So many of 45 sleeves simply ignore the hole. Some sort of use it. These here, in my opinion, nail it.
Sources: Record Envelope, flickr: Joy of a Toy, Fabrik
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
More 45s: If there’s a hole in your sleeve …
... why not make the most of it?
So many of 45 sleeves simply ignore the hole. Some sort of use it. These here, in my opinion, nail it.
Sources: Record Envelope, flickr: Joy of a Toy, Fabrik
So many of 45 sleeves simply ignore the hole. Some sort of use it. These here, in my opinion, nail it.
Sources: Record Envelope, flickr: Joy of a Toy, Fabrik
Monday, June 28, 2010
The Art on Their Sleeves: Vintage 45s
I’m just crazy about these Czechoslovakian 45 record sleeves. These first four, by Opus, manage to be fresh and mod, but also sophisticated in use of color and restraint of design. I particularly like them as a set.
The Opus set, along with the next six sleeves, are from a site devoted the musical career of Slovakian singer Tatiana Hubinska (1944-1999). She was popular during the 1960s and 70s was best know for the Slovak version of ‘Puppet on a String,’ and for her hits ‘Casanova’ and ‘Halo Baby, Halo Boy.’
.jpg)
Halo baby, haló boy (1965)
+(1967).jpg)
Puppet on a String (Ako malý psík,1967)
Curious to see what else was out there in foreign 45 record sleeves, I quickly came to a site called Record Envelope: The Little Library of Factory Sleeves. It is maintained by illustrator Kavel Rafferty, and folks from all over the world send her sleeves. She has them nicely categorized by music type, visual motif, etc. Plus there are a ton on flickr. Here is a tiny selection from other countries …
Poland 
Sweden 
Germany 
Belgium 
Britain 
Netherlands 
The Opus set, along with the next six sleeves, are from a site devoted the musical career of Slovakian singer Tatiana Hubinska (1944-1999). She was popular during the 1960s and 70s was best know for the Slovak version of ‘Puppet on a String,’ and for her hits ‘Casanova’ and ‘Halo Baby, Halo Boy.’
.jpg)
+(1967).jpg)
Curious to see what else was out there in foreign 45 record sleeves, I quickly came to a site called Record Envelope: The Little Library of Factory Sleeves. It is maintained by illustrator Kavel Rafferty, and folks from all over the world send her sleeves. She has them nicely categorized by music type, visual motif, etc. Plus there are a ton on flickr. Here is a tiny selection from other countries …
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Gay Pride: The Story in Magazine Covers
If you haven’t been following magazine-design guru, Bob Newman’s homage to the 40th anniversary of the gay pride march, you should go to Newmanology on Facebook, where he posts a magazine cover daily. This whole month of June, Team Newman--the series is co-produced by Linda Rubes and Dale Yarger--has been posting a cover each day relating to gay history, complete with well-researched captions and links. Go see them all, they as a visual history of the outing of gay culture in America. And I’m warning you now, that many of the links take you to other amazing visual archives.
A few from Newmanology to get you started …
GAY PRIDE COVER 1: Dik Fagazine, March 2, 2005. Published in Poland in Polish and English, Dik Fagazine is "the first and only artistic magazine from Central and Eastern Europe concentrated on homosexuality and masculinity." Art director Monika Zawakzka creates strong, provocative imagery and covers. For more info, visit their website: http://www.dikfagazine.com/.
See a gallery of Dik Fagazine covers on Facebook: http://bit.ly/awamEQ. And see more graphics from the magazine on their blog: http://dik.blog.pl/.
GAY PRIDE COVER 2: The Ladder, October 1957. The Ladder was the first nationally-distributed lesbian magazine in the US. It was published from 1956-1972 by the Daughters of Bilitis, which was the first American lesbian organization. Early issues of The Ladder featured illustrations on the cover, but starting in the mid-60s they featured photographs of real women. History of The Ladder, plus a video of founding editor Phyllis Lyon: http://bit.ly/9wQkju. There's also a good Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ladder_(magazine).
GAY PRIDE COVER 4: Evergreen, August 1970. Peter Orlovsky and Allen Ginsberg; photograph by Richard Avedon. Orlovsky and Ginsberg were life-long partners, in a relationship that lasted over 40 years. Orlovsky passed away May 30 at the age of 76 (Ginsberg died in 1997). Read the NYTimes obit for Orlovsky here: http://nyti.ms/969V2g. Their relationship was groundbreaking for its time. According to the Times, "Because of Ginsberg’s prominence, the two men were social pioneers, the first gay 'married' couple that many people had ever heard of." Ginsberg was a bold poet, political and sexual activist, and a passionate Buddhist. His career spanned the Beats and hippies, and his most famous poem, "Howl," was banned in 1956 for its frank discussion of both straight and gay sex. As Ginsberg's Wikipedia listing says, "He expressed [his] desire openly and graphically in his poetry." With his aggressive openness about his sexuality and his fearlessness in letting it become an integral part of his public persona, Ginsberg was a trailblazer and icon. More on Ginsberg: http://www.allenginsberg.org/.
