What Can Vintage Ads Teach Us?

A few days ago I was asked to design a vintage inspired ad for a customer. I adore vintage ads already and keep an ongoing board of them on my personal Pintrest page. I started by looking at that one and realized that I kept most of them around for their comic value. Like the one to the right curtsy of BoredPanda, and the one below from Flicker. Hilarious yes, but not exactly what I needed.

So I had to do some more research. What I found was instructional as well as inspirational. Economy of color and space was everywhere I looked. The grid system was strictly followed and white space was king. How is it that artwork from more than 50 years ago can be so refreshing? As a designer I am always looking to the next thing. I search for the latest greatest technique or design trend that will entice the eye. If these vintage designs can teach us anything it’s that there’s nothing like looking back to stay fresh and relevant. My favorites were the ads below. Want more? Here is my Vintage Ads Pintrest Board.