10-006.

Found on March 09, 2010 in Champaign, IL.

Alex Steinweiss

South Pacific record album jacket
Columbia Records
USA, 1949
12.0 x 12.0"
Offset printing on paper
Unsigned

Before today I hadn't visited a thrift shop in almost a month, but thanks to Kate's willingness to stay with Izzy I was able to sneak out of the house for a little hunt. Being away from the shops for so long has given me a new appreciation for this junk picking hobby of our, and it seemed like around every corner as something interesting that I might have taken for granted just a few weeks earlier.

In fact on my last thrift shop road trip, a few weeks before Izzy was born, I passed up a handful of Alex Steinweiss designed record album covers. I justified this decision by telling myself that I didn't need to start collecting another record designer's work since we don't even have a turntable. I regretted that decision almost from the minute I returned home that day, but today I was given the opportunity to reconsider my actions and finally begin a new collection. A collection of one piece so far, but a collection I already love.

And beginning a collection with the Steinweiss cover for South Pacific is important in itself. This design is one of the longest produced pieces of graphic arts in history, only being surpassed in the length of its production by one other brand: Coca-Cola. Add to that the liberal use of Steinweiss' signature typeface, the Steinweiss Scrawl, and you have a design that is both important to graphic history as well as having a stunning visual impact.