Las Vegas poster for TWA
Before OH no’s Cheee, there was Dave West’s Banjo. A variation on the French Antique genre, with all weight allocated to the top and bottom, Banjo is distinguished by its ballooning terminals. It was drawn for Photo-Lettering, Inc. and is shown in their Alphabet Thesaurus, Vol. 3 from 1971, in two styles: Banjo Bangles is adorned by small spikes on the top and bottom of each stem.
David Klein (1918–2005) designed and illustrated numerous posters for Howard Hughes’ Trans World Airlines and their “Fly TWA” campaign. This one, probably from the late 1960s, shows the temptations of mid-century Las Vegas, integrated into a queen playing card.
In 2010 Mitja Miklavčič made an official revival of West Banjo for House Industries’ digital incarnation of Photo-Lettering. It goes by the names of Banjo Playbill or Plinc Banjo. Fiddle Sticks NF (Nick’s Fonts, 2007) is an earlier, inofficial interpretation.
There currently is an original copy up for sale on eBay.
Detail with David Klein’s signature.
Detail with the Fly TWA logo.
