The creator explains the unique 'vibe' of mid-century illustration, contrasting its manual, human-centric process with modern AI-generated art. He showcases the work of influential artists like Bernie Fuchs, Mary Blair, Charley Harper, and Ivan Chermayeff, highlighting their distinct styles and the tangible qualities—like brushstrokes and hand-cut edges—that gave their work character. He concludes by arguing that this feeling of 'realness' and the 'human touch' is what we miss and chase in the current AI era.
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AI can’t recreate that dusty paper smell...
There’s always more to appreciate with all hand-done work, but the vibe of mid-century illustration was something else.
From whimsical to geometric to just beautiful, they all shared a sense of the human touch.
Bernie Fuchs, Mary Blair, Charley Harper, Ivan Chermayeff — these were some of the many creatives who shaped the commercial art styles of a generation.
Brushstrokes on the paper. Edges cut by hand, not vectorized. Imperfections that gave it character.
Because that’s the vibe we’re still chasing today: something that feels real.
#Illustration #graphicdesign #vintage
Transcript
Mid century illustrations had a vibe. No AI here. Back then, you hired an illustrator, handed them a brief, and they ran with it. Worse took days, not hours. And the final output had to be printed, not emailed. They conveyed optimism, idealism, and a creative freedom that best wild for the time. From whimsical to geometric to just beautiful, they covered all the ground better always held on to what we miss most in the AI era, that feeling of the human touch. Brushstrokes on the paper, edges cut by rank, not vectorized. Imperfections that gave it character. Take Bernie Fuchs. His illustrations seem to inspire madmen, painting in oils when his peers used gouache. Mary Blair, the saturated color behind Cinderella in a Small Worse. She made Disney flat, bold, modern. Charlie Harper, Wildlife made geometric. Ivan Chermayeff with his hand cut collages. He's a designer behind Chase and Mobile. You can just smell the dusty paper to the screen while looking at these, and that's really the vibe we're chasing. Something that feels real.
