Rory
Finding the Best Vintage Print Ads, Magazine by Magazine
As I continue to catalog the 100s of thousands of ads within my physical archive, I am keeping track of what is my favorite ad out of each issue.
The best ad might be the best designed, most inspiring, funny or just interesting to me!
1959 L&M Filters Cigarettes Ad - "Don't settle for one without the other!”
This was the best ad in Motor Trend, May 1959.
I like the bold graphics of the cigarette pack, it almost looks like a digital graphic.
Unfortunately my physical copy of this ad was in pretty rough shape with some tears and scaring. It was the back cover of the magazine.
1957 Gulfpride Motor Oil Ad - "Gulfpride—the clean-working oil."
This was the best ad from The Saturday Evening Post — July 27, 1957 I love the stunning white background and composition of this ad. Even though it is for motor oil, I think the car, woman and photograph almost looks like a painting. The “cleanliness” of the image lends to the supposed cleanliness of the oil.
1961 Oldsmobile F-85 Ad - "Drive the F-85 ...feel the difference a full eight cylinders make!"
This was the best ad from Life Magazine — March 17, 1961 The car is a beautiful illustration, clearly evoking the power of climbing the hills.
1948 Pennsylvania Silent Vacuum Cup Ad - "RUNS LONGER - STOPS SHORTER"
This was the best ad from The Saturday Evening Post — February 7, 1948 The ad is just for tires, but I like the bold graphics and full page color print, which is rare. The company of Pennsylvania Tires is no more, but still makes Penn Tennis Balls under Head Sport GmbH
1965 State Mutual of America Non-Smoker Life Insurance Policy Ad - "If you quit smoking one year ago, it'll cost you less to buy life insurance from us."
This was the best ad from Life Magazine — January 29, 1965
I like the use of the candle to represent the customer’s birthday, and the offer of life insurance to non-smokers that haven’t smoked in a year. The image and the ad copy really work together for something as unexciting as life insurance.
1938 Lenthéric Men's After Shave Lotion Ad - "for men of action"
This was the best ad from Esquire Magazine — April 1938 This Lenthéric after shave ad stands out for bold abstract graphics, rare for 1938. I like the art-deco design and simple lettering. “at the better shops” also is a funny phrase to me.
1945 Premier Spreads (Peanut Butter, Grape Jelly, Seeded Jam, Sweet Orange Marmalade, Pure Honey) Ad - "Delicious Spreads That Save Butter!"
This was the best ad from Everywoman’s Magazine — May 1945
I admit, it’s not that great of an ad, but it was still the best from the issue. The products are clear and it has a somewhat clever tagline.
1964 Marlboro Cigarettes Ad - "Come to where the flavor is. Come to Marlboro Country"
The best ad from Life Magazine — December 18, 1964 This is an unusual illustration for a cigarette ad. Bold and artistic. It is also before they started putting health warnings on the ads, so the illustration is not impacted.
1954 Western Electric Telephone Equipment Ad - "TELEPHONES... and things we can't talk about"
This is the best ad from Life Magazine — January 18, 1954 I like the full page illustration and colors of this ad. It also speaks to Western Electric’s defense industry connections. Large companies often advertised their impact on the war effort or keeping the country safe.
1982 Volvo Turbo Ad - "IT CAN ACTUALLY MAKE 55 M.P.H. INTERESTING."
The best ad of Esquire Magazine — March, 1982 There were not many good ads from this issue, but this headline was funny to me. Sometimes it seems the advertiser tried their hardest to gussy up an uninspiring product. Cars at the time were losing horsepower and focusing on maximizing efficiency. They had to try to find new ways to advertise autos rather than speak to the power of the engine.
1953 Foote Bros. Convertiplane Parts Ad - "Promise of the Future..."
The best ad of Furtune — June, 1953
I love some of these retro-future ads that show off what the manufacturer thought their product would look like in the future. They are always a mix of aspiration and uncanny valley.
1950 IBM Electronic Calculating Punch Ad - "Rapid Calculation of Complex Mathematical Problems"
The best ad of Scientific American — April, 1950 I’m a data analyst by trade, and this ad caught my eye for its outsourced calculation service. “Rapid Calculations of Complex Mathematical Problems” is essentially what I do today.
1976 BMW 530i Ad - "An engineer’s conception of a luxury car, not an interior decorator’s.”
The best ad of Sports Illustrated - January 19, 1976 Although it is a wordy ad, I liked the transparent engineering illustration of the car.
1962 Westinghouse Extra Life Eye Saving Bulb Ad - "NEW SHAPE EYE SAVING BULB NOW DESIGNED TO LAST 1/3 LONGER!”
The best ad of Life Magazine - March 2, 1962 I really like the bold striking image of this woman in solid blue, highlighted by the lightbulb in front. It’s a simple ad for a mundane product, but captures the reader.
