The Archival Look


As I looked at the portfolio of commercial photographer Michelangelo DiBatista, I began noticing that advertising photography is currently going through an interesting phase that’s reminiscent of the old, pre-digital days.

Another sample of that archival look,as I call it, can be found in the movie poster I posted above,

I particularly enjoy looking at warm over-toned photography that somehow remind me of old, archival images. To me, they communicate a certain sense of comfort and familiarity; and those are very strong points when it comes to brand promotion.

Al momento de mirar los trabajos que ha realizado Michelangelo DiBatista, me detuve con atención para detallar algunas de las fotos que le ha tomado a varias celebridades y campañas publicitarias, y caí en cuenta de lo común que se ha vuelto el ver imágenes con aspectos añejos, tal cual si hubieran sido archivadas por mucho tiempo… Curiosamente, el afiche de esta película de cine es otro ejemplo; en lo particular, me gusta este tipo de manipulaciones pues comunican familiaridad y añoranza, los cuales son elementos muy potentes a la hora de promover una marca.

Cuban Posters

Poster Design by Faustino Perez
Poster Design by Faustino Perez
Poster Design by Israel Fundora
Poster Design by Faustino Perez

Poster design remains a strong way to reach wide audiences, even more in countries of limited sources. For a period of time, (ranging from the 60s all the way to the 80s) Cuban visual artists have produced nearly 1200 posters of enormous value that depicts not so much a political agenda, but rather an artistic power of great social impact. Many of those posters help us understand the times in which they were designed, and many of them could easily be categorized into different genders, but in most cases, they have similar aspects in common such as flat color renderings and visual wit through conceptual abstraction.

Grace with no Motion

Social AwarenessPolitical Poster

Inevitably, poster design is now a major art form. Museums from all over the world are paying big bucks for original prints. After all, how can any museum call itself modern without a descent poster archive? What follows is a conjunction of quotes from Taku Satoh, a Japanese Designer who’s interview is featured in Graphis 2010 Poster Annual:

These days, where the media is usually in an interactive form, I feel that a two dimension poster has a power of its own (…) A motionless media can be full of grace, and it spells out determination

Diego & Frida:Variations on a Theme

hr_blog_diegofridahr_blog_diegofrida01hr_blog_diegofrida02

I was really impressed with these posters, my favorite being the one in the middle; I really like the duality played by the elements in the composition. The poster on top comes second; is amazing how the typographic treatment is reminiscence to Frida’s fashion style. The fluidity, childlike quality of the third poster is also quite striking. Overall, what I like most about these posters is how a simple message can be delivered in so many aesthetic forms. I found all these concepts in the current volume of Graphis Poster annual, they were done by different designers from around the world to honor Frida and Diego’s retrospective year long exhibition hosted at The Fine Arts National Institute of Mexico.