Color is never "just" a choice.
In the 1890s, the Bureau of Internal Revenue (the precursor to the modern IRS) was the ultimate gatekeeper. Alcohol was taxed at nearly 300% of its production cost, while soft drinks were tax-exempt.

#brand #designtheory #3TADesign #branding #designhistory #design #branddna #CocaCola

🔴 William Morris, Father of the Arts and Crafts Movement
at UW-Milwaukee Special Collections
#WilliamMorris #ArtsAndCrafts #design #DesignHistory #UniversityOfMilwaukee #Tumblr #TumblrBlog

https://www.tumblr.com/uwmspeccoll/811807320059297792/william-morris-father-of-the-arts-and-crafts

On the Design of Programming Languages (1974) [pdf]

https://web.cs.ucdavis.edu/~su/teaching/ecs240-w17/readings/PLHistoryGoodDesign.PDF

#HackerNews #ProgrammingLanguages #DesignHistory #1974 #PDF #HackerNews #TechEducation

“1995 begins with web designers creating cinematic experiences using images and browser tricks, and ends with the arrival of table support in Netscape Navigator, giving true control over layout.” – @ricmac

https://cybercultural.com/p/1995-web-design/ #WebDesign #WebDesignHistory #DesignHistory #WarnerBros #cinema #movies #films #marketing #promotions

H-Bomb: A Frank Lloyd Wright Typographic Mystery

https://www.inconspicuous.info/p/h-bomb-a-frank-lloyd-wright-typographic

#HackerNews #HBomb #FrankLloydWright #TypographicMystery #DesignHistory #Architecture

Jesse Reed, designer and co-founder of Standards Manual—discusses the preservation of historic style guides and designed artifacts.

📻 Tune in: https://interfacecafe.com/absolutely-everything-is-a-lesson-jesse-reed-standards-manual/

#GraphicDesign #DesignHistory

Staff pick:
Poster series for the Centre de Création industrielle (CCI, 1969–71), designed by Jean Widmer (contributed by Stéphane Darricau): https://fontsinuse.com/uses/29710/centre-de-creation-industrielle-poster-series

The French-Swiss graphic designer died 1 February 2026 at the age of 96. RIP.

#JeanWidmer #RIP #posters #GraphicDesign #DesignHistory

A remarkable 1930 house design created for modern living — and for flying.

Featuring a private airplane hangar, an expansive floor plan, and original period sales copy that captures the optimism of early American modernism. A fascinating architectural time capsule.

https://imitationofmink.com/as-modern-as-tomorrow-a-1930-house-designed-for-living-and-flying/

#Architecture #DesignHistory #1930s #Modernism