Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

Signs, signs. Everywhere a sign.

Today we’re going to be talking about a couple of colorful visual alphabets. Not typefaces, but the kinds of alphabets that are their own languages. Created to solve specific problems, one works face-to-face and the other from a distance.

So give the high sign to the bartender and order up a couple of Ocean Breezes. We’re bringing you the histories of American Sign Language and nautical flags back here in the bar.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-133-visual-alphabets

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

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We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes.

Today we’re going to be talking about game show logos – the good, the bad and the ugly — and how sometimes all of those qualities could be found in a single piece of artwork. We’re zeroing in on a couple that are loud, busy and colorful, just like the era they were created in and the sets they were created for: The Gong Show and Match Game.

So grab the remote, ask the bartender for a couple of Slot Machine cocktails and join us once again as we spin the wheel and roll the dice right here in the bar.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-132-game-show-logos

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

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There are some new tablecloths here in the bar, which has gotten us thinking about fabric patterns. Today we’re going to be talking about a couple of patterns that, if you don’t personally have them in your wardrobe, you likely know someone who does. We’ve brought in the funky character known as paisley and the shady character known as camouflage.

So ask the bartender to mix up a couple of Army & Navies because we’re gonna be having a “wrap session” (get it?) back here in the bar.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-131-fabric-patterns

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With March Madness wrapping-up and spring break calling, we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes.

If you wander into any school, bar or thrift store, you're bound to see a collection of trophies. Have you ever wondered why they often look like cups, plates and other objects you wouldn't think about grabbing after a robust game of tennis or an intense hockey match? We did, and we’ve got a couple of amazing examples we’re talking about today: Wimbledon's Venus Rosewater Dish for women's tennis and The Stanley Cup for men's hockey.

We’re digging into the curious history of why some of the biggest wins come with even stranger hardware. It’s time to grab a couple flutes of champagne to help us toast our latest episode, right here in the bar.

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episode-130-trophy-design-classic

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes.

Bold colors. Funky haircuts. The Cold War and the Cola Wars. Video games and MTV. Japanese electronics and European fashion. Iconic music and movies...

If New Wave was a style and attitude, then music was the delivery device. In this episode we discuss the political climate, creative activity and DIY attitudes that led to the formation and rise of one of pop culture’s signature eras.

So place your order for a couple of 'Synth Wave cocktails, because we’ve got new haircuts and we're gonna be poppin' and lockin' back here in the bar.

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Mentioned in this episode:

“New Wave Graphics Are the Most Influential Designs You’ve Probably Ignored”

https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/why-new-wave-graphics-are-the-most-influential-designs-youve-probably-ignored/

“The History and Bands of New Wave Music”

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/new-wave-music-guide

“Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die: Punk Graphic Design” and “Reversing Into the Future: New Wave Graphic Design”

https://www.emmanuelgallery.org/punk-and-new-wave

“My Frame is True: New Wave Posters - in Pictures”

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2021/oct/02/punk-and-new-wave-posters-reversing-into-the-future-in-pictures

Reversing Into the Future, a book from Andrew Krivine

https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/the-daily-heller-and-the-beast-goes-on/

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-129-punk-meets-tech

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon [ https://patreon.com/twodesignerswalkintoabar?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink ] for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone says that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. But if that were true, copyright law wouldn’t need to exist.

We’re discussing a couple of items that could be called homages…or could be called unfair (or even unauthorized) use (but we’ll leave that up to you): a Swatch poster from the ‘80s and The Disneyland Memorial Orgy from the '60s, two projects with colorful artwork and equally colorful backstories.

So place your order for a Rainbow Paradise, because we’re drawing unwanted attention once again here in the bar.

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-128-homage-designs

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For one last time, we’re delving into the depths of our expanded minds to talk about the impact of psychedelia on popular culture. We may have been at the bar a bit too long getting our minds…expanded. We have a lot to talk about today as we discuss what happened with psychedelia after The Summer of Love and Woodstock.

(Spoiler alert: Nothing like going mainstream to kill a counterculture style.)

So help us out by grabbing a couple of Flaming Unicorns as we come back down to earth, right here in the bar.

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-127-psychedelia-part-3

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

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Visit our merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In our last episode we talked about the origins of psychedelia and learned about Bicycle Day celebrated every April. (Hint: it involved a lot of science and experimentation along with maybe a little bit of balance.)

Today we dive into the era of peak psychedelia: the mid ‘60s. We talk about the design and music inspired by this—ahem—experimentation and how that informed pop culture for a generation.

So, ask the bartender for some Magic Mushroom cocktails and join us as we trip our way back into the bar.

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-126-psychedelia-part-2

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

- - - - -

Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we’re taking a trip through the looking glass.

We’re kicking off our series on psychedelia with its origins, the impact on a generation of pop culture and its lasting effects. Psychedelia’s origins are messy, fascinating, and full of odd little historical crosscurrents. We discuss science, bicycle rides and the first official album of psychedelic music.

So, ask the bartender for a couple of Psychedelic Frogs—and to see if they can stop the walls from dripping rainbow colors—as we chase the white rabbit through the window and back into the bar.

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Mentioned in this episode:

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Visit our full episode page for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/episodes/episode-125-psychedelia-part-1

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

- - - - -

Visit our Merch page to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes.

What do Betty Crocker, Charlie Tuna, Tony the Tiger and the oddball characters from Off Limits Cereal have in common? Along with fellow creatives Kirk Visola and Andy Kurtts of the “Kirk and Kurtts” design podcast, they were all our drinking buddies one evening!

We chewed the fat with Kirk and Andy about some classic characters and their impact on pop culture (and snacking), and why these same techniques invented decades ago still work today.

Order a Bedrock Fizz for yourself (and maybe a few for all of us). It’s time to join four designers back in the bar.

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⁠Watch the full conversation⁠ on our YouTube channel and ⁠visit our full episode page⁠ for show notes, the visual examples we discuss, additional links and more!

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Mentioned in this episode:

- - - - -

Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send a note to [email protected] and we promise to read it. After that it’s anyone’s guess.

- - - - -

Visit ⁠our merch page⁠ to have a look at stuff we’ve made for listeners just like you and support us on ⁠Patreon⁠ for subscriber-only extras.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices