Arrows

POINTING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.


Road signs
Perhaps the most common arrows. There must be billions of them out there.

I like chevrons, and I don’t know why. Below, an Australian example.

The exact spot
Making accurate maps of Britain in the mid-twentieth century required these “minor revision points.” Precisely-located arrows that acted as fixed points for revising maps. Elaine Owen (who works for the Ordnance Survey) came across an archive of photographs at Manchester’s Central Library. She’s published thousands of them on Timepix, a work-in-progress website that geo-locates historic images.

The Golden Arrow
A classic luxury train that ran from London (Victoria Station) to the English Channel ferries at Dover. Pulled here by “Tangmere,” a Bulleid Light Pacific locomotive.

I just happen to have a Hornby model of another one of the Battle of Britain Class locomotives in my studio.

Air Mail
In the 1920s, a system of about 1,500 beacon towers, standing on huge arrows, directed aircraft carrying mail across the United States. The arrows were originally painted bright yellow. Several of them still exist, although many are gradually eroding back into the landscape. This one is in Utah, about 80 miles north of the Grand Canyon.


Photograph: Dppowell.

Here’s a preserved example of the full setup at Newark Heath Airport in Ohio (about 55 miles from where I’m sitting).


Image from Google Street View.

Multi-directional
A London tourist sign points to eight destinations.


Photograph: iStock.com/Image Source

Trylon and Perisphere

NEW YORK ICONS.

These simple geometric shapes were the centerpiece of New York’s 1939 World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens. The 610 ft high (186 meters) Trylon was attached by a walkway to the 180 ft diameter (55 meters) Perisphere.

Inside the Perisphere was a diorama by Henry Dreyfuss called “Democracity,” a vision of a city of the future.

Of course, there were many Trylon and Perisphere souvenirs. Pass the salt and pepper, please.

The World’s Fair site.

A promotional poster.

The Trylon Theater on Queens Boulevard was showing movies until 1999.

Tiling below the ticket window.

The Unisphere (from the 1964 World’s Fair) stands on the same site today. I featured it here: https://wp.me/p7LiLW-3D
This is a souvenir model.

Satellites

DESIGN IN ORBIT.

PostlerFerguson, a London studio, designed these satellite models for Papafoxtrot.

I have the Spectr-R (second from the left) on a shelf in my studio. The packaging is superb.

Only the Cargo Capsule (below) seems to be available at the moment. http://papafoxtrot.com/cargo-capsule

A clip from “The Known Universe,” by the American Museum of Natural History. Click on the image to see the animation. Watch the full video here: https://goo.gl/1hK4WK

A 2015 satellite interactive from Quartz: https://qz.com/296941/interactive-graphic-every-active-satellite-orbiting-earth/

Infographic by Alberto Lucas López for the South China Morning Post (from 2014). Click on the image for a larger version.

Sputnik 1 was the first satellite, launched in 1957. The 23” diameter (58 cm) sphere sent out radio pulses for 22 days. This is a replica at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

The Vanguard 1 launched in 1958. It was the first solar-powered satellite, and although it’s mission ended in 1964, it’s still in orbit.

KalamSat, the smallest and lightest satellite, was launched last year. Designed by a high school team led by 18 year-old Rifath Sharook, and 3D printed, it flew a four-hour mission. Vital statistics: it’s 1.5″ (3.8 cm) wide and weighs 2.26 ounces (64 grams).

The International Space Station is the largest satellite.

It’s about the size of a U.S. football field.


Both images: NASA.

http://www.postlerferguson.com
http://papafoxtrot.com

Cinematic

GRAPHIC DESIGN BY SAUL BASS.

Many iconic movies of the mid-twentieth century featured the work of this legendary graphic designer. Like these three Hitchcock movies.

He also designed many well-known American logos.

A Google Doodle, lovingly-made by Matthew Cruickshank, celebrated Saul’s birthday. See the animation here: https://goo.gl/yjCZrK
Matthew’s website: http://yecrookedlegge.com

Illustrator/animator

GUILLAUME KURKDJIAN’S WORK IS TONS OF FUN.

These graphics feel like breath of fresh air, coming straight from Paris. In terms of engagement, they hit all the right notes. See a lot more on Guillaume’s website: https://guillaumekurkdjian.com

Below, some retro tech animations.

Icons for La Poste, the French postal service.

For Welcome to the Jungle, a French recruitment company.

Problems parking the camper van.

