Even the simplest things can be made beautiful. Good design turns the functional into art.
Brooklyn, NYC

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Beyond the amazing first hand accounts of the immigrants who passed through Ellis Island as they entered America, the prints and posters from the era are a treasure trove of wonderful design and typography. Here’s a sampling (although the photos don’t do them justice).

Fantastic typography detail from a Southern Pacific rail map. Note how it was important to include “correct” in the title.

Detail of the typography from a rail poster advertising land.

Poster advertising land in Minnesota. Note the wide variety of typefaces used — not uncommon for the time period. Serifs, sans-serifs, stylized display faces, heavily condensed faces and even extra wide faces at the bottom. Also note the odd kerning in the phrase, “The Great Land Grant”. It might just be the typeface itself as the “GR” letter combo looks weird.

Another land grant poster — this time in French. The design of the top half really struck me as innovative and unique. The typography also takes a different track than many of the others using a thin slab serif face liberally and more classic serifs throughout. Note the poor kerning between the “A” and “V” in the word “travers”. It also looks like the poster was run once and then either stamped or re-printed with the agent’s name and info — the type block on the right is misaligned.

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A free pattern for Adobe Illustrator I drew based on a shirt.

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This logo for the New York City Transit Authority was only in use from 1962-1968, yet it still adorns the side of a building in South Brooklyn.

Brand management this is not. Brand oversight is more appropriate. Maybe it’s just a matter of expense, but still…44 years? I think they could have saved up the money to change or at least remove it. Perhaps they don’t even own the building anymore.