the mehallo blog. beta.

‘A recently unearthed Christmas classic from 1982, starring most of your favorite Tron characters and laser bikes.’

Finally saw the new Tron movie.

LOVE the production design by Darren Gilford and team, beautiful homage to 1980s design thinking – and the original work of Syd Mead, Moebius and Peter Lloyd.

Makes me wanna thumb thru my old Industrial Design textbook, Ungar’s Rendering In Mixed Media. Wear leg warmers. Rediscover Patrick Nagel.

AND Michael Sheen IS the lovechild of Martin Short (below) and David Bowie.

The first Tron seems so far away.

Tags: cool finds, design history by steve
3 comments  . . .   

‘What the women would slip on underneath their wardrobe in the 1920s when they attend parties at the Gatsby’

From last year: La Perla’s Black Label collection. Article here.

Found via LifestyleAsia

Tags: cool finds, design, design history, fashion by steve
Comments Off on Daisy Buchanan’s underwear

Photograph by Kent Hall.

Taken at the 2007 Gatsby Summer Afternoon, held annually by the Art Deco Society of California.

Tags: cool finds, design history, photography, typography by steve
Comments Off on Merry Oldsmobile 3

‘Cleavage, surrealism, and jaunty music – Yep, it’s a Fleischer cartoon!’ -IMDB user review

Before Betty Boop and Popeye: 1932 advertisement for Oldsmobile from the great Fleischer animation studio.

With nifty sing-along, bouncing ball animated lettering.

Tags: cool finds, design history, music, typography by steve
Comments Off on Merry Oldsmobile 2

This was my wedding gift to Jeanne: Vintage Seth Thomas wall clock.

Found at an old antique shop in Pescadero, CA. Just down the street from Duarte’s Tavern, home to some of the best artichoke soup anywhere.

Photo by me.

Tags: cool finds, design history, photography by steve
Comments Off on Wedding clock

Today is my 15th Wedding Anniversary.

And on December 9, 1995, Jeanne and I got married in my cousins’ living room in Half Moon Bay, CA. And as part of the show, our favors were mix tapes copied on to genuine cassettes.

Not CDs. The technology – and price – just wasn’t there yet. It was 1995. So instead, we gave out a unique cassette offering that took a whole month to prep. [Read more →]

Tags: design history, music, photography, thoughts by steve
5 comments  . . .   

‘Karneval’ c. 1931 by German artist Jeanne Mammen (1896-1976)

Found via Adski Kafeteri

Tags: art, cool finds, design history, illustration by steve
5 comments  . . .   

“Experimental Edges’ were Gehry’s second collection of cardboard furniture. Generously proportioned, they take classic armchairs as their motif.’

Red Beaver Chair and Ottoman by Frank Gehry for Vitra, 1986.

Tags: cool finds, design, design history by steve
1 comment  . . .   

Roger Excoffon’s Coq. From 1963.

Found via Look-E-Here

Tags: art, cool finds, design, design history by steve
Comments Off on Red Coq

‘Of all the Santas of all time here are my top three, and the guys who drew them.’

Haddon ‘Sunny’ Sunblom (above), Norman Rockwell and Thomas Nast (below). Interpreted by the incredible Steve Brodner. Details here.

Tags: cool finds, design history, illustration by steve
Comments Off on ‘Three Kings’

‘One of the most iconic drawings of Santa, it is also in the public domain.’

Credit for the visual development of ‘Santa Claus’ goes to illustrator Thomas Nast (1840-1902).

And one of Nast’s most famous drawings – from the January 1, 1881 edition of Harper’s Weekly (above) – has this habit of showing up in odd places every holiday season. Some original, some reinterpretations.

I’ve seen it appear on everything from mugs to tees to gift bags to necklaces to ornaments. With the iconic red suit (which was actually developed by the Coca-Cola Company) added to some of the versions. [Read more →]

Tags: cool finds, design history, illustration by steve
Comments Off on Red Santa