Stolen or Borrowed: Designs Reappropriated and Redone

The best things come in pairs. Or so we think after coming across “Similarities“, retired Professor of Graphic Design at West Texas A&M University Bob Caruthers’s Flickr set of reused designs, which we discovered over at Quad Royal. Carthuers writes, “The pairs of images in this “Similarities” set are similar visually in one way or another. They are presented without judgement as to the motives of their creators. The viewers of the pieces can form their own opinion(s) about what they see.” Some of the pairs are “accidents”, some are “re-contextualized”, some are “inspired”, some are “homages”, some are “appropriated”, but no matter what the politics or language, it’s amazing to see the way that images can influence — or down right form the basis of — new designs. Hey, our mothers always told us it was good to recycle. Click through to see some of our favorites, and head on over to Caruthers’s Flickr page for many more.

Paul Iribe (1914); Nate Duval (2008)

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It's truly remarkable just how many times Saul Bass has been lifted over the years. His work is magnificent and really defines an era, both in cinema and American culture.

Mr. Brainwash should be on this list but it says Designs, not Street Art. As a visual artist, you see this almost everyday in ads, but this could be a list to a 100 if it were pop artist re-appropriating earlier works! Architecture, Literature, we now live in a cut and paste world. Nate Duval didn't rip me off but I can guarantee his clients don't care who he rips off.

It's good to lift the lid on these uncommissioned indie music concert posters that no one needs or wants (except for editors at design magazines).

NOT "reappropriated". "STOLEN" is the correct word. too many competent but unoriginal designers out there today.

Nate Duval ripped me off, too. Total hack.