Avant Ads...

Vintage ads from the Polish arts magazine Ty i Ja ( You and I). It was published from 1960 - late 1980's. See more of these bold ads here . View some eye-catching Ty i Ja covers here.

Vending, Vidi, Vici...

From packaging, to ornate ashtrays, to these beautiful vending machines, smoking has left a distinguished graphic legacy. Art-o-mat, has taken retired cigarette vending machines and souped them for the more benevolent cause of selling tiny art. See more here.

In Stitches...

Above label is from a vintage 'car coat' (below) that I had in NYC in the 80's- it was one of my favorites. I finally parted with the coat, and a lot of the hair, but saved this great label.

When I used to buy vintage clothing, one thing that always caught my eye were the graphic labels that were stitched inside. Like the clothing hangtags I collect, they add a small, yet valued detail to the garments they are attached to.  The assorted labels above came from a collection on this site.

Signs for the Times

California artist Steve Lambert's work is inspired by the commercial signage that we encounter everyday. He builds his own signs and adds an ironic twist to the messages they deliver. See more of his signs here.  Watch video.

Judging a Website by its Cover...

If websites started out as books have you ever wonder what their covers would look like? Someone did and these are the results. More of these striking covers can be seen here.

(Thanks Elisa)

Tied Up...

Ties have always allowed the wearer to add a little individuality to their generic dark blue business suits. Here are a few from the 'golden age' of neckwear. See more ties here.

Graphic Noir...

A cool little black and white animated movie by designer/illustrator Richard McGuire.

Eyes off the Road...

Greencastle PA .

Vestal N.Y.

Owego N.Y.

Some pictures from a recent trip to the 'southern tier' of New York.

Magnetic Attraction...

Dig these hip reel to reel tape covers from the Jazz Loft Project. Take a look at more over at the Loft Project's pad.

Are You Talkin' to Me...?

Breaking it down to the basics, Illustrator José Cruz  creates beautiful geometric inspired illustrations. In these caricatures of Robert DeNiro  José masterfully simplifies the art to capture each role.  Enter the X-factor to see more of his work. 

Raising the Bar...

Turning the mundane UPC lines into something fun, these barcodes from Japan are both functional and stylish. 

Retro Record Sleeves...

I found these 45 sleeves years ago outside of an old record store in NYC. Being long forgotten vinyl (and labels) they had been tossed to the curb.  I grabbed what I could, but left most of the warped vinyl behind. Flickr set.

Take a look at this collection of 45 adapters.

The Heart of Vegas...

I've always liked Coppola's One From the Heart and I finally found a decent quality clip of this memorable scene that features Natassja Kinski  dancing in a neon wasteland outside of Vegas.

Check out some authentic vintage Vegas signage here. 

This End Up...

Corrugated cardboard cars, bikes, chairs, music instruments and more by artist Chris Gilmour.  Take a look.

Sneak Peak...

My daughter Ella  has been a fan of Chuck Taylors since she was in middle school. It usually didn't take her too long to personalize a new pair and turn them into wearable art. Sometimes it was just a little enhancement (with markers or duct tape), others times it was a full scale makeover.

Type Preserver...

Since 2005 the German Museum of Letters  has been rescuing and preserving  forgotten typographic signage.

Fire Places...

I've always thought a fire screen depicting Hades, complete with stylized devil and pitchfork, would be cool. So, despite their somewhat jaded aesthetic, when I saw these they intrigued me. The screens , ( either 1666 London or 64Ad Rome) are laser cut from Cor-ten steel.