Posts Tagged ‘icon’
“My favorite dish to prepare is something on the takeout menu”*…
Who drew that winking chef on your pizza box? Anne Ewbank investigates…
Takeout containers—especially for pizza, Chinese food, and sushi—have an iconic art and style. Granted, it’s not always the most elegant or politically correct, but some of these designs are now instantly recognizable. So, today, we investigate the origins of the smiling chef of pizza-box fame, the ubiquitous red pagoda of American-Chinese takeout, and the surprising elegance of plastic sushi trays…
The iconography of take-out: “The Hidden Histories of To-Go Container Art,” from @AEwbank in @atlasobscura.
* Tyler Perry
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As we forgo the extra cheese, we might send expressive birthday greetings to Ralph Steadman; he was born on this date in 1936. An artist and illustrator renowned for his political and social caricatures, cartoons, and picture books, he is probably best known for his collaborations with Hunter Thompson, especially on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72.
But Steadman also dabbled in comestible labeling; he brought his gonzo sensibility to the art for Flying Dog beer and designed the V logo used on Flying Dog’s packaging since 1995… work that occasioned censorship by the Colorado State Liquor Board, then an appeal by Flying Dog that was, in 2001, settled in Flying Dog’s favor.
Written by (Roughly) Daily
May 15, 2022 at 1:00 am
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged with art, Beer, censorship, container, culture, drink, Fear and Loathing, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, Flying Dog, Food, history, icon, iconography, illustration, label, logo, marketing, packaging, Ralph Steadman, take out, takeout
“If you’re lucky, people will get the message”*…
From the early 80s to today, a graphic look at “The History of Icons.”
Special bonus: browse through the sketchbook of pioneer Susan Kare.
* “If you look at that blank canvas and say, ‘Now I’m going to create a masterpiece’ — that’s just foolhardy. You just have to make the best painting you can, and if you’re lucky, people will get the message.” – Susan Kare
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As we point and click, we might send mercantile birthday greetings to John Vansant Wanamaker; he was born on this date in 1838. A gifted merchant who helped define the modern consumer era, Wanamaker’s flagship store in Philadelphia– an enterprise that helped define the “department store”– was designed by famed architect Daniel Burnham, featured a pipe organ, an art gallery and a 2,500-pound bronze eagle that became a favored meeting place for Philadelphians.
Wanamaker was a committed innovator: he was the first to use electric arc lighting in a retail setting (in 1878); and starting in 1910, sensing its potential as an advertising medium, he used his stores as a base for experimentation with radio– starting a radio broadcast station in the store in 1922 to initiate radio receiver sales.
Wanamaker served as Postmaster General in the late 19th century, introducing the first commemorative stamp and laying the groundwork for Rural Free Delivery. And in the early 20th century, he helped establish Mother’s Day as an observance.
An aggressive advertiser and promoter, Wanamaker is credited with the famous observation, “half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”
Written by (Roughly) Daily
July 12, 2015 at 1:01 am
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged with computer, Daniel Burnham, department store, design, history, icon, marketing, retailing, Wanamaker
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