GAY PRIDE COVER 9: The New Yorker, July 12, 1930. Cover illustration by Constantin Alajalov. Alajalov was a frequent New Yorker and Saturday Evening Post cover artist, who also contributed cartoons and was a noted book illustrator. An article in Life magazine, August 4, 1947, described how Alajalov and four of his male socialite friends shared "bachelor" quarters on an estate in Southampton. The estate's owner "turned over his old garage and cow barn to the group, who scrubbed, painted and partitioned them into gay apartments." (See the full story and photos here: http://bit.ly/bDvDB3.) Alajalov is described in his biographical information as a "lifelong bachelor." To see a full selection of gay-themed New Yorker covers and cartoons, visit the Cartoon Bank at http://www.cartoonbank.com/, and type in "gay" in the search area.
GAY PRIDE COVER 15: Christopher Street, July 1977, First Anniversary Issue. Christopher Street was a monthly magazine published in New York City with a national audience. Owned and edited by Charles Ortleb, the magazine was founded in 1976 and ceased operations in 1995. Christopher Street was one the most important national gay publications in its early days, filled with discussions of issues of importance to the gay community, as well as fiction, essays, reviews, and art and photography. A generation of gay writers such as Edmund White and Randy Shilts were nurtured there. Christopher Street's cover design owed a lot to the template created by New York magazine, and it was the first gay publication with contemporary high-level graphics and design. Charles Ortleb also owned the New York Native, a biweekly newspaper that was the first prominent voice in AIDS coverage. In later years Ortleb devoted both publications increasingly to his advocacy of fringe conspiracy theories about the source of the AIDS virus (he thought it was related to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and not HIV). Because of this, both publications became increasingly isolated from the gay community, in part because of an active boycott by Act-Up. For more issues: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=187393&id=199718485848
GAY PRIDE COVER 26: G-Men, issue #1, 1994. Cover illustration by Gengoroh Tagame. G-Men is a Japanese gay men's magazine. Gay culture in Japan is segregated by type; G-Men caters to those who like gaten-kei, or macho blue-collar guys. In addition to photo spreads, they run a generous amount of fiction and manga comics, which are serialized from issue to issue. Illustrator Gengoroh Tagame has been important in defining the magazine's look. He illustrated the first 60 covers, as well as contributing manga to almost every issue. See an astonishing collection of the first 100 covers of G-Men here: http://www.bc.jpn.org/info/gmen/catalog.html.
A few from Newmanology to get you started …
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first gay pride march, held on June 28, 1970 in New York City. Originally called the Christopher Street Liberation Day March, it was held on the one year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in Greenwich Village: http://bit.ly/9HRtQx. In honor of this anniversary, we're posting one cover a day featuring an artist, personality, historical event, or publication of significance in gay history.
GAY PRIDE COVER 1: Dik Fagazine, March 2, 2005. Published in Poland in Polish and English, Dik Fagazine is "the first and only artistic magazine from Central and Eastern Europe concentrated on homosexuality and masculinity." Art director Monika Zawakzka creates strong, provocative imagery and covers. For more info, visit their website: http://www.dikfagazine.com/.See a gallery of Dik Fagazine covers on Facebook: http://bit.ly/awamEQ. And see more graphics from the magazine on their blog: http://dik.blog.pl/.
GAY PRIDE COVER 2: The Ladder, October 1957. The Ladder was the first nationally-distributed lesbian magazine in the US. It was published from 1956-1972 by the Daughters of Bilitis, which was the first American lesbian organization. Early issues of The Ladder featured illustrations on the cover, but starting in the mid-60s they featured photographs of real women. History of The Ladder, plus a video of founding editor Phyllis Lyon: http://bit.ly/9wQkju. There's also a good Wikipedia entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ladder_(magazine).
GAY PRIDE COVER 4: Evergreen, August 1970. Peter Orlovsky and Allen Ginsberg; photograph by Richard Avedon. Orlovsky and Ginsberg were life-long partners, in a relationship that lasted over 40 years. Orlovsky passed away May 30 at the age of 76 (Ginsberg died in 1997). Read the NYTimes obit for Orlovsky here: http://nyti.ms/969V2g. Their relationship was groundbreaking for its time. According to the Times, "Because of Ginsberg’s prominence, the two men were social pioneers, the first gay 'married' couple that many people had ever heard of." Ginsberg was a bold poet, political and sexual activist, and a passionate Buddhist. His career spanned the Beats and hippies, and his most famous poem, "Howl," was banned in 1956 for its frank discussion of both straight and gay sex. As Ginsberg's Wikipedia listing says, "He expressed [his] desire openly and graphically in his poetry." With his aggressive openness about his sexuality and his fearlessness in letting it become an integral part of his public persona, Ginsberg was a trailblazer and icon. More on Ginsberg: http://www.allenginsberg.org/. 
