Over the years, we've run over 100 articles on design and advertising outside of the U.S. and Canada, as seen mostly through the eyes of our intrepid contributors. Besides profiles of innovators in most major regions of the world, we've shown political posters from both sides of the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, Russian design during the height of Communism and South African creativity after the fall of apartheid.
Just a few of the more fascinating trips: Artist-reporter Earl Thollander toured Europe for three months in 1959 and returned with 225 drawings of his own and some examples of commercial art from Russia. “Having all factories under the same ownership must be a discouraging prospect to the up-and-coming Muscovian ad man,” Thollander said.
Browse Projects
Bill Tara traveled to the Balkans in 1965 to look at work from Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and Yugoslavia. Tara bravely traveled without visas. “I arrived at the borders and said, ‘Hello there.’ They said, ‘Hello’ right back. I saw no remnants of the ‘Iron Curtain.’ It may have been melted down for TV antennas.” Tara returned after two months, loaded down with a wealth of posters, books, proofs and slides, which culminated in a three-part series of what was probably a first-time look for most western creatives of work from Eastern Europe after World War II.
In 1973, Byron Ferris spent a week in Hamburg, Germany, visiting studios and interviewing designers. “In Hamburg you can feel the affluence in the air. Industry, shipping and design are all prosperous,” Ferris said. The result was a 26-page article on German design since the Bauhaus.
On the following pages is just a small sample of the international work we've shown in the last 50 years, along with a few quotes from some of the fascinating people that were interviewed on our behalf. ca
Patrick Coyne is the editor and designer of Communication Arts magazine, the largest international trade journal of visual communications. Coyne studied design at the California College of the Arts. Prior to joining Communication Arts in 1986, Coyne worked as a graphic designer for Michael Mabry and SBG Partners and then co-founded the San Francisco-based design firm Patrick Coyne/Stephanie Steyer Design Office. During his tenure as editor and designer of Communication Arts, Coyne has been a frequent speaker at numerous art directors and advertising clubs as well as local, national and international design conferences and has received medals and distinctive merits from AIGA, STA and Society of Illustrators. He is also a member of the AIGA and an honorary member of the Society of Typographic Arts and the University and College Designers Association.
