Today, travel companies spend millions of pounds on advertising their services in all manner of media. The internet has helped this hugely, with easy access to consumers and platforms where they hang out.
But how did travel companies get their messages out before?
Cue the much-loved travel poster. A vintage look into the past. These pieces of work don’t just show us how far advertising has come in a short space of time, but they also tell us what kind of attractions and activities were valued in bygone days.
Here, I’ve curated a selection of my favourite David Klein posters, fresh out of the 50s and 60s.
Enjoy!
Klein’s early career was as a painter and illustrator before becoming a part of the California Watercolor Society in the 30s. His vintage travel posters emanate the style so closely associated with the group – bold colours and thick brushstrokes drawn onto paper with no pre-planning.
During the war, Klein used his talents to create useful manuals, before settling in New York.
However, Klein is most famous for his vintage travel posters for Trans World Airlines (TWA), where he was invited to create an ad campaign for a wide variety of destinations spanning the globe. To meet the brief, he produced a series of posters that featured iconic attractions presented in his trademark bright colours and thick brushstrokes.
Klein’s work became a huge influence in the poster world, and continues to inspire travellers, artists, and companies today.
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LOVE vintage travel posters. Africa is my favorite from the selection you’ve featured here. Might just be because I’ve got Africa on the brain since we’re headed to Tanzania in about 3 weeks!
I think Africa’s my favourite, too, but again that might be because I’ve just come back from South Africa 🙂 I’d love to go to Tanzania so I look forward to reading all about your trip!
Love these posters. Now I’ve got some new additions to my Pinterest Board!
They’re great aren’t they?! (And a great addition to Pinterest!)
Love these old posters. They put the romance back in travel!
Frank (bbqboy)
They certainly do!
I love old posters. I want to redecorate the house and some walls are really in need for this kind of art. Thanks for this. I have really enjoyed it.
I would love to have some of these for my house! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Wow I’ve never heard of David Klein but those are some amazing posters indeed! Thanks for sharing 🙂
They’re great aren’t they?! Kind of makes me wish advertising was still like this.