Sometimes the tomorrow of yesterday is even more intriguing than the present. It’s fun to look back at past predictions of what “the future” would look like — flying cars, spaceports, food pills. But buried beneath some of those fanciful ideas are nuggets of insight and amazing visions.

Futurist and artist Art Radebaugh was one of those visionaries. Radebaugh was known for his beautiful airbrushed illustration and syndicated newspaper strips “Closer Than We Think” and “Can You Imagine?” in the late 50s and early 1960s. Each of the hundreds of entries he created was a jaunt into possibility, as his artistry was inspired by snippets of scientific breakthroughs or upcoming technologies.

Hexanine partner Tim Lapetino is working on efforts to preserve the work and name of Radebaugh, and wrote an article this month for our friends at Geek Magazine on the artist. It’s featured in the August 2013 issue of the magazine.

Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Radebaugh’s creative visions were fueled by a post-war optimism that centered around new technology and progress, ideas that were still en vogue when his work began. There’s very little trace of cynicism in the concepts he put to paper, even though they dealt with topics like disease, famine, and military conquest. While some might look back on that perspective as naive, the reality is that Radebaugh’s art is a product of his time. Each piece is a unique reflection of a more hopeful time.

This issue of Geek is available in digital editions, or at local book retailers. But our work with Art Radebaugh and his artwork has barely begun. Watch this space for some upcoming Radebaugh-focused announcements. We’re excited about what the future (of the past) holds.

Closer Than We Think & Can You Imagine? © Tribune Content Agency, LLC  All rights reserved. Used with permission.

We’ve just received the proofs for our upcoming book, “Damn Good: Top Designers Discuss Their All-Time Favorite Projects” and are fine-tooth combing one last time before the volume heads to the printer. We’re finalizing the details with our publisher, HOW Books, and everyone’s excited as the finish line draws near. We will be releasing some more images, spreads, and other sneak peeks of the book very soon, so be on the lookout.

Video games are no longer a niche market. They’re big business, having long-since eclipsed Hollywood blockbusters in revenue. Culturally, we’ve grown used to video game franchises with their own storylines, plots, and characters — a complex web of merchandising, marketing, and gameplay.

It’s easy to forget that these paths were forged by a cast of simple, clever little characters of ’80s videogames. Their screen time may have been short, but Pac-Man, Q*Bert, Mario, and many other characters were bursting with personality, fun, and an ethos that we wanted to capture in the book, SUPER iam8bit: More Art Inspired By Classic Video Games of the ’80s. With our client-partners and co-publishers, iam8bit, we designed the entire volume, helped curate the mass of excellent artwork, and launched our creative imprint, Plastic Highway.

For more details about this project, power up to our iam8bit portfolio page.

And if that’s not enough ’80s video game goodness for you, be sure to check out iam8bit’s 5th art show in Los Angeles, where the book will be officially released and available for sale.