1936 Campbell's Tomato Soup Ad - "World's Bowl of Smiles”
The best ad of Life Magazine - November 30, 1936 This is one of the most striking ads. Full page deep red color that jumps off the page. The illustration makes use of the background and foreground to create the affect of Tomato soup in the bowl. It’s one of the best illustrations I have found in the 1930s.
1933 Canned Pineapple Ad - "Glowing health much easier to win if you eat this fruit daily, research shows”
The best ad of Delineator - December, 1933 This is a funny health claim ad for a common product we see today. It claims that canned pineapple will lead to “Glowing Health”. These types of health claims were common for the 1920s and 1930s.
1913 Old Dutch Cleanser Ad - "For Pots and Pans”
The best ad from The Ladies' Home Journal - January, 1913 This Old Dutch Cleanser ad is surprisingly clean and colorful for other ads at the time. With bold and clear tagline and limited text, it really stood out in the issue.
1934 Interwoven Socks Ad - "For style and comfort men who know, prefer these smart Interwoven socks—because they look better, fit better and wear longer than any other socks”
The best ad from Esquire Magazine - August, 1934 This ad is subtly targeting gay men with quality fashions. It was the most colorful and interesting ad of the issue and is representative of how gay men were advertised to.
1941 Sunbeam Shavemaster Ad - "ONE GOOD Head is best!”
The best ad of Life Magazine - December 8, 1941 This is the most visually striking ad of the issue. I like the bold colors and magnified image of the shaver.
1963 Pontiac Grand Prix Ad - "Your pulse rate goes up whenever you see one of these? Relax—you're perfectly normal.”
The best ad of Life Magazine - December 6, 1963 This ad features a fantastic car illustration by Fitz, who was a major illustrator at the time. I love the color and aspirational image.
1978 Northrop F-18 Strike Fighter Prototype Ad - "Making advanced technology work.”
The best ad of Life Magazine - October 1, 1978
I like the bold striking black and white image of this F-18. It’s a simple ad but stands out.
1986 Absolut Vodka Ad - "This superb vodka”
The best ad of Omni - February, 1986 This ad is based on an Andy Warhol artwork. They simply printed the artwork, but it works and captures attention.
1940 Dodge Job-Rated Trucks (1941) Ad - "More than ever... built to fit the job!”
The best ad of Life Magazine - October 7, 1940 I like the colorful design and bold graphics of this ad. I thought it was a good mix of graphics and text.
1947 Burton's Distilled London Dry Gin Ad - "ON TOP From Coast to Coast”
Best ad of Fortune - May, 1947 One of my favorite ads in the collection, I like the composition, colors and future-forward design with the jet plane.
1951 United Air Lines Passenger Service Ad - "Why more than 3 million passengers will fly United this year”
The best ad of The Saturday Evening Post - August 4, 1951 This is an uncommonly great ad for an airline. Airline ads at the time were not too inspiring or captivating. I like the bold placement and composition of the airplane and clear logo.
1955 Delco Wonder Bar Radio Ad - "this wonder bar is the mark of a modern auto radio!”
The best ad of The Saturday Evening Post - November 12, 1955 Its a simple ad for a simple product, but I like the composition and clear display of the product, simple text and features.
1968 Digi-Comp 1 Table-Top Operating Digital Computer Ad - "FIRST TABLE-TOP OPERATING DIGITAL COMPUTER”
The best ad of The Saturday Evening Post - November 16, 1968 This ad touts a lot of features for this really simple computer, which are mathematically possible, but practically impossible to compute. I like the aspirational attempt to market this “computer”. In actuality, it is learning device for binary, not an actual computer in any modern sense.
1951 Coca-Cola Bottled Soda Ad - "Come over for Coke”
The best ad of Life Magazine - July 23, 1951 This ad has a subtle innuendo, which is not uncommon for major advertised products at the time. It’s a simple composition and bold tagline. It’s one of my favorite overall ads in the collection.
1958 McGregor Men's Clothing Ad - "for Valentine's Day give him RED WHITE AND YOU”
The best ad of Sports Illustrated - February 3, 1958
This is a simple ad but stands out for its bold graphics and presentation for valentines day.
1972 Toyota Mark II Ad - "Presenting the new Mark II. The most Toyota.”
The best ad of Playboy - November, 1972 A basic ad but shows off the car with a good photograph and composition.
1981 Datsun Turbo-ZX Ad - "Own the Road”
The best ad of Esquire Magazine - July, 1981 In the 1980s, Datsun produced very bold and timeless car ads for their vehicles. These are some of my favorite car ad designs of all time.
1960 Pepsi Cola Ad - "The Sociables Prefer Pepsi”
The best ad of Life Magazine - March 14, 1960 An ad with subtle innuendo, each character has a different interest, and only one is interested in the Pepsi. It’s one of the best ads in the collection.
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