I grew up with pro wrestling and still love the 1980s era right before it turned into a freak show. Looking back on the '70s - '80s glory days, there was some pretty sharp graphic design going on. Let's have a look.
The American Wrestling Association was based in Minneapolis MN, founded by wrestling legend Verne Gagne. The AWA ended up being a springboard for dozens of wrestling stars who ended up in the NWA or WWF. Andre The Giant, Hulk Hogan, The Road Warriors, Dusty Rhodes, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Mean Gene Okerlund, and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan all got their start here in the Twin Cities before they were lured out to the East Coast to join the bigger leagues.
One of the AWA's biggest stars, The Crusher, showing off his t-shirt design.
In 1935, promoter Jim Crockett Sr. founded his wrestling promotion company in Charlotte, NC. When Jim Sr. passed away in 1973, his son Jim Crockett Jr took over, changed the name to Mid-Atlantic Championship Wrestling, and eventually merged the group with the National Wrestling Alliance. He made stars out of Ric Flair, Ken Patera, Wahoo McDaniel, and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine.
Logos for the first two WWF Wrestlemania events.
New Japan Pro-Wrestling logo, a brief home to the Road Warriors towards the end of their tag team career.
Ladies Professional Wrestling Association
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
1970's Comic Book Ads
Growing up, I was never much of a comic book fan the way a lot of my friends were (and still are in some cases), but I was always drawn to the artwork in the ads. Maybe there was something about the layout and graphic qualities that spoke to me more than the actual stories did. Here are a few great ads I scanned out of some old comics. I'll be putting more of these online soon!
Click image for larger view
Click image for larger view
Friday, January 27, 2012
Philately Fridays: No Smoking
2 great stamps from Itlay (1982) and Thailand (1980) exploring the disadvantages of smoking.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Philately Fridays: Russia, 1980
Two stamps all about the Soviet Space Program. Loving the illustration style, very indicative of the era when they were created. Can anyone translate the type here?
Friday, January 13, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Milton Glaser for Time Magazine
As part of getting inspired to work my ass off in 2012, I recently rewatched the fantastic documentary Milton Glaser: To Inform And Delight. I was reminded about a few of the fantastic cover illustrations Glaser did for Time Magazine around the turn of the '70s.
November 7, 1969
December 19, 1969
September 7, 1970
November 7, 1969
December 19, 1969
September 7, 1970