A graphic in red, white, blue and black featuring layered typography. The words “The Neighborhood Studio” and “Thanks” overlap, with a blue line drawing of two hands shaking at the bottom. Small text along the base reads “Friends of Type”.

Check out Neighborhood Studio's ultra-American graphic design

Words: James Cartwright
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Date: 30 October 2012; Work
Graphic Design
Illustration

Neighborhood Studio is the commercial trading arm of illustrator and designer Curtis Jinkins. The Austin-based creative has made a name for himself producing the kind of ultra-American imagery that us Brits just can’t seem to get the hang of. Drawing inspiration from traditional sign-writing, mid-century illustration and of course just good old-fashioned US culture (why is it that there’s so much vibrant design for hot dogs?) Curtis creates identities, posters and just-for-fun hand lettering that has earned him widespread respect amongst his design peers. Top stuff!

A close-up of a black playing card deck with gold foil detailing. The central label reads “MONARCHS” and “HIGH QUALITY PLAYING CARDS”, with a shield emblem to the left. — Above
Neighborhood Studio: Playing Cards

A playing card featuring a large, ornate spade symbol filled with gold geometric patterns and a crown. Below the symbol, text reads “Trade-mark”, “The U.S. Playing Card Company” and “Made in the United States of America”. — Above
Neighborhood Studio: Playing Cards

A playing card featuring a gold line illustration of a figure wearing a crown, riding a penny-farthing bicycle. The text “JOKER” appears vertically on both sides, with “THE JOKER” and “MADE IN THE U.S.A.” printed at the bottom. — Above
Neighborhood Studio: Playing Cards

A black deck of playing cards with gold foil illustrations rests on a wooden surface. The design features two entwined snakes facing outwards, surrounded by leafy branches and a decorative geometric border. — Above
Neighborhood Studio: Playing Cards

An infographic poster for the agency A Hundred Monkeys, featuring a detailed technical diagram of a rocket. The top half is a grid-based blueprint with labels for “Propulsion” and “Stages of Propulsion”. A large headline at the bottom reads “We Build Rockets”, followed by a paragraph explaining that the agency actually specialises in branding. — Above
Neighborhood Studio: A Hundred Monkeys poster

A bold illustration in red, green and yellow on a black background. Text on the left reads “ON THE HOOF”, while a line at the bottom reads “A GUIDE TO THE USUAL AND UNUSUAL”. — Above
Neighborhood Studio: Herb Lester oster

A red and cream poster for Banger’s reads “Executive Lunch” and “Bringing beer back to the boardroom”. It features a stylised illustration of four people in suits laughing and holding drinks. The text lists a lunch deal for “any traditional or veggie sausage”, “any side” and “any Texas pint” for “$8.00”. The bottom of the poster lists the address in Austin, Texas. — Above
Neighborhood Studio: Banger’s promo

A black and cream poster for “Banger’s Second Chance Sundays”. An illustration shows a person leaning their head on their hand, with a broken heart floating above them. Text on the poster advertises “Live Music 2–8 PM”, “Brunch around noon” and “Grilled Carne Asada & Homemade Tortillas”. A banner at the bottom reads “Banger’s Style Breakfast Taco Bar”. — Above
Neighborhood Studio: Banger’s promo

A white hand-drawn illustration on a black background reads “Fist city”. The text is enclosed in a wobbly, cloud-like border with radiating lines around the edges. — Above
Neighborhood Studio: Fist City

A collection of vintage-style graphic labels and badges in a variety of colours and fonts. The designs feature marketing slogans including “Supreme Quality”, “Fast Acting” and “Made in U.S.A.”.

Further Info

www.neighborhood-studio.com

About the Author

James Cartwright

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James started out as an intern in 2011 and came back in summer of 2012 to work online and latterly as Print Editor, before leaving in May 2015.

Check out Neighborhood Studio's ultra-American graphic design

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