from the men today". I remember him saying that in the 60's when he took me to a 'hippie joint" so that he could be 'inspired' for a painting series he was doing. Then, is was simply long hair and emotions, now, it's makeup and glitz. So what. Being individual today is harder, you just can't go to the Gap, because so does everyone else. You can't go start a 'movement' because they've all been taken. Minimalism, again, will only make you look 'very seventies'. Today, it takes guts, Is it beacause shock value is worthless in a post 9/11 world? Who knows really, but one thing is for certain, creativity is tougher to express in original ways.

The Worth Trend site WGSN recently posted a report by trend hunter Laura Jane Preston, who reported: "that UK author Richard Milward recently told The Observer magazine (January 6): "All my socks are from Topshop, the girls' section. I like girlie jumpers too, with patterns and that. Lads' clothes are dead boring." She also notes....

Adam Lambert of American Idol. Photo from Americanidol.com
Anyone who is a fan of this seasons American Idol, can see that not only is there a new level of talent with Americas youth, there is also a new confidence with many of the younger men.

American Idol's Nathaniel Marshall - Talent and confidence
"On the flip side guys are looking to traditional hyper-masculine male role models.

WGSN noted that "The New York Times (January 13) recently cited Chuck Norris, Rambo and Hulk Hogan as the new male icons, claiming that we are entering into a renaissance of brawn: "At a time when the country is faced with a new tangle of problems, the return of the 80s action hero suggests that some Americans, particularly men, are looking to revel in the vestigial pleasures of older times and seemingly simpler ways. (Witness the popularity of the best-selling The Dangerous Book for Boys).