Matchbox Labels

While in the process of creating another story, I stumbled upon a collection of 1950s and 60s Eastern European Matchbox labels compiled by Jane McDevitt of Maraid Design.

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Beyond the obvious levels of creativity these pieces show, it really brings to light how esthetically perfect the balance, color, typography and design are in these hand made works of art.

I myself am a designer and often come across people who believe that we can do anything with computers (and certainly better), but I find this to be a perfect example that this is not always the case.

It reminds me of the argument comparing CDs and vinyl records. It's not that one should replace the other, but that they each hold a special place in the market.

The truth is, however, that nothing replaces talent. When I think of what these artists had to go thru to make these... how long they took, how many manual revisions they made, the amount of layouts they produced to get each one just perfect and to get them produced at a time and in countries that simply had bigger problems to worry about.

"Why did this area of the world embrace modern design and imagery when many countries, including Britain, still preferred the Victorian aesthetic?" said Jane.

"Subject matter is fascinating. As with advertisers, governments were quick to realise the potential of these far reaching messages."

Propaganda was popular but so too was public service announcements including fire safety, hygiene, money saving, alcohol abuse and road safety.

This combination of subject and design has left behind an invaluable archive of its time.

Below I showcase automobile related labels, but take time to visit the Flicker link at the bottom of this post to see all of them.

(source: Maraid)

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