CREATIVE DESIGN, PRINT & WEB

Catalogue design through the ages: 1920s – 1960s

catalogue page and cover design from the 20s to 60s, vintage catalogue design, retro catalogues

We love the style and craftsmanship of old catalogues. They give a feel for the era from which they come and also are a window into the daily lives and aspirations of the people in of that time. Vintage catalogues often reflect the graphic design style and technologies available in that era. Created in a time before computers where the catalogue designers had served apprenticeships and had a level of skill that many designers lack today.

Here is the first in what we hope will be a series of blogs showing examples of catalogue design from the Victorian period right through to present day.

vintage-catalogue-design-1920s
A couple of catalogue page designs from the 1920’s. A period when most catalogues had illustrations of the products
catalogue design around the war
Sears catalogue cover from 1939 and an internal page from 1946. There’s a marked contrast between the glamour of the pre-war catalogue versus the austerity of post war.
1946 french clothes catalogue design, clothing catalogue design, retro catalogue pages
A very glamorous French womens clothing catalogue double page spread design from 1946.
A Kays catalogue page advertising menswear from 1950 and a Kays catalogue cover from 1957. The use of colour print is now almost everywhere through their catalogues.
A 1960 Philco catalogue page advertising televisions and a Stanley Hand Tools catalogue cover from the same period.

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