About Gabrielle Johnson
When shopping finally becomes an Olympic event, editor Gabrielle Johnson is pretty sure she’ll take home the gold medal for Canada – after inquiring about the availability of other colours (lilac? chartreuse?) and politely requesting a discount. Every week, she shares a glimpse into what’s on her style radar.
Poster Child
life/style Toronto
(Aug.10.10)
If you haven't bought a poster or art print since your days as a penniless student, you might be surprised at the selection out there: it's not all blockbuster movie ads and soft-focus portraits of Taylor Swift. Prints are an art form in their own right, offering stylish options for updating your space on a budget. Here are a few of my favourites:
 |
The For Like Ever poster by Village has been floating around the design blogosphere ever since it appeared on the cover of Domino magazine (R.I.P.) in 2006, and despite its ubiquity, I'm still craving one of my own. There's something so irresistible about that graphic fluorescent-pink font and the nostalgic Valley Girl sentiment.
|
 |
Fans of literary classics will appreciate this poster, a reproduction of the celebrated Art Deco-style cover of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Oversized jacket-art prints can lend an air of sophistication to informal settings — and they look cool, too.
|
 |
Did you know that Urban Outfitters has teamed up with Society6, an international community of artists, to create Print Shop, which features a fantastically original selection of art prints for sale? There are more than 100 works to choose from, but I'm especially drawn to the witty early-90s vibe of this Chai Latte poster by Maxime Francout. |
 |
I spent a year living in France as a student, which is where I first discovered vintage travel posters. Tracking down these charming prints used to entail hours of scouring markets and dusty souvenir shops, but now (like almost everything), they're just a mouse-click away on eBay.
|
 |
To paraphrase a design-savvy friend of mine, it's good to have something a little strange — possibly even tacky — in an otherwise tasteful setting, because it's unexpected and throws people off (in a good way). Berkley Illustration's irreverent animal portraits are weird and totally wonderful. It's hard to pick a favourite, but Mr. Great White Shark here is high on my list.
|