All-American Space Fleet

Skelly Gas company put out a set of cards in the 1950's about the soon-to-true
All-American Space Fleet. I love the imagination of this set and also the "helpful advice" telling children to be safe and never run with sharp objects from the trustworthy oil company...

via Coudal.

Restored Tempo Matador

If I had $110,000 laying around, I would seriously consider buying this beauty. What an amazing truck and what an amazing restoration!

Cold War Images

A truly strange and interesting set of images and advertisements from the Cold War Era.

Nuclear Slide Rules

Such innocuous wheels that neatly compute death and destruction: Nuclear Slide Rules.

RIT Design Collections

Rochester Institute of Technology has an amazing collection of design work from the 1950's to the 1980's. I would LOVE to spend a day perusing through it all!

Dieter Rams - Cold War Modern

Dieter Rams - Cold War Modern seen on viaFrank.

Everything Old Is New Again

The giant cereal company, General Mills, has released a set of vintage designs for some of their popular cereals. The above Kix box has insanely awesome type! The DieLine has more information.

Faux Mid-Century Disney Posters

Greg Maletic made some faux Disney mid-century posters for fun and Disney ended up hiring him - who says personal work doesn't pay?!

Westvaco Inspirations

Bradbury Thompson's work for Westvaco in the 1950's was seriously great.

Vintage Soda Packaging

The Dieline has a nice post on vintage soda packaging - you should check it out.

Hi-Fi Literature

A great collection of Hi-Fi Stereo manuals and literature - Hi-Fi Lit.

Roy Doty Holiday Cards

Yes, I know Christmas has come and gone, but I had to share this. Roy Doty, a freelance cartoonist and illustrator since 1946, has created a custom Christmas greeting card each year - and they are fantastic!

Arts & Architecture Magazine Archives

The archives of Arts & Architecture Magazine from 1945 to 1967 are
available online! Love the mid-century design and architecture!

via Coudal.

Matchbooks

Matchbooks. Lots and lots of matchbooks.

Via the DDC.

The Library of Virgina

Another library has started to post images up on Flickr - starting with some great 1950's photographs..

I hope this trend of institutions putting their long-hidden gems online continues!

The Old Car Manual Project

This is why the internet is great: browse hundreds of old car manuals at The Old Car Manual Project

Making Maps in England

I really really love maps. This printing, the colours, the type - everything about maps I love. Yet somehow, seeing this 1953 documentary about making British Ordnance Survey maps makes me love them even more.

via ILike.

Mono Scoot

I have been considering getting a scooter recently and the one above is totally the one I want! If only it was actually ever built...

via the recently rediscovered Paleo-Future.

Mid-Century Travel Brochures

Mid-Century travel brochures? Yes, please!

Little Skyscraper on the Prairie

Who knew that Frank Lloyd Wright had his tallest building, The Price Tower, built in Bartlesville, Oklahoma? I certainly did not. Make sure to check out the narrated slide show as well.

I Want to be a Coal Miner

Being an avid collector of mid-century childrens books, I instantly fell in love with "I Want to be a Coal Miner."

Vintage Cookbooks

As a collector of them, I get overly excited about this amazing Flickr set of vintage cookbooks.

Charley Harper

The fantastic modernist illustrator and artist, Charles Harper, is one of my most favorite artists of the era. Beautiful work. Fantastic abstraction. Wonderful colors. I love it all!

If you have a coffee table looking for a friend, you should purchase this amazing/giant book edited by Todd Oldham.

Art of the Luggage Label

This is why Flickr is awesome. Tom Schifanella has a great collection of vintage luggage labels from around the world.

Abandonded Vacation Homes in Taiwan

"These very crazy pod-tastic vacation homes were built as beach getaways for Taipei's middle-class in the 1960s. Each are said to have been abandoned not long after they were built because several mishaps during construction and typhons led inhabitants and locals to deem the sites cursed." Awesome! via Coudal.

Collections

Wow. I love collecting things, and this photoset by Glen Mullaly makes me want to keep it up! Also, check out his vintage book covers.

Via p+p.

Children's Record Guild

A nice set of illustrated Children's Record Guild covers. Also, NewHouseDesign has some other nice mid-century sets as well.

Mid-Century Home Plans

Our dream someday is to take the blueprints from a Mid-Century home and build it new, using super-efficient materials and green building practices. This is great inspiration for that project!

Vintage Fabric!

Vintage Fabric set on Flickr! This will definitely become one of my wife's favourite links!

Vintage Travel Posters!

Here is a great link that is speeding over the internet: Vintage Travel Posters!

Erik Nitsche

As a huge fan of mid-century graphic design (ala Brodovitch, Rand, Beall, etc.) I have just been introduced to the stunning work of Erik Nitsche - and I am amazed that I had not learned of him earlier! His work, especially for General Dynamics, is energetic, colorful, and wonderfully structured.

For a good introduction, Steven Heller has written a great essay about Nitsche here.

Brilliant Collections!

Flickr user Maraid has some great photo sets! Among my favourites: Photo, Film & Sound Ephemera and Matchbox Labels

Mediados de siglo mexicano anuncios

Gran selección de México 1950's & 60's Readers Digest anuncios.

Illustrated Supermarket Signs

Yet another great find from Flickr user RoadSidePictures - Illustrated Supermarket Signs from the early 1960's!

The Human Body and How It Works

Thanks to Frank, here is a great Flickr set of Vintage Science Book Illustrations. I have a bunch of these I need to scan in!

Mid-Century Children's Book Illustration

I have been collecting Mid-Century illustrated children's books for a few years now and this great Flickr set reinvigorates my reasoning for such a collection! Via Pica + Pixel.

"Flight Through Instruments" Illustrated Book

Published as a pilot-training manual by the US Navy in 1945, "Flight thru Instruments" teaches proper aeronautical navigation techniques through the use of elaborate illustrations - gorgeous illustrations!

More information can be found on this blog and more images on this Flickr.

Vintage Signage Polaroids

Here is a great Flickr set of 1960's Polaroids of signs in Washington state.

Paul Rand Film

This is why Paul Rand is awesome.

Architectural Deconstructivism

Architectural Deconstructivism creates some pretty amazing buildings like these buildings for big-box store Best.

Space Alphabet

I ffffound this great little book called "Space Alphabet" with illustrations by Peter P. Plasencia.

Paul Gabor - Hungarian Designer

This is an English post about a French article about a Hungarian graphic designer - how's that for being international?

Many (including myself) may not know about the Hungarian graphic designer, Paul Gabor, but viewing this collection of his designs from 1930 to 1956, I think I am beginning to become a big fan of his work. Here is a biographical article about Paul Gabor (translate it). Great stuff!

Packaging design of the modern era.

I don't know if you have noticed, but most packaging design these days is just terrible. All of the type must be in "3-D" letters. Just look at the progression of cereal boxes - it is just ridiculous. Anyway, here is an amazing Flickr set of packaging from the golden era of packaging design. I just love the flat colours and whimsical illustrations!