Eye Magazine

We published this little Collection piece by Paul West of Form in Eye no. 47, the ‘Cool stuff’ issue, and printed colour pictures of them on the inside covers and subs card (above and below).

aul’s piece is below. You can read Steven Heller’s obituary of Yellow Submarine designer-illustrator Heinz Edelmann on the New York Times site.

Cartoons have always been a huge source of inspiration for me, writes Paul West. There are many warm memories associated with them that provide security in an uncertain, ever-changing world.

When I was pretty young, I saw Yellow Submarine, and the Blue Meanies and The Glove had the same effect on me as the Silver Surfer and Marvel. Op Art, Pop Art and Surrealism intertwined in a bewildering array of psychedelia that blew everything else away. Created by Czech designer Heinz Edelmann, characters such as the Snapping Turks, Jeremy Hillary Boob (PhD) and the Apple Bonkers redefined illustration as a postmodern artform for a mass audience – and I wanted to be part of it.

I have collected these figures for the past five years. Not only are they the perfect Pop Art toys, they are also the best three-dimensional cartoon reproductions I have ever seen, tactile and eccentric with their elongated legs and exaggerated features.

Hard plastic models of Yellow Submarine figures based on the 1968 Beatles cartoon movie. Art director: Heinz Edelmann. Director: George Dunning. Collected and appreciated by Paul West. Photographs: Anthony Oliver, aoimages.com.

Eye is the world’s most beautiful and collectable graphic design journal, published quarterly for professional designers, students and anyone interested in critical, informed writing about graphic design and visual culture. It is available from all good design bookshops and online at the Eye shop, where you can buy subscriptions and single issues.