Classified: Local Ads from American's Small Towns

Classified features over 200 vintage classified ads from the 1970s American south. Both a time-capsule of a bygone era, and a fascinating study of ephemeral graphic design.

Classified: Local Ads from America's Small Towns, features hundreds of classified advertisements from 1970s small-town America, collected and archived by Studio Carnley. Printed at 1:1 scale and isolated on the page, the collection is elevated to both a time-capsule of a bygone era, and a fascinating study of ephemeral graphic design from unknown illustrators, typesetters, printers, and graphic artists who all faced the same challenge: how to fit a lot of information in a small rectangle, and stand out on a page of other ads all trying to do the same.