Two Designers Walk Into a Bar

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-103-game-show-logos

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Mentioned in this episode:

The Gong Show

Chuck Barris

Match Game

Gene Rayburn

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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

Today we’re going to be talking some more about postage stamps. The way they reflect pop culture and how they are an art form that celebrates other art forms. We’ve got some stamps with fluid line work and a whole lotta shakin’ going on… Al Hirschfeld and Elvis have entered the building.

Mix-up a couple of 2-Cent Stamp cocktails and join us once again as we send you a couple more stories from 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-102-postage-stamps-part-2

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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

Today we’re going to be talking about postage stamps: the history and origin of them, who uses them and whether or not they’re still relevant in our age of email and mail order deliveries. And, of course, the art of it all and why stamps still matter today.

We touch on the controversy of who invented the stamp, the fraud associated with early mail and how the U.S. Postal Service misprinted a commemorative stamp for Swede Dag Hammarskjöld on purpose.

Ask the bartender for a couple of Air Mail cocktails and join us as we deliver the goods 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!

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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

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:

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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

Cats. You may love 'em, hate 'em or feel indifferent, but there's no escaping their power, especially if you spend any time online.

Cats have a long history in the world of advertising. In our latest episode, we invite friend and poster expert Paul Hennessey back into the bar to discuss the appeal of cat posters aesthetically and financially, discuss a few of our favorites and decode why their traits and quirks make them perfect for so many different types of products.

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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:

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Have a question or idea for Todd and Elliot? Send us an email 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

The Goodyear Blimp is turning 100 years old, so we’re revisiting one of our classic episodes.

Ever wonder why a tire company is most known for a blimp? Or why an animation studio has a desk lamp as its trademark? We did. Turns out Goodyear and Pixar didn’t invent either of these things. Learn the origin stories of Goodyear’s blimps, Pixar’s loveable Luxo lamp, and how these adopted objects transcended their initial utility to become known around the world.

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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-98-adopted-icons-classic

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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 for subscriber-only extras.

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

We’re revisiting one of our classic episodes.

Video may have killed the radio star, but it poured gasoline on the spark of New Wave. As MTV exploded, youth culture moved to center stage and companies making wearables were more than happy to cater to changing tastes. In this episode we focus on Vans and Swatch, a couple of iconic fashion accessories found on the wrists and feet of Gen X.

As we wrap-up our season on New Wave, let us know if you feel there's something we missed. We just might circle back down the road.

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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-97-new-wave-gets-fashionable-classic

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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 for subscriber-only extras.

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

Today we’re bringing you an example of the bonus content you can find on our Patreon page.

In the summer of 1994, the television show The Real World was filming in San Francisco. That same summer Elliot ended up in SF for an internship. One day those two worlds collided in a true Gen X moment.

So sit back with a plate full of wings and one of your favorite beers from college. It's time to join us back 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-96-the-real-world

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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 remember to support us on Patreon for subscriber-only extras.

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

In this episode we take a step back from our typical subject matter to dig into our mailbag once again as we answer questions submitted by you, our listeners. Topics include record album art, April Fool’s pranks, Taylor Swift, listener reviews, Broadway shows and some recent speaking gigs. We also plug one of our favorite bar foods: onion rings.

So sit back with your favorite warm and cozy beverage. It's time to join us back 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-95-listener-mail

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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 https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch 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 bringing some video tapes with us into the bar — or at least some trusty YouTube links. Why? We’re talking music videos! And we have so much to share, we’ve broken this subject into two episodes.

For today, we dusted off an older gem and coupled it with a more current one: a gritty and fun “Need You Tonight” from Australia’s INXS and Taylor Swift’s surreal technicolor dreamscape that is “ME!” We discuss the thinking behind each and then present some closing takeaways to understand why they all work.

So slide the tables aside and hold our drinks once again… We’re gliding across the dance floor and bellying up to 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-94-music-videos-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 https://www.twodesignerswalkintoabar.com/merch 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