People’s Graphic Design Archive

The American Way of Death

Sat, 16 May 2026 00:12:22 +0000

The American Way of Death is an exposé of abuses in the funeral home industry in the United States, written by Jessica Mitford and published in 1963. An updated revision, The American Way of Death Revisited, largely completed by Mitford just before her death in 1996, appeared in 1998. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Way_of_Death

Creed, Human Clay album cover (1999)

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:15:42 +0000

The album cover graphic design for Creed's "Human Clay" demonstrates how design goes beyond aesthetics to affect culture, elicit emotion, and inspire positive change in society via design’s ability to communicate complex thoughts and concepts through visual representation; it uses images of struggle and uncertainty and strength as a means of building community by establishing empathy across cultural lines. Designers act as a collective with a shared responsibility to protect and promote work that adds to our knowledge of human values, cultural narratives, and progress in society; this includes understanding how design can be used as a tool to promote the greater good.

Grambling College Marching Band: Tiger Time Record

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:13:52 +0000

Grambling College Marching Band – “Tiger Time” is the marching band at Grambling State University, known for its strong sound, tight formations, and high-energy performances. As part of HBCU band culture, “Tiger Time” mixes music, dance, and movement to create shows that are as visual as they are musical. The band plays an important role in expressing school pride and community, and has helped shape the visibility and influence of HBCU marching bands over time.

NBA 2k14

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:20:26 +0000

This design is the NBA 2k14 video game cover, featuring LeBron James on the Miami Heat. This design is the cover poster for a sports packaging design for the NBA 2k franchise. The cover uses a bright red background with a large close-up of Lebron's face, while a full-body action pose of his real-life pregame ritual of throwing chalk is featured front and center of the design.

This design contributes to the history of graphic design as it shows how sports, gaming, celebrities, and branding can come together to form one visual object that has a clear meaning. The poster makes Lebron feel iconic, and the action shot of his routine elicits energy and emotion. The colors are balanced as the red tones fit the brand logo and the team Lebron plays for. This cover represents early 2010s sports media design. This time period was a major era where players were becoming cultural figures and global celebrities rather than just athletes.

AIGA Boston Chapter Founding Letter from 1983

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:08:30 +0000

Retrieved from the AIGA Boston archives in 2026, this letter from 1983 appears to mark the official founding of the AIGA Boston Chapter. The letter is co-written and co-signed by W. John Lees and Stephen Korbet. The letter is addressed to Ms. Allison Schacter, the Membership and Chapter Coordinator at AIGA National in New York City. The letter is set on letterhead from “Herman and Lees Associates.”

The letter proposes the formation of the AIGA Chapter with geographic limits extending to all of Massachusetts and also Providence, Rhode Island. The enclosed signatures mentioned in the letter have not been located. Attached to the letter is a proposed budget for 1985-1986, with categorized entries for income and budget items.

Swiss Style Poster

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:07:54 +0000

This graphic design piece is a concert poster created during the Swiss International Typographic Style movement in the mid-20th century. This design reflects a strong use of grid systems, sans-serif typography, and asymmetrical balance, which were key principles of modernist design. Designers such as Armin Hofmann helped establish a clear visual language based on clarity, order, and communication rather than decoration.

I chose this work because it represents a major shift in design history where communication became the primary goal of visual design. The use of structured layouts and minimal color demonstrates how design can effectively organize information and guide the viewer’s eye. This connects directly to Meggs’ History of Graphic Design, where Swiss Style is identified as a foundation for modern digital and interface design systems today.

Tonhalle Zürich 1953 Poster for a concert

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:20:26 +0000

This graphic design piece is a concert poster created during the Swiss International Typographic Style movement in the mid-20th century. The design reflects a strong use of grid systems, sans-serif typography, and asymmetrical balance, which were key principles of modernist design. Designers such as Josef Müller-Brockmann helped establish a clear visual language based on clarity, order, and communication rather than decoration.

José Afonso — Cantigas do Maio album cover

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:04:03 +0000

This album cover was more than just packaging; it was a visual statement during a time of political unrest in Portugal. The colorful rainbow hand on the cover represented freedom and change, making it a powerful symbol during the dictatorship period.
It's an example of how graphic design can be used as a form of protest and cultural expression.
The bold, simple design was a break from traditional design and became iconic for its connection to the revolutionary spirit of the time.

Expo’98 Lisboa logo

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:02:54 +0000

The logo for Expo’98 is a great example of modern, minimalist design. It symbolized Portugal’s maritime history and looked forward to a new era of global openness after joining the European Union.
This logo became part of a larger visual identity system that was applied across the whole event — from signs to brochures — showing how graphic design can create a cohesive and memorable brand.
It's one of the most recognizable examples of Portuguese graphic design from the 90s and helped establish a modern national identity.

Delta Cafés original coffee tin

Fri, 15 May 2026 15:41:06 +0000

Delta’s coffee tin design is an early example of effective packaging and branding in Portugal. The bold colors and simple graphics made it stand out on store shelves and helped build the brand’s identity.
It shows how packaging design can influence consumer behavior and create a connection with the product.
The design has become iconic in Portugal, representing not just a product but also a part of Portuguese culture, helping Delta become a household name.

