I found this over at Twenty Four while browsing their awesome collection of ads. These ads are apparently fairly old, but still relevant; I love the idea of taking the mundane and making it spectacular.

A campaign for BIC Pens. A writing experience so good that you’ll take a long time even when you need to communicate an emergency situation. The campaign is an Epica Bronze Winner and was created by Jung Von Matt.

Credits: Creative Director(s): Mathias Stiller, Wolfgang Schneider >> Copywriter(s): Michael Haeussler >> Art Director(s): Michael Janke >> Photographer(s): Daniel Zoubek >> Other(s): Account Supervisor: Frank Lotze, Frauke Schmidt, Henning Gerstner

Collage Images is a flickr group that is a great collection of vintage copyright-free artwork that you can grab and use as you wish.

I really hope that we can see more of this in the future. Take a few minutes and explore the collection, they have some really great and obscure images. Believe me, these images are a much better option than using clip art, and a lot cheaper than hiring a designer.

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P.S.
You do have to register with the group before you can view the images.

I was browsing through BibliOdyssey, a repository for strange and beautiful images from books, and it reminded me that I have only a slight idea of what treasures exist in the archives of my institution.

Your archives are a treasure-trove of images and/or inspiration for use in your marketing materials. I’ve used materials from archives for everything from annual reports to event invitations.

I encourage you to throw on those white gloves, and start digging around your archives for materials. And I offer this tip, you can photograph some of the more fragile pieces rather than scanning them and still get very usable images.