Portland Design History

10/25/2024

Thanks to all who came out last night to the Underground Press Publication Fair + Talk. For those who didn't get to attend the talk, and wanted to, here is a recording thanks to PNCA Design

The event features a vibrant talk about the design, people, technologies and cultural forces that powered these independent publications of the 70s and 80s b...

10/23/2024

It is almost time for Underground Press! 🗞️For years I have been working with over a dozen designers, illustrators, writers and publishers from Portland’s 70s & 80s counterculture to listen and record their stories and digitize their work. Thursday’s event is the culmination of that research, when we dust off the decades and let these independent publications shine! There will tunes by .slouch, beer thanks to and wine by ♥️♥️♥️

Our Publication Fair will be free and open to the public from 5-8 on Thursday at the Lemelson Studio (far down the main hallway) at PNCA. My talk is sold out, BUT we may be able to sell a few extra tickets at the door, so check in at the registration table at 5:45pm if you’re interested in attending.

✨ BONUS✨ Say hi to Bobby Smith trust and learn about his community music archive. High five Michael Ellsworth, check out his .designlibrary project and 👀 his West Coast counterculture collection.

Underground Press is an event hosted by Melissa Delzio/Portland Design History and as a part of Design Month.

Thank you to sponsors , Lazy Days Brewing & Cameron Winery.

REGISTER:

Exploring the design, people, technologies and cultural forces that powered Portland's counterculture with hands-on access to the work!

11/18/2021

📺Tune in to CreativeMornings Portland tomorrow at 8:30am ☕️on Zoom to hear from Rupert Kinnard in conversation with Melissa Delzio as a part of a CM + Portland Design History collaboration. ✨
https://creativemornings.com/.../cartoonist-designer...
Rupert is one of the featured designers at www.portlanddesignhistory.com and was interviewed last year by a PSU student as part of Melissa's class. Our favorite facts about Rupert are:

✅He had an early interest in comics and designed black superheroes based on real life figures like Mohammad Ali and Joe Lewis. These early explorations became the “Brown Bomber” comic strip. He used this platform to create characters that fought racism, homophobia and bigotry.

✅He was editor of his high school yearbook.

✅Rupert moved to Portland in 1979 and started as a freelance designer. He worked as an Art Director for Willamette Week and for early LGBTQ+ rights organizations such as the Portland Town Council, The Northwest Foundation, and the groundbreaking publication “Just Out”.

✅He was and is a leading figure in the q***r community and gay rights movement.

08/02/2021

Richard Wiley described art and illustration as both his purpose in life and his tormentor; his paycheck and one of the “…greatest ways in the world to make a fool of yourself.” Who can relate? Read my article about Portland’s most prolific and pioneering illustrator : https://www.portlanddesignhistory.com/post/richard-h-wiley

Shown here:

1. Wiley's billboard illustration for Olympia beer, 1956.

2. “Don't Be a Blaboteur” Poster, a word he invented, 1942.

3. Cartoon for High School publication, 1936.

4. Illustration for White Stag ad, 1967.

5. Illustration for Oregon Highway Department Ad, 1970s.

6. Book cover for children’s book series: Sally, Dick and Jane readers, 1965.

7. Portrait painting of Warm Springs Tribe Chief Raymon Johnson, 1976.

8. Process sketch for children’s book series: Sally, Dick and Jane readers, 1965.

9. Portrait painting of fellow artist and friend, Bennet Norrbo, date unknown.

10. The artist in his studio, 1980.

Huge thank you to the family of Richard Wiley for sharing their family archive and their dad’s story.

06/28/2020

Rupert Kinnard has been educating Portlanders about racism and LGBTQ+ issues through design, illustration and comics since he moved here in the 70s. His provocative work as Art Director of "Just Out" and "Willamette Week" just scratch the surface of his design contribution to our city, specifically within the q***r community. "The challenges I faced as a young LGBTQ man growing up had to do with dealing with what it meant to be a young Black male in this society and then, hot on the heels of that struggle, dealing with what it meant to be a gay man. Being a young Black man who lived in an all-Black community was comfortable for me because I knew of nothing else. There was such a lack of visibility of Blacks in the media that it was always a big deal to see yourself represented on TV or film. But bit by bit, I found myself being exposed to the fact that racially, the difference made a difference.” — Rupert Kinnard

Read the full article about Rupert Kinnard: https://www.portlanddesignhistory.com/post/rupert-kinnard-1 written by Fahad Al-Meraikhi, a student in my Portland Design History class at PSU who was able to meet and interview Rupert for this piece.

02/13/2019

👋 🤓Design history nerds! I have received a giant stack of original documents, letters between several prominent graphic designers of the era, and I need some help transcribing important portions. If you would like to volunteer to help in this effort, I’m organizing a work group to meet up this Saturday at 1pm at the North Portland Library. I can show you some of the amazing items I have found so far like the above: photo of Doug Lynch, WPA artist, teacher and designer of the Portland flag, and this old Blitz-Weinhard beer packaging designed by Jack Myers and the team of all-star freelancers at Studio 1030. Shoot me an email to let me know you can join! [email protected] 💕

08/13/2018

Now nearly 90 years old, Portlander Ellen McFadden—a longtime freelance graphic designer and art/design instructor—shifted to painting just 7 years ago. It was an honor to hear her tell her story at Argyle Winery with Kristin Rogers Brown and Ampersand Gallery & Fine Books. Catch her bold, colorful work at Argyle or at the Wieden + Kennedy gallery in September. ❤️

10/04/2016

Field Notes featuring the Portland flag, which was designed by one of Portland's greatest designers, Doug Lynch. I hope they gave him credit! Doug is the subject of my next "Portland Design in the 60s" article coming soon.

Hey Portland. https://fieldnotesbrand.com/products/portland

09/09/2016