Another animation for Welcome to the Jungle.

Cityscapes of New York and Philadelphia for NRG Energy, a U.S. power company.

Animated icons for Le Tank, a coworking space in Paris.

Unusual advertising

TWENTIETH-CENTURY PERSUASION.

It was a different world back then. Everyone smoked, even astronomers in the observatory.
“Have I discovered a new galaxy, or is it just the smoke from my cigarette?”

Your doctor would recommend his favorite brand of cigarettes.

Even Santa liked a few puffs before getting on his sleigh.

Airline food in the 1950s.

The modern reality.

Cars clearly were glamorous. It’s a shame that they would only go a few miles on a gallon of gasoline.

“Flight-Sweep Styling.” Chrome-cleaner anyone?

In those days, babies drank soda.

Targets

DESIGNS TO AIM AT.

Abstract shooting targets.

Vintage hunting practice.

Crosshair bomb target in Nevada. Northwest of Las Vegas.

Reminds me of the registration marks we used in mechanical artwork: https://wp.me/p7LiLW-Mw

The mysterious Nevada Desert Triangle, which is nearby. These targets are about 60 miles (97 km) from Area 51.

And one in Xinjiang, China.


Images from Google maps.

From Wikipedia: “Darts is the sport in which small missiles are thrown at a circular dartboard fixed to a wall.”

Archery has a very long history, and it became an Olympic sport in 1900.

Not a real target, but a very well-known logo. One of the largest retail store companies in the U.S.

Small buildings

MINIATURE ARCHITECTURE.

I have a collection of small metal souvenir buildings, and only ones that I have seen for real, except for the Trylon and Perisphere (the centerpiece of the 1939 New York World’s Fair). For more detailed information on all this, please contact my therapist.

These little architectural caricatures sit on a shelf in my studio, and they‘ve influenced the way that I draw landmarks on maps. I’m trying to capture the key elements of the structures, and a strict aerial view is often not the best way to convey the feeling of a building, especially at a small size. There’s nothing original about this thinking, pictorial map-makers have been doing this kind of thing for a very long time. My two posts about Bollmann Maps showed the work of their illustrated map craftsmen.
https://wp.me/p7LiLW-Ak
https://wp.me/p7LiLW-X8

I clearly am not in the elevated category of Bollmann, as my maps have buildings that are closer to pictograms than they are to architectural renderings. Here are some examples of the metal buildings’ effect on my projects.

There are plenty of interesting buildings to draw in Rotterdam.

A detail.

The landmarks of Paris. My Eiffel Tower model came in handy here.

Post-2001 plans for Lower Manhattan. This and the previous two maps are from Condé Nast Traveler.

Jogging around Chicago.

And around Tokyo. Both maps are from Runner’s World.

Stick maps

MICRONESIAN CARTOGRAPHY.

These charts were used by the inhabitants of the Marshall Islands to navigate their canoes. Shells represent islands. The ribs (made from the midribs of coconut fronds) show ocean swell patterns and currents. Often, only the person who made the map understood it, as there was no standardization between charts. The map-making process was handed down from father to son over many generations. A map was studied before a trip and was not referred to during the voyage.

There were three types of maps:
Mattang
An abstract small chart, used for teaching only.

Meddo
A close-up of a few islands with the main ocean swells.

Rebbelib
Shows a whole chain of islands and the swell patterns.

This mapping system was not revealed to Westerners until 1862, when a missionary reported it in “Nautical Magazine and Naval Chronicle.”

Colors of cars

THE PATTERNS IN OUR CHOICE OF PAINTWORK.

The second of two posts that show creative video. The first one, about Black Sheep Films, is here: https://wp.me/p7LiLW-2aZ

Cy Kuckenbaker (based in San Diego) uses special effects to give us an idea of the relative numbers of various car colors. This seems connected visually to the “Rush Hour” video in Monday’s post, except that these really are the numbers of cars that drove past. Five minutes of footage is reorganized to put some order into the chaos. I wish I could see the world everyday with this kind of infographic vision.
The video: https://vimeo.com/82038912

More about car colors.

The 1996 Volkwagen Golf Harlequin gave owners four colors in one model.

Photograph: iStock.com/Artem Konovalov

A color chart from 2012, but the numbers may not be much different today. My car is silver (I’m sure you were desperate to know that.)

Ursus Wehrli rearranges a parking lot to reveal some color data. See more of his work in this post: https://wp.me/p7LiLW-Z4