Crate digging at the beach house… Here’s some of granddad’s studio stationery c. 1960′s

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.”

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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

We visited the USS Yorktown at Patriot’s Point in Charleston, SC on President’s Day, and learned a lot about life aboard an aircraft carrier in World War II.

In addition to the requisite photos of the kids sitting in the cockpit of a fighter plane, and at the controls of the anti-aircraft weapons, I was drawn toward examples of art and design on the ship (big surprise, I know). There were insignia painted on the tails of planes, camouflage on ships, colorful award badges marked on the side of a ship, or an officer’s uniform, signs, charts and other wayfinding devices, and even a print shop on the ship.

Apart from designing a logo for his unit, I’m not sure to what extent my grandfather’s art was put to use during his service in the Army Air Force. Hopefully, I can get some family and friends to assist in getting those answers…