New Book: Ad Boy-Vintage Advertising With Characters

If i don't get one I will kill myself...only joking, could you imagine that? But seriously....I'm so alone

Because I love characters!!!!

Retro? You mean this stuff is old? To me, it never went out of style. It just grew deeper roots, broader limbs, and sweeter fruit over the decades.

The most common and distinctive trait of these characters is their charming awkwardness.

There is an honesty in their naiveté.

Contemporary strive to be more idealistic and in this attempt they disconnect from the viewer and their message is lost.

i simply want it..

Retro characters and images of nostalgia,
Inspire you to draw and forget the future.
A color palette so sweet
like a recipe you could eat,
It takes you back to better days,
Leaving you with a warm feeling
Like on old summer days...

Por la nostalgia.

:D i really like retro characters because of their colours and somehow they've held this fascination in me. I also like the details on those retro characters! and it brings back a feeling of endearment and nostalgia.

IMAGINATION! IMAGINATION! IMAGINATION! The designers and creators back then had it in heaps and bounds. I just can't get enough of their vivid,colorful,pop culture icons. They simply are delicious! Looking at them makes you feel all warm and cosy inside. I guess the kid in me will never die eh? (Hope not anyway.)

I like retro characters/illustrations for many reasons: the astronauts took them to the moon, they're the greatest American heros, and my baloney has a first name and its R - E - T - R - O.

The real reason is, i think these images have a simple look that hides the true amount of hard work and effort spent to create them. They looked so effortless, and the concepts so simple that anyone could have come up with them. But as everyone knows, that is incredibly difficult to pull off.

What's not to like. The colors are awesome, the characters had strong personalities and they were all hand-drawn. Much of that stuff is not just ads, they're art! And I love art. AND books. I clearly deserve a copy.

Brings back great childhood memories!

because this drawing are so simply and fresh ! innocent like a kids ;)

I like them because they are part of our visual background. Advertising now is sometimes agressive and overwhelming. Retro cartoon characters reminds us of a time when advertising was much more gentle, almost naive.

I love the old retro cartoon characters because they remind me of my childhood. I would sink my mind deep into a magical world where anything was possible. Blast off into space in a rocket made out of an old cardboard box, or look under the bed to find a miniature world of strange and funny creatures. The characters back then were also more believable, usually being something you could directly relate to, like a little boy or girl who had the adventures. Characters these days are more crazy and out there, like a small yellow thing called Pikachu, what the hell is that! x

They make my eyes bleed with uncontrollable nostalgia.

Retro rocks because it's simple impact! It's graphic and emotional at the same time! It's retro!

Whats not to love? It brings me back to my childhood and can still teach us lessons about design and illustration to this day.
One lesson we are still having trouble learning is that with illustration, simpler is better.

because funky, like talking monkey

As I grow older these RETRO ads from my youth become even more apealing. They perfectly illustrate a simpler time and really generate a desire to buy that product. I have begun some fledgling collecting of old ads and travel posters which use character advertising. Thanks for sharing!

I love RETRO because they give you a peek back in time to when you actually had to work for brand recognition and loyalty. How I miss the days of the shopping mall when there were more stores that you did not know the names of, than you did. Think of all of the fantastic art and design that went into these...awesome!

El libro tiene una pinta estupenda. A ver si tengo suerte XD

I love RETRO because... like ...it's what cool these days.

In retro ads and illustration, often all the elements are laid out: man, woman, child, product, desire, all present in static and predictable relationships. Retro is innocent of the false subversion that's currently used as advertising strategy, which means it simply regurgitates wholesale the cultural memes advertising relies on, and I think it's funny.

