Come Election Day, states are seen as either red or blue. But Nashville-based graphic designer Joel Anderson’s vintage-inspired poster series, Art & Soul of America, is a reminder that the cities and states that make up our country are a whole lot more colorful. Fascinated by classic illustrated poster art and advertising spreads from the late-1800s to mid-1900s, Anderson and his team of artists have created a series of WPA-style travel posters that hit on the history, heritage, and charm of American cities from coast to coast, including more than a few Southern spots.


© 2012 Anderson Design Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

“I started out doing posters to celebrate the Music City, my home town,” Anderson says. “But after creating over a hundred prints highlighting Nashville, I (along with 4 or 5 other staff artists) began creating designs for other places we loved to visit.” The resulting Art & Soul Collection includes more than fifty prints advertising national park destinations from the Grand Canyon to Mount Rushmore to Yellowstone; plus, iconic American cities and Southern standouts such as Charleston, New Orleans, Memphis, Austin, and Atlanta, with more on the way.


© 2012 Anderson Design Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

Anderson’s nostalgic design aesthetic along with a hefty dose of local pride might have something to do with the popularity of the series. “I think people are reacting to mass-marketing and manufacturing,” Anderson says. “We long for something handmade, artisan, locally-made, and comforting.” More than a little proud of where he comes from, Anderson is determined to give back, which is why each Art & Soul poster is produced and printed entirely in Nashville. “If I can create art and use it to produce prints, employ other artists, printers, paper suppliers, and shippers then I am doing my part to support the arts and the local economy.” Anderson doesn’t plan on slowing up anytime soon, either. A World Travel Collection is in the works and set to launch in mid-December.

See more of our favorite posters here.