What I love about this General Electric Radios ad from 1951 is that it was created by hand. From the vibrant illustrations to the hand lettered headlines, this ad exudes personality and originality. The brush lettering for “RADIOS” relates to contemporary typefaces including Bello from Underware and House Showcard from House Industries’ Sign Painter font kit. Both Bello and House Showcard are effective at capturing the buoyancy and energy of hand lettering within a systemized typographic framework. There is something naïve and charming about the diverse target market of “brides, grads and dads.” The golden symbol and structured san-serif capitals of the GE logo radiate warmth and nostalgia. I wonder if one can still buy a cactus green portable radio.
1951 General Electric Radios Ad
Detail from General Electric Ad
General Electric Logo
Bello
House Showcard
Logography linked to this article saying, “Type Theory has a great break down of the hand lettered General Electric print ad typography from 1951.”
Crabe.ru linked to this article: http://crabe.ru/?p=1018