Description

Book Synopsis
Classified features over 200 vintage classified ads from the 1970s American south. Both a time-capsule of a bygone era, and a fascinating study of ephemeral graphic design.

Classified: Local Ads from America’s Small Towns, features hundreds of classified advertisements from 1970s small-town America, collected and archived by Studio Carnley. Printed at 1:1 scale and isolated on the page, the collection is elevated to both a time-capsule of a bygone era, and a fascinating study of ephemeral graphic design from unknown illustrators, typesetters, printers, and graphic artists who all faced the same challenge: how to fit a lot of information in a small rectangle, and stand out on a page of other ads all trying to do the same.

Classified is a celebration of small-town advertising, and the overlooked genius, ingenuity, and humor in the work that was created purely to sell, but which we can now study and learn from. In the end, designers today are still trying to fit a lot in a small rectangle — just one made from glass not paper.

Classified: Local Ads from America’s Small Towns

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    RRP £35.00 – you save £7.00 (20%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Thu 16 Jul 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Hamish Smyth, Shelton & Josh Carnley, Studio Carnley

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      View other formats and editions of Classified: Local Ads from America’s Small Towns by Hamish Smyth

      Publisher: Standards Manual
      Publication Date: 28/12/2023
      ISBN13: 9798218245443, 979-8218245443
      ISBN10: 9798218245443
      Also in:
      Illustration and commercial art

      Description

      Book Synopsis
      Classified features over 200 vintage classified ads from the 1970s American south. Both a time-capsule of a bygone era, and a fascinating study of ephemeral graphic design.

      Classified: Local Ads from America’s Small Towns, features hundreds of classified advertisements from 1970s small-town America, collected and archived by Studio Carnley. Printed at 1:1 scale and isolated on the page, the collection is elevated to both a time-capsule of a bygone era, and a fascinating study of ephemeral graphic design from unknown illustrators, typesetters, printers, and graphic artists who all faced the same challenge: how to fit a lot of information in a small rectangle, and stand out on a page of other ads all trying to do the same.

      Classified is a celebration of small-town advertising, and the overlooked genius, ingenuity, and humor in the work that was created purely to sell, but which we can now study and learn from. In the end, designers today are still trying to fit a lot in a small rectangle — just one made from glass not paper.

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