Retro and Vintage styles are a nostalgic reminder to us of a better time and place. The art of the period reflects the optimism and innocence that permeated the American perspective: whether it be to rally patriotism, to celebrate victory, to create a household character for selling products, or to give the imagination a glimpse into the future, such art served the purpose of holding the collective hand of its consumer down a road of myriad possibilities. Artists differed in style and medium but the approach was the same. Time transpired, marketing strategies changed. Consumers bring a mindset influenced by pessimism and disdain for industry giants. Sadly, the wholesome characters of days long ago and the visions of the future would never be. That dream of tomorrow never came to past. We look to vintage and retro styles as our last reminder of better times and as a glimmer of hope of what could have been. We desire, perhaps, a return to better times and knowing that such concepts were a possibility: those characters, not just friendly faces on paper and products. They had meaning, personalities, and meant well for us. This love for them did not die, and we look to them still with eager smiles and nostalgic longing.

i love this kind of illustration, in the country where i live is very difficult to get to this style, because the only valid influence for the people here is disney, the character design is very poor (except for few exceptions from the past decades and the new ones with web influence).
in contrast with what i have been saying before, i have the incredible pleasure of grow watching UPA short animation, and other experimental animation from countries behind the extinguished comunist wall. the warner animation was present too, but that these classics were treated with disrespect for the tv channels. now they are finally vanished. i really want this book, and more because her in venezuela (my country) i can have but a few dollars to buy in the internet (400 doll) and i just finished my share of this buying some books and vinyl toys. if you can give this to me you will make me very happy

I'd have to say i love these character mascots because there is a certain charm and innocence to them all. Its shows us a time where goofy characters were used to help sell products instead of generic stock photography and beveled edges. The colors and personalities of these drawings just can't be beat.

Because books don't read themselves. ....please send the Porkchop a book.

I love Vintage characters and illustration because it's so wildly different and alien to the current mentality of commercial art. Looking back at retro advertising art - you can plainly see the innocence and often simple approach to push a product without the myriad of subversive selling or the intense over thinking that is abundant in the field today. The characters often crude, yet full of charm and life - almost always seeping with personality in their simplicity. Their purpose wasn't masked under the guise of anything else than selling a product, nor were they muddled under layers of ideology and purpose - they were unabashedly salesmen; and it was refreshing. They almost existed in a realm of their own - and can be eerily iconic of one's own childhood when simplicity ruled over a convoluted thought process. Understanding their importance to the history of advertising is crucial to understanding pop culture and advertising today!

Besides - one can't have enough books on art; especially advertising art and illustration!

It is fun to look at those characters with adult eyes. As an adult you can see just how creepy and disturbing they were. In particular FREAKIES cereal. I can remember loving the characters and collecting all of the pencil toppers and plastic figurines. I look at them now with a kid of guarded nostalgia never quite trusting those little freaks like I once did.

Without Retro art we would have nothing to build off of for people to make present art.
The past supports the future.

I would like a copy because I havn't got enough books on this subject. To own one of these would definitely make me more clever and more successful as an illustrator.

ahem..

And I'm really poor, so I can't afford one myself

It's all about the personality.

I love retro characters because they are the best. simple as that.

I love retro characteres because they’re simples, often naives and they’re refreshing my minds.
J’aime les personnages retro parce qu’ils sont simples, souvent naif et ils rafraîchissent mon esprit.

I like them beacuse I am such a child.

I love retro characters, because i do.

I love retro characters because they take me back to happier times, my childhood.

Sure, there's something nostalgic about retro illustration. But it's also nice to see simple, well designed stuff that was created without the aid of Photoshop or some 3D program.

I like them because I like to be randomly selected.

I love retro because it's so retro.

Love retro characters.

I love retro characters because they're simple and sweet.

I like Retro Illustrations cause they taste of orange juice, bruised knees and sun in your eyes.

such vintage product characters are so straight to the point when relating to the products they are referring to. they're so simple yet catchy. and the way such characters were created, one can really tell how effective it is considering it's awesomeness hasn't died out yet.

i love retro illutrations becuase they make me happy :)

retro illustration rocks - so much better than the generic stuff being churned out today!

