Lively

From the back cover of the 1956 Life, a glorious full page advertisement for Volkswagen Beetles. This was obviously at the tail end of the age when the graphic artist, rather than the marketing psychologist, ruled the overall design process. It's no wonder that the VW ads from the 50s and 60s are now collector's items; if this page wasn't slightly ripped it'd be worth a small fortune on eBay.





We all dream of a Volkswagen future, in which the world's continents are purple and the seas are turquoise, and we all drive around in magenta VW Beetles with pink upholstery...


Well, perhaps not. It's never wise to read too much into these things. At least that enormous straw boater will help protect us from global warming.