Zara Picken's archive of modernist illustrated ephemera is a window into a defining creative era

""So much of the work from this era is playful, stylish and full of personality. Despite printing constraints, artists still found ways to create illustrations full of wit and charm," says Zara. "The cheerful optimism and embrace of character, combined with individuality and modernist values, led to impactful, vibrant designs that still resonate today. According to the illustrator, its influence may be much more far reaching than we think: "Even illustrators who've never seen these originals are working in traditions these artists established.""

"The move beyond conservative pre-war styles into more creative autonomy has had a residual effect on the stylistic choices in branding and marketing today: limited palettes, brand mascots, playful abstraction and the creation of anthropomorphic objects or shapes. "You see these approaches now on packaging, in advertising, on apps and in editorial work," Zara shares. Despite its lasting impact, much of the illustrated work from the period has largely been overlooked, and with it, the illustrators that defined modern styles."

"Collating the archive over all these years has led to more of a personal mission for Zara to spotlight these illustrators' work and rebalance the history of our visual culture. Hours spent trawling eBay and flea markets for old cards, beer mats and booklets have all equated to an extensive open source educational resource for illustrators and designers alike to look back on. And now, Zara's built a website to house it all."

Collecting ephemera from post-war illustration reveals the era's playful, stylish, personality-rich work that used limited printing to produce witty, charming illustrations. Cheerful optimism, character embrace, individuality and modernist values produced vibrant designs that continue to influence contemporary illustrators. The move beyond conservative pre-war styles enabled creative autonomy that left a residual effect on branding and marketing: limited palettes, mascots, playful abstraction, and anthropomorphic shapes used across packaging, advertising, apps, and editorial. Much illustrated work from the period has been overlooked as cultural histories focus on graphic design and poster art. A website and searchable database make the archive accessible to students and universities.

Read at Itsnicethat