Primo Posters

This is something I learned when I moved back to Los Angeles from New York: in New York, you are respected for hard work. You talk about how busy and overworked you are. In Los Angeles, you never let anyone think you’re working too hard. You’re respected for making it all seem effortless, and having time to relax. The reality is that most everyone is working the same amount in both places. As John Baldessari said, “The only difference between Los Angeles and New York is 3 hours.” This difference, however, creates a communication gap. When I talk to friends in New York and they tell me how stressed they are, I think, “Boy, they work hard, too bad they can’t do it by the pool.” Alternatively, when they talk to me they think, “What a stoner.”

Since I don’t want anyone to think of me as a surf stoner, I’ve held back on some of my favorite items, surf movie posters from the 1960s. But, my insecurities should not deprive everyone of these fantastic items. I love the naïveté, and rawness of these. I love that they were movies shown at high school auditoriums. These posters communicate a clear sense of passion and community. There is no underlying presence of product placement. This is when design works. When it is authentic and betrays the sense of joy that the designer had when making it.