GAY PRIDE COVER 9: The New Yorker, July 12, 1930. Cover illustration by Constantin Alajalov. Alajalov was a frequent New Yorker and Saturday Evening Post cover artist, who also contributed cartoons and was a noted book illustrator. An article in Life magazine, August 4, 1947, described how Alajalov and four of his male socialite friends shared "bachelor" quarters on an estate in Southampton. The estate's owner "turned over his old garage and cow barn to the group, who scrubbed, painted and partitioned them into gay apartments." (See the full story and photos here: http://bit.ly/bDvDB3.) Alajalov is described in his biographical information as a "lifelong bachelor." To see a full selection of gay-themed New Yorker covers and cartoons, visit the Cartoon Bank at http://www.cartoonbank.com/, and type in "gay" in the search area.
GAY PRIDE COVER 15: Christopher Street, July 1977, First Anniversary Issue. Christopher Street was a monthly magazine published in New York City with a national audience. Owned and edited by Charles Ortleb, the magazine was founded in 1976 and ceased operations in 1995. Christopher Street was one the most important national gay publications in its early days, filled with discussions of issues of importance to the gay community, as well as fiction, essays, reviews, and art and photography. A generation of gay writers such as Edmund White and Randy Shilts were nurtured there. Christopher Street's cover design owed a lot to the template created by New York magazine, and it was the first gay publication with contemporary high-level graphics and design. Charles Ortleb also owned the New York Native, a biweekly newspaper that was the first prominent voice in AIDS coverage. In later years Ortleb devoted both publications increasingly to his advocacy of fringe conspiracy theories about the source of the AIDS virus (he thought it was related to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and not HIV). Because of this, both publications became increasingly isolated from the gay community, in part because of an active boycott by Act-Up. For more issues: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=187393&id=199718485848
GAY PRIDE COVER 26: G-Men, issue #1, 1994. Cover illustration by Gengoroh Tagame. G-Men is a Japanese gay men's magazine. Gay culture in Japan is segregated by type; G-Men caters to those who like gaten-kei, or macho blue-collar guys. In addition to photo spreads, they run a generous amount of fiction and manga comics, which are serialized from issue to issue. Illustrator Gengoroh Tagame has been important in defining the magazine's look. He illustrated the first 60 covers, as well as contributing manga to almost every issue. See an astonishing collection of the first 100 covers of G-Men here: http://www.bc.jpn.org/info/gmen/catalog.html.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Heroin Stamp Project
Discarded, empty heroin packets each stamped with their own “brand” identity, were collected from the streets of New York over the course of five years by a group called the Social Art Collective. More than one hundred different brands are represented in a show at White Box Gallery. The New York Times has a good article about the project here, and the following is from the gallery:
Kind of takes ephemera to a whole new level--can't wait to see it. White Box is at 329 Broome Street (at the Bowery) in NYC, and the show is only up through June 29.
The exhibition is comprised of large-scale prints depicting these seductive, yet sinister symbols in startling detail. Blown up to monumental proportions, these images become confrontational, insinuating the complex nature of drug use, from the market dynamics of suppliers and dealers, to the motivation and histories behind individual users.
Kind of takes ephemera to a whole new level--can't wait to see it. White Box is at 329 Broome Street (at the Bowery) in NYC, and the show is only up through June 29.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Unfolding Fortune Magazine
June 1966, What the U.S. Can Do About World HungerLinda Rubes, former Associate Art Director at Fortune, has a Facebook “Like” page called Vintage Fortune, where every weekday, she posts a cover from the magazine’s rich visual past.
Of particular interest to Rubes, are the gatefold covers that Fortune produced during the 1960s and 70s. As these are rarely seen unfolded, it’s a real treat to see them displayed in all their wide-screen splendor. You will also find the original caption, and art/photo credits accompanying each cover image.
June 1971, Redesigning the Engineer
June 1976, Gulf's Struggle to Cleanse Itself 
May 1972, Fortune 500
February 1967, Questions for a Shrinking World 
June 1974, Do Executives Take Enough Vacation?
June 1975, Why We Need the CIA
May 1969, Fortune 500
Monday, June 21, 2010
Floating Identities
I passed a marina the other day here on the East Coast and was disappointed to see names like ‘Great Escape’ and ‘Mr. Chips.’ What a let down after the brash self-branding I found myself documenting in Southern California a while back …
Father's Day
This first Father’s Day without my dad was strange, just as I suspected it would be. Odd how a holiday suddenly becomes ‘not applicable.’
Mom’s been sorting and clearing as she prepares to sell the house. The picture above is one I’ve never seen before, and one of the earliest of him we have. Below is a school project I did, which as unremarkable as it was, my father kept these many years—truly remarkable.
