The Art of the Decal

Until the late 1960s, lacquer decals (soaked in water and applied to hard surfaces) were a small visual part of every American consumer's life. They served as advertising signage, announced brand names, instructions, and safety warnings, and were a cheap and classy way to decorate almost anything. Today, decals are obsolete technology kept alive by nostalgic hobbyists, restorers, and collectors. This is the first book written to immortalize decals and present an overview of their slick and amusing designs that were innovative in the 1950s and '60s. Chapters cover travel, girlie, Lady Luck, X-ray glasses, hotrods, monsters, aliens, and advertising images. Today, graphic designers, pop art buffs, and champions of visual icons will applaud the fantastic designs that fill these pages. Decals are gone, but not forgotten.