Augustus Jansson’s Ink Beasts Parade for Queen City Ink 1905

Augustus Jansson and Queen City Printing Ink

Augustus Jansson, a Swedish-American illustrator and designer, established a reputation through his original and superior work when he began a seven-year working period for Queen City Printing Ink.

He produced striking ads, often considered ahead of their time, including the renowned Ink Beasts Parade featuring its Magenta Ponies, the Heliotrope Purple Cow, the Orange-Yellow Ibexiatucus, and more. Also relevant is a series of doll-like figures.

The ads were printed on special paper using high-density colors, with a gamut far exceeding that of CMYK print. For this reason, we made a dedicated post-production to fit the original colors as much as possible.
All images are available as hi-res files or fine-art prints.

Some Striking Designs

The striking designs used by the Queen City Printing Ink Company in the printing trade journals for some months past have been the subject of criticism — good, bad and indifferent by advertising experts.
The grotesque character of the designs gave opportunity for broad color effects, and the brilliancy and striking character of the inks used were thus forced on the attention of the public.

The arguments used in favor of ” something more interesting in itself,” such as a landscape or a pretty picture as a medium to exploit the inks of the company, did not convince the advertising man in charge, and no matter what opinion one may hold, no one can deny that these angular, staring and stolid figures have made good results, and that their gorgeous raiment has made them as closely identified with the Queen City Printing Ink Company as the Brownies were identified with Palmer Cox.
Excerpt from ” The Inland Printer”, August 1904.

Not just a display of creativity but a catalyst for it.

As said, the Ink Beast Parade Ad Campaign was decades ahead of his time.
The ad series was carefully scheduled, introducing the company’s most innovative products. The artworks were printed on special paper using the company’s exclusive, one-of-a-kind tints; these colors were impossible to reproduce using the standard CMYK palette, adding an element of intrigue to the campaign.

At the bottom of the page, the color codes were listed for ordering purposes and to inspire customers with the creative potential of these unique colors. In short, the campaign was not just a display of creativity but a catalyst for it.
All this may look normal today, but we are speaking of a campaign created 120 years ago!