“The Passion of Muhammad Ali” Esquire Cover, April 1968

Fri, 15 May 2026 16:20:26 +0000

George Lois’ April 1968 Esquire cover is an embodiment of the integral Pop Art movement in design history. Muhammad Ali, a loved public figure and world renowned fighter, is featured as the muse of this political design.

Before the publication of this edition of Esquire, Muhammad was involved in a heated public scandal. Turmoil grew in America regarding the conflict in Vietnam and U.S involvement in 1967. As men were required to enlist, Muhammad Ali infamously refused, citing his religious beliefs. In a country founded on the basis of freedom, Ali was stripped of his boxing titles and received strong public backlash.

Lois’ cover was published after Ali’s public downfall and portrays a political anti-war message through the design’s compositional components. Ali’s stance and battered appearance are reflective of the patron saint of soldiers, St. Sebastian. As the central focal point, the viewer's eyes are drawn to the arrows piercing through Muhammad and the red blood which drips from his skin. These details are reminiscent of the historical painting Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by Il Sodoma, an Italian painter during the early 16th century.

A beloved catholic figure, St. Sebastian was a Roman Captain executed in the 3rd century after abusing his power to protect the lives of persecuted Christians. The cover underscores the hypocrisy of Muhammad’s persecution, as he faced religious discrimination for refusing to fight for a country that claimed to uphold his rights to free speech and religion.

Intertwining historical references with occurring Pop Culture events is a heavily effective marketing technique which not only adds depth to the design, but conveys its messaging in a stealth manner. There is an alluring component to the secrecy in which Lois creates within his design as it requires thought and debate, engaging viewers to decipher his creations in order to discover its absolute truths.

Iranian Graphic Design

Fri, 15 May 2026 22:24:17 +0000

Designer’s Name: Reza Abedini
Title of the Work: Le Voyage De Maryam
Date: 2002
Format: Poster

Playstation 2 Ads

Fri, 15 May 2026 15:32:46 +0000

These are some of Playstation's ads that were created during the Playstation 2 era of gaming. They changed the game when it came to video game advertising. The focus wasn't gaming itself but our emotional experiences while gaming. Surreal and manipulated imagery that feels dreamlike. Each ad contains one singular subject with their own style.

These designs contribute to the history of graphic design as it embraced an aesthetic that no other gaming marketing campaign had and the target audience wasn't children but towards young adults. This Playstation era is known as being “the golden era of unhinged creativity”. The marketing was treated as art and not only advertisements to promote video games but to promote the experience of playing them on the Playstation 2.

Michael Jackson's dangerous album cover, 1991

Fri, 15 May 2026 20:20:26 +0000

The Dangerous album cover by Michael Jackson (1991), created by artist Mark Ryden, is one of the most detailed and symbolic works in music-related graphic design. Released during a time when album covers were becoming more minimal and photography-based, this piece stood out by embracing dense illustration, narrative, and surrealism. It reflects a mix of Victorian aesthetics, pop surrealism, and postmodern design, demonstrating how commercial design can serve as complex visual storytelling.

At the center of the composition are Michael Jackson’s eyes, which immediately draw attention and create a sense of mystery and control. Surrounding this focal point is an elaborate, symmetrical arrangement of imagery that resembles a theatrical stage or carnival setting. The frame itself feels ornate and decorative, almost like a proscenium arch, reinforcing the idea of performance and spectacle.

The imagery throughout the cover combines themes of fantasy, power, innocence, and darkness. Animals, royal figures, and mechanical elements are layered together, suggesting both wonder and control. This contrast reflects the duality often present in Jackson’s work: fame versus isolation, innocence versus experience, and fantasy versus reality.

In terms of graphic design history, this cover represents a strong example of postmodern design. It avoids a single clear message and instead invites multiple interpretations through symbolism and visual complexity. Rather than simplifying the message, it embraces excess, detail, and layered meaning.

The Dangerous cover contributed to graphic design by showing that album art could go beyond branding and become a form of fine art. It demonstrated how illustration, symbolism, and composition could work together to create a lasting cultural image that encourages viewers to look deeper and interpret meaning over time.

Seventeen Magazine Cover, July 1949

Fri, 15 May 2026 15:29:04 +0000

Cipe Pineles was the first woman to serve as art director at a major American magazine. She held that role at Seventeen from 1947 to 1950 and later at Glamour and Charm. At a time when women were rarely given creative leadership in publishing, she was not only doing the job but setting a new standard for it.

This July 1949 cover is a strong example of her work. A young woman in a navy swimsuit sits with a red and white striped umbrella, and the image is mirrored so that she and the Seventeen logo appear both right side up and upside down. For 1949 that compositional choice was bold and unexpected. The cover is clean, confident and still feels modern today.

Pineles also made a point of commissioning fine artists rather than commercial illustrators for Seventeen, which was unusual at the time and raised the visual quality of the entire publication. Her work shaped how a generation of young American women saw themselves in print. She deserves far more recognition in design history than she typically receives.

1963, The Victoria Theatre Salford, A Taste of Honey

Fri, 15 May 2026 15:28:24 +0000

A poster advertising the play A Taste of Honey, written by Shelagh Delaney, being produced by the Victoria Theatre, Salford, UK.