I enjoy retro characters and illustration for three reasons:
1. They are direct, straight forward and make me feel like they are promoting something of substance.
2. With all the visual over stimulation I get from living in a city -- I gravitate toward simplistic images because they calm me.
3. As an illustrator, I am constantly trimming the fat from images, deleting elements that over complicate a message or image. I have respect for artists that can work in that style and I am envious of their self discipline since I feel like I am constantly reaching for a sliver of it in my own work.

I take every ounce of my inspiration from retro characters. This is when character design was at it's prime. :) The colors, the expressions, the shameless advertising...yessss!

Because most of their first names begins with mr.

This type of illustration is simple, attention-grabbing and full of character. It tells a story about the advertised product in a way that photography cannot. It reflects the optimism of an era of booming consumerism and prosperity, so it's no surprise that the style evokes nostalgic feelings for many people. It's also fun to create and the colours are great to work with.

This is the true golden age of illustration. Although this style isn't always apparent in my work, it's influence has always been strong with me.

Yo quiero el mío!!!! me encantan los monitosss!!!! I want my book! Is the best! jeje

I think this work is important, it is our history, it is a reminder that we once had a culture that was visually aware, eager to be challenged, bright enough to make abstract connections. In a very real sense these books keep our culture's visual language alive and in doing so, we can learn much more from these images than simply the nature of product, we have the ability to understand the culture that made and cherished them-- the Rosetta Stone of our age.

Retro illustration ROCKS! I collect so many random 1960s books and brochures just for the illustrations. It's always nice to see things done by hand without the aid of computers. I grew up on Wacky Packs, Saturday morning cartoons and comic books whose ads were even more interesting than the comics themselves. Anyone remember the ads for Sea Monkeys and those mail order toys that you could buy with gum wrappers? Loved those!

This was, to me, the golden age of Illustration -- when everything was beautifully illuminated and hand crafted. These artists couldn't just slap some schlock onto the page and hope techno-wiz trickery will "fool" people into buying the product -- no! -- good drawings from the "vintage" age were drawn very carefully and diligently -- every line, texture, shape mattered. These characters told stories.

Because it seems honest. Simple. It seems closer to the hand, because they actually had to do everything by hand, and so the intent is more thorough and earnest.
And because of the nostalgia- and it more often then nor makes me smile.

I love retro characters because they represent a snippet in time in advertising that will be lost forever if it wasn't for archives such as this book. The color, simplicity and politically incorrectness of some of the images are pure gold. I love this stuff.

I dig retro because of the simplicity.
Product of the lack of graphic technical instruments, artist had to work hard to get the deepest ideas, or concepts, with the minimum resources.

I love it because of the solid, bright colors and clean, well-defined shapes... And I love how goofy the characters tend to be. There is a lovely handmade, cut-and-paste feeling to it, as well. Hooray for retro design...

Retro characters that still last today were just so well designed! They had life and humor and fun! Time has filtered out the dreck, and we get to see all the good stuff that has made it through the decades...

I think this was a time people were learning to create characters themselves in a small room with little outside influence. What they thought was funny was funny and laid down on paper. What they thought was cute made it to paper. They were fresh and original. The colors and the textures were long lasting. Now it's cool to be old again.

I love the older ads they are SO clever & colourful. The caricatures of 'everyday folk' were so witty and spot on. I also love that they were much more hands on than now.

I like retro illustrations cause the are inspiring, the color pallettes used and the expresions. I love to check on a little vintage collection I own when I have to draw, though my type of illustration is not vintage.

I like retro characters and illustration because it reminds me that there was once a time in which SELLING the product was not the entire purpose of the commercial. While that pursuit was still important, as any commercial or mascot should sell a product well, the ethics behind the execution should carry a sincere warmness, a genuine life to the imagery. Besides, when one loves traditional medium over today's new fangled technological art, the commercial characters and illustrations of old present that much more inspiration and joy.

When I study and enjoy classic advertisment art, I hope to acheive the same charm in my own work as well.