Like all diligent researchers, I’ve been delving deep into the www looking for design gems to inspire the next range of Icon greeting cards, and whilst whiling away a pleasant evening blog-hopping, I came across an old favourite.

It’s impossible to do any sort of research on 1950s comics without considering the work of Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997), the most influential and recognised of all the pop artists to emerge at that time. On revisiting his work, I’m still struck by not only the freshness and impact of the reduced colour palette and Ben-Day dot graphic style, but in the irony and gentle humour of the captions in his comic derived artistry.

As ever, seeing the real thing is way more impressive than the reproductions, although I do have a gorgeous copy of ‘Hey You’, the sheer dimensions alone of ‘Whaam!’ are awesome, and the tragic resolve of ‘Drowning Girl’, is so desperate, one could quite easily become all breathy and dramatic! Lichtenstein has inspired countless artists and designers, even giant super-brand Coca-Cola doffed it’s cap and produced a collector’s edition vintage can.

So sometimes it’s worth surrendering to the swirling vortex of blogging for the seeds of a new Icon greeting card range had been sown, and now we’re busily hard at work creating GOSH, which will be coming to the Icon on-line shop soon.