Tamar Cohen

I was born in New York and have lived here my whole life and until yesterday had never been to the Fifth Avenue Easter parade. I have sure been missing out on buckets of fun. From the elegant to the hilarious, it was creativity on rainbow bright steroids, but my favorite head/hat/topping is still my man Mr. Softee.

When I travel I always try to visit the local museum of natural history. I normally prefer the dusty unrenovated ones that preserve a sense of history but last fall in Berlin, I visited their Museum of Natural History and found myself singing another tune. Their recent installation of more than a million zoological specimens preserved in alcohol blew my socks off. This flawless renovation completed in 2010 by the architectural firm Diener & Diener, is a three story steel and glass structure inside the museum containing over 276,000 glass cylinders. It’s a must see if you happen to visit Berlin!

I found this magazine called Chicas (Girls) from the 1950s at the Mercat de Sant Antoni in Barcelona when I was there recently. It is a tiny publication about 6" x 8" and is filled with beautiful illustrations and typography. Articles range from "Tengo una Idea" (I have an Idea) to "No Es Facil Dejarse Amar" (It is not easy to let yourself love).

I was in Berlin last week and visited the Buchstaben Museum or The Museum of Letters. The museum is dedicated to preserving and displaying three dimensional signage and letter forms found around Germany. They are still working on finalizing the displays and installations but allow visitors to wander amongst the jumble of supersized letterforms and signs. The museum is scheduled to be finished in early 2014 and is a must see destination in Berlin for all lovers of typography and vintage signage.

The International Print Center New York invited me to do their benefit print edition this year. It is an edition of 25, printed on pages of a vintage children's dictionary from the 1940s. http://www.ipcny.org/node/2163

My Friend Debby always sends me packaging that she knows I will love. She knows me well, this Russian chocolate wrapper is a sure fire winner!

One of the many reasons I love visiting my friend Warda is to explore her ever changing installations which inhabit every imaginable nook and cranny at her house in Connecticut. This trip was no exception. Hanging hairball pom poms, chairs suspended from the wall or clusters of  masks above the bathroom sink were some recent visual goodies. Go Warda!

How do you get this candy lover to grin ear to ear? Take her to the Pez Museum in Orange CT. It is not only a museum which displays every Pez and Pez related item ever produced, it is also the Pez manufacturing plant which was unfortunately closed as I visited over a week-end. Pez I learned was invented in 1927 in Vienna as a breath mint and its name is derived from the German word for peppermint, pfefferminz. The plastic Pez dispenser was originally designed to resemble a cigarette lighter in the 40s. It wasn't until the 60s that the character head Pez dispensers that we know and love became the norm. I spent a glorious hour and a half enjoying the vast and dazzling world of Pez, dropped $18.56 in the gift shop and left a happy camper. I do still wonder why they can't make the candy taste better, its darn awful.

I have no memories of visiting my great Aunt May in New Jersey where she lived and my Mother grew up. She had dyed platinum blond hair and wore hats, but I know that only from photographs. When I was a child, She sent me greeting cards for every occasion: holidays, birthdays and when I was sick. I saved those cards (shown here) along with almost every card I got when I was little. She had an amazing signature. She made the  "M" in May into a heart and added eyes and lips so it became a face. I loved getting those cards.

Growing up in New York City, Coney Island has always been part of my summer in the city pastimes. Here are some shots from the old school black and white days. I am happy to say that many of the signs at the boardwalk concessions are still exactly the same.

Viva Espagna! Here is a sampling of labels and ephemera that I found in Barcelona.

One of the many things that I love about India is their lavish, kitschy and super saturated movie posters. This makes sense if you consider that India’s film industry, Bollywood is renowned for its opulent over-the-top productions. Movie posters populate every street corner and the theater signage is all unique hand painted, dye-cut construction. When I was in Jaipur in 1994, I went to see a movie at the Raj Mandir which is the largest and most famous theater in India, with over 1200 seats. The theater is so popular that when I was there, every seat was filled. I don’t remember what movie I saw, only that it was a musical and that I left after 3 hours, well before the end.

Who remembers Letraset? In the 60s, 70s and 80s it was commonly used as an alternative to hand lettering. They were sheets of dry transferable lettering, that came in a variety of fonts, colors and sizes. My mother, graphic designer and artist, Elaine Lustig Cohen had several large boxes of half used Letraset which I rescued from the trash about 15 years ago. About 60% of the sheets in the box are the font Helvetica. To say my mother loved Helvetica is putting it mildly. She still loves Helvetica as do I. When computers became ubiquitous in the 90s, the need for Letraset died. I found these boxes when I was doing some spring cleaning last week and I still can’t throw them out. I doubt the adhesive still works, but maybe someday I might need to rub some Helvetica on something.

Do I collect postcards? You bet I do! I am drawn to many diverse subjects but one of my all-time favorites are the Spanish flamenco and bullfighting cards which are sewn with thread and appliquèd with fabric and lace. I have always had an affection for all things Spanish. Some day I would like to own a red polka dotted flamenco dress.

These are title pages from a hardcover Hanna-Barbera comic book annual I bought at a flea market in Barcelona. I love the quirky and unexpected typography.