Until I stumbled across his website in 2006, I hadn’t known designer Michael Schwab was the illustrator who created these bold, bright, iconic posters for the National Park Service. At the time I remember having a collection of postcard-sized versions of the images framed and hanging on my wall. In the years since, I’ve come to appreciate his authentic, old-school approach to illustration even more.
In a recent video (below) Schwab explains, “You’ll notice that there’s no computer on my table. I want my work to look like it’s hand drawn with craftsmanship instead of perfect corners and everything that a computer can do.”
Here’s Schwab in his studio discussing a series of posters he did in 2016 for California Avacados…
Illustration/design: Michael Schwab, Michael Schwab Studio
I love those old travel posters he was talking about, their colour and simplicity. I was also drawn to Schwab’s work it is just as captivating. Thanks for sharing some of his story.
Richard.