The Art Of The Brochure Art – No Not That Art.
While looking around, I found some cool Brochure images from an old Chris CraftBrochure. These images are extremely well done for the day, and are one of the big reasons Chris Craft became one of the worlds leaders in boats. Image marketing. Setting the dream.
Little confusing here, is the lady driving the boss or a friend. She has a snooty look. And that aint that fancy of a boat.
Wardrobe all goes together. Note the tan blazer and the tan canvas, the red shirt and the red seats. The green dress with yellow and the green grass. Lots of this was done by the colorist BTW. . Seems like a simple relaxing image. But its not.
Note the man at the table. More of a drawing than a photo. But notice all the details. The wardrobe had to be picked out, the meal, place setting. Etc. This one little inset image was a full day in preparation, then off to the colorist, and illustrator. Sometimes the same person.
There is a rule in marketing. If its something you have to have, like nasal spray or adult diapers. Be factual and sell rationally. But with stuff you WNT to have, sell emotionally. Boats would defiantly fit into the emotional area, along with Perfume and designer Jeans. Its an emotional sell. And these images hammer that home.
An aerial shot! Cool.
If you look at the images closely, you can see they are part photo, part drawing, and colorized by hand. This required an insane amount of work, including high quality printing, design and production time. But the images. WOW. So today we celebrate all that went into these images.
Very classy pictures although the people are more dressed up than how I remember the boating adults when I was a kid.
My uncle worked for a print shop on the east side of Detroit when I was young. He went to Germany for training on special color presses. He would show us samples of his work and it was beautiful. He loved his job, even though it gave him two less fingers over the years!
Johnson outboard art
Ok Matt could you put your artis brain to this one?
❤️
So back in the day it took a day or two to create this art and now it only takes a couple keystrokes to ask AI to produce your image. I don’t like it…….
I’m amazed that the galley was called the kitchen in that ad for the 32 footer… The editor must not have been a boater – just sayin’… 😉 Nice stuff though!
Hey that little 25′ Cruiser is a great boat and I bet they never thought one would still exist 80+ years later!!! At Sierra Boat in Lake Tahoe. This was taken February 2022 when we went out on her for a Birthday Party, just like the brochure image. Sweet little boat!
Wow, glad to see she is still in great condition!!!! I was parked right next to her at the 2010 Tahoe Show and was given a tour. Beautiful.
Yes, Carl & Nick who run the parts dept. at SBCO now owner her.
Wonderful stuff, Matt. As beautifully crafted and considered as those award-winning Woody Boater ads. 😉
One more thing, I saw a beautifully restored 25-foot cruiser like the one above at the Gull Lake show a few years ago. It had the original wool blankets for the berths. And I’m damn sure they were made by the Faribault Woolen Mill in Faribault, Minnesota, which still exists today.
Comparing the above ads that are from photos taken by professionals, I assume, with the TeeNee Trailer ad attached and wonder if it’s the lack of quality lenses that make them appear “antiqued” or something else. I’m guessing the above ads are from ‘30’s to 40’s but the trailer ad is from 1956.
I wonder who the “famous boating enthusiasts” are that buy Tee-Nee trailers? interesting ad
Great stuff, those old color ads are fun to look at.
Here is the original photo of the 61 ft twin powered ocean going yacht. Except it was 61 ft, it was 73 feet long and had three engines. As it was a commuter yacht, I´m not sure it had ocean going capabilities either…. Anyway, here is Oheka II a German commuter built by the Lürssen yard for Otto Kahn of New York.