As we all move ahead into the world of digital media, casting aside our old books, music, and movies, we don’t usually realize that we’re also tossing out little bits of art and graphic design history. Yes, those dusty old VHS tapes from the ’80s and ’90s are well on their way to becoming collector’s items. And not just for the campy kicks of big hair and cheesy synthesizer soundtracks in the films. The cover art on those boxes is now the subject of a new and highly entertaining book, VHS: Video Cover Art: 1980s to Early 1990s by Thomas “The Dude Designs” Hodge.
Published by Schiffer Publishing, the 264-page hardcover book is like a Noah’s Ark for ’80s graphics and typography. You should probably read it while wearing acid-washed jeans for maximum effect. It contains over 240 full-scale color photos of incredible video cover art (both front and back so you can savor the ridiculous copywriting too). These images haven’t seen the light of day since the last Blockbuster Video store closed its doors, and would probably be lost to obscurity if not for an obsessive effort to collect them by the author.
And who better to describe the book but The Dude himself:
Represented in this new title are obscure gems to cult classics in all your favorite genres of Action, Comedy, Kids, Thriller, Sci-Fi, and Horror—from the sublime to the ridiculous. Some are incredible works of art, some insane, some perfectly capture the tone of the films, some capture that tone even better than the films themselves, and some have the most tenuous link imaginable! However, all, as you will see, are amazing and inspiring works of art, which will captivate the imagination along with feelings of excitement and wonder, like stepping back into your local video store once again.
—Tom Hodge
Here’s just a tiny sampling of what you’ll see in VHS: Video Cover Art.
Just remember: Be Kind and Rewind!
BMX Bandits
Black Roses
Space Wars
Death Code Ninja
Dead Man Walking
The Avenger
Dead End Drive-In
This article was last modified on May 13, 2015
This article was first published on May 13, 2015
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