—Pablo Neruda (1904-1973)

(from a nice Flickr collection of 769 images here)

New York

This is Luba Lukova‘s latest poster design for The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare at La MaMa e.t.c. (final poster at top, poster sketch below and a detail of conceptual sketches). Internationally recognized, Luba is regarded as one of the most distinctive image-makers working today — her original art uses metaphors, the juxtaposition of symbols, and an economy of linear illustration and text to beautifully capture the essence of basic humanity.

Austria, or wherever…

This is one of more than 350 vintage travel posters in an online collection compiled by The Boston Public Library’s Print Department—most date from the 1920s-1940s, the “Golden Age of Travel.” Enjoy the rest here.

(image source unknown)

Boston, Massachusetts

My friend Chaz Maviyane-Davies, a Zimbabwean expat and Professor of Design at the Massachusetts College of Art, has for the past few years stuck a new tear-sheet flyer each month with a different quote on it outside his office door in the college… above is the current offering, and following is Chaz’s explanation…

Paul Peter Piech (1920–1996) was a mentor, teacher and friend. He was perhaps the most prolific, skillful and passionate graphic designer I will ever meet and whose influence on me still resonates. His obituary in the UK Independent began “Some remarkable individuals keep on believing, throughout their lives, that the world could change for the better. The artist and printer Paul Peter Piech was one such man.” They concluded “In our current climate of fin de siecle despair at the state of the world Paul Peter Piech stood out as a man who knew how to turn any anger about man’s inhumanity to man into creative work with a disturbing social message.”

Even as a troublesome upstart, he supported me totally and in 1980 just before I completed my BA at Middlesex University, he graciously illustrated (lino-cut) this identity for me for my stationery needs. A kindred spirit, this quote reminds me fondly of him as we need the likes of Paul more than ever today.

Paris, France

This is a small sampling of Autochrome images made ​​in Paris between 1914 and 1918. The Autochrome process was developed by the Lumière brothers in 1903. The technique was based on a composite of black and white emulsions passed through a series of color filters (red, blue and green) designed based on potato starch (this technique was abandoned in 1935 in favor of the process Kodachrome, then Agfachrome the following year).

See more of these amazing century-old images of the city of love here.

Winnipeg, Canada

Three years ago, the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, Manitoba Chapter held its first PechaKucha Night at the Park Theatre on Osborne Street. Thursday, 7 March 2013 will mark the 13th such event organized under the auspices of GDC — as these gigs have consistently been “standing room only” events, be sure to get there early…

For anyone not yet familiar with the concept, PechaKucha 20×20 is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images advance automatically and you talk along to the images. Begun by several young architects 10 years ago in Tokyo, PechaKucha Nights now take place in over 500 cities around the world. Why the name PechaKucha (pronounce it Paw-Chalk‘-Ahh-Cha)? It derives from a Japanese term meaning “chatter.”

As I was perusing the PechaKucha/Winnipeg website, I saw that a talk I gave at PechaKucha Vol. 7 is featured online. Watch ‘Causes and Effects’ here. Another talk worth watching from the same night is by artist friend Diana Thorneycroft, ‘Various Bodies,’ here.

The great poster shown above is by GDC colleague Jeope Wolfe.

Cardiff, Wales

UK-based freelance illustrator Ed Fairburn draws on maps… which I like very much. See more here.