I’m gonna just go ahead and backdate this, so it looks like I posted it in a semi-timely manner 
Category: design
Posted on Instagram:
Crate digging at the beach house… Here’s some of granddad’s studio stationery c. 1960′s
This image was photographed, cropped, and posted using only my iPhone. Last year, with my meager little flip phone, that would not have been possible. Now, that’s what I call progress.
In contrast, the original artwork was painstakingly assembled using watercolors, ink and cut paper. I wonder what sort of images my grandfather could have created with the technology we have today. I think he would have embraced the progress in his process.
AAFBU logo by Brubaker
“First asked to create a humorous logo for a Naval Reserve Squadron stationed at Floyd Bennett Field in New York, the Disney Studios quickly found itself inundated with requests to draw emblems for other military units as well.”
“Before the war had ended, Disney had created some 1,200 cartoon insignias for all of the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as for many Allied troops. Reflecting the esprit de corps and bravado of the unit, the cartoon character patches were worn with pride. With the exception of Bambi, virtually every Disney character appeared at least once on a logo. The most requested character was Donald Duck, beloved by troops for his quick temper and fighting spirit. Pluto and Goofy and even Grumpy of the Seven Dwarfs appeared on decals. Mickey Mouse was never linked to a combat unit. His affable, nice guy image made him better suited for the home front defense industry.”
Selected examples of custom lettering from Brubaker design portfolios.
Among the treasures saved in the storage closets at the Ventnor, NJ house is this album of typographic inspiration collected by my grandfather (some from the sixties, maybe seventies as well?). It contains dozens of magazine clippings, typeface promos, press-on type, and ads. The slideshow below is probably only 30% of what was in this album. Unfortunately, I was pressed for time, so these are all the ones I photographed.
This is the first of several portfolios of my grandfather’s artwork, which I photographed while at the beach house in Ventnor, NJ
USS Yorktown
One particularly cool exhibit on the USS Yorktown was a wall full of aircraft carrier photos, documenting dozens of ships commissioned into service during the 1st and 2nd World Wars. I noticed that many of the ships were painted in wild, blocky, patterns, and I remembered hearing about dazzle camouflage. Apparently, creative methods were employed to gain advantage in warfare: