I was wondering if anyone knew where to find poster versions of Apple's Think Different campaign. I do not want original copies, they could have been made yesterday in Vietnam, but I love the concept and want to put a couple on my dorm walls for cheap.
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Apple Think Different Posters
- Thread starter Tyre
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Hmmm, there only seem to be the originals there. I'm not looking to pay $50 or more for a piece of Apple history, since I honestly wouldn't be able to take great care of it. I just want reprints.
Would they not allow them to be copied for copyright reasons?
If so, anyone know of some less than kosher places to procure them?
If you do a search on eBay for "Think different Poster" and look at the results under "worldwide," there are tons of reprints for very cheap. I only collect originals, though.
Still collecting? I have a full set of the 11x17 posters. Been wanting to post on the marketplace but I don't have access because of my low post count.
Would think anyone making copies would be in violation of copyright and licensing issues and could be sued but I'm no lawyer. Maybe keep an eye out for some used/less than mint ones.
Ward,
Any particular ones you are looking for? I made an incorrect post as I wasn't aware of the marketplace, new here so can't post there yet.
Dale
p.s. I am in North Dallas
Searching for Martin Luther and Ali
I'm searching for these 2 Think Different posters as a gift for my husband. If anyone has them or knows where i can buy them please let me know. thanks!
I'm searching for these 2 Think Different posters as a gift for my husband. If anyone has them or knows where i can buy them please let me know. thanks!
I am really in search of an original authentic Einstein 24" x 36" poster. It's probably the hardest one to find the original REAL version of, and it's been alluding me for sometime. Also an original Buzz Aldrin could be great too.
Problem is lots of the information by WardC in that post has several errors. For example, he apparently has no awareness of "The Crazy Ones" poster or the bus shelter posters Apple made. Wouldn't really trust anything there as definitive.
To answer 'Jpg's' question, its more about being familiar with the images, material, and kinds of posters produced. What size are the posters you have and what figures/images? More details and pictures would help. A real Flik 24x36 is a rare one(I've got one) and their origin generally trace to the ones given out at Pixar to employees.
Nope, Einstein is nowhere close to the hardest although its a tougher one. I think the ones from the unreleased 'director' series 5 set are the toughest. One example from that set would be my prized Charlie Chaplin poster. Buzz Aldrin is a little tougher than Einstein although both have lots of fakes.
I'd love to see a sticky posted in the Collectors' forum since queries about Think Different posters come up a fair bit. WardC's short blurb is probably the closest I've seen here to some attempt at a broader overview.
If anybody cares to put one together, including small thumbnails of each poster and genuine sizes available as a new thread, I'll be quite happy to canvas the mods to make it a sticky. Just so long as it's able to be updated with more and more accurate info as it becomes available.
I'd love to see a sticky posted in the Collectors' forum since queries about Think Different posters come up a fair bit. WardC's short blurb is probably the closest I've seen here to some attempt at a broader overview.
If anybody cares to put one together, including small thumbnails of each poster and genuine sizes available as a new thread, I'll be quite happy to canvas the mods to make it a sticky. Just so long as it's able to be updated with more and more accurate info as it becomes available.
Would be an interesting project and I've partially done based on my knowledge and research. To complete the task you suggest, you're looking at easily 60+ different official apple posters as well as at least 7 different sizes. Would take bit of effort to gather all the images and hopefully others contribute.
For example, real Buzz Aldrin posters, while quite rare, were made in several different sizes. There exists the 24x36, the amazing bus shelter 48x72, the New Zealand 18x28, and the Apple Asia 28x40.
Guess might work that myself or others could add pictures to the rough guide I have started. Here's a copy of it for reference and might be a good starting point:
This guide is meant to educate about the history and variety of Apple Think Different Posters that Apple produced as part of their Think Different Campaign from 1997+. It was a historic campaign and reflected the huge shift in Apple that was occurring with the return of Steve Jobs who brought in TBWA/Chiat Day that ignited the new marketing campaign. I also want people to appreciate the huge scope and variety of Think Different Posters that were produced.
While some people may think that Apple only made some 24x36 and 11x17 posters, this would be grossly inaccurate and only reflect their ignorance. In fact, some of the first posters Apple produced were among the largest, rarest, and by far most desirable posters of the entire campaign. These were the 'bus shelter' posters, sized 48x72, and printed at great cost on very heavy paper stock. There are at least 7 different sizes of genuine Apple posters that were made for reference. I will also note poster rarity on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being impossible to find/acquire and 5 being highly produced/common.
- The first Apple TD(Think Different) poster, aka 'The Crazy Ones' sized 18x24. Rarity 2. This poster is named as such given its title and consists of all the spoken words by Richard Dreyfuss in the first TD ad. It also has several small pictures of people from the ad such as Einstein, Picasso, Davis, etc. and a copy of it is also in the first 2 pages of the TD Book. Very few of these were produced, small distribution as promotional giveaways, never sold publicly. Not many survived and largely unknown by most people.
- 48x72 'Bus Shelter' Posters. Rarity 1. These were the first 'portrait' posters produced and used as advertising tools at bus stops. Never offered publicly and were made in very small quantities at huge expense(heavy paper stock plus large size). Most ended up being destroyed. 7 different ones were produced, in order of desirability: M.Ali, Buzz Aldrin, Einstein, Picasso(facing/hand on head), Ghandhi, A. Hitchcock and Thomas Edison.
- 24x36 Posters. The most widely known and greatest produced posters. In total, there were 29 different ones made. The popularity resulted in Apple offering several TD 'Poster sets' through limited channels. The first ones produced and offered at promotional giveaways were done in small quantities. Most of the initial ones were included as part of 'TD Set 1' but the ones excluded became huge rarities:
Buzz Aldrin. Rarity 1. Same portrait used in 'Bus Shelter' poster
Picasso(Facing/Hand on Face). Rarity 1. Aka 'alternate' Picasso, side facing image used as part of TD Set 1.
Albert Einstein. Rarity 2. Produced in higher numbers given its added popularity
TD Poster Set 1: Rarity 3. The first official set Apple assembled and offered for sale through limited channels. This set was produced in the lowest quantities of all publicly offered sets and is valued the highest. Includes Alfred Hitchcock, Amelia Earhart, Thomas Edison, Gandhi, and Picasso(side facing). The huge success led to the production of set 2 in higher numbers.
TD Poster Set 2: Rarity 4+(except for Dalai Lama which is an easy Rarity 1). This set was supposed to also be of 5 posters but because of licensing issues, the Dalai Lama poster was pulled before released. Some got out only in the initial batches but are exceedingly rare. Hence, this was officially a set of 4 and includes Joan Baez, Maria Callas, Martha Graham and Ted Turner. Continued success led to production of the wonderful TD Set 3.
TD Poster Set 3: Rarity 5(except for Bob Dylan which is 3+). Another planned set of 5 although licensing issues impacted the release of the Bob Dylan poster. While in set 2 the Dalai poster was pulled early on, lots of set 3's ended up accidently released with Dylan so its nowhere near as impossible to find as a Dalai Lama poster. Highest produced set but the popular people included also made it the most desirable as well with superb photos. Luci&Desi, Jim Henson, Ansel Adams, and Miles Davis completed the set of 5 with Dylan.
TD Poster Set 4: Rarity 3+/4-. Only set officially released without the Apple color on the photos. Production was stopped early as the marketing campaign shifted away from people images to new products. Posters included Jackie Robinson, Richard Feynmann, Frank Sinatra and Cesar Chavez. Overall, a nice set. Unique in only having 4 planned for the set and no licensing issues
TD Poster Set 5: Rarity 1-(rarest of the rare). Was called by Apple as the 'Director Series' but unfortunately was never officially released. Some promotional material was produced listing the next set release but the stop in the campaign before the official release made these all instant rarities and impossible to find/collect. While unknown to most, a very small quantity of sample posters were done and are highly prized. Set was to include Charlie Chaplin, Francis Ford Coppola, Orson Welles, Frank Capra, and John Huston.
Other 24x36 produced posters:
Rosa Parks. Rarity 3-. Produced individually and made on slightly thinner paper than the rest of the posters. Limited availability through education channels. Came in flat packs of 25.
Flik (from Bugs Life). Rarity 1. Special Pixar promotional poster, largely unknown and never officially released.
11x17 Posters: Almost 2 years after Apple stopped producing the 24x36 posters, an educational TD promotion was done. Apple sent out boxes(the cover of which is a copy of the 'Crazy Ones' original TD poster) that each contained 3 packs(sealed in plastic) of 10 small/miniature TD posters. Often referred to as the 'Educator Series' as they were sent through Education Channels. Given the small size, classifying them as posters is debatable. Next to a 24x36 poster, they are underwhelming.
While Apple corporate produced the bulk of the TD posters, several Apple regions produced their own posters although they were nowhere near as prolific. Some examples:
Apple New Zealand: Set of 5 posters was produced. Rarity 2. These were sized appx. 18x28 and are noted by the 'apple.co.nz' website address on each. Highlight of the set includes the only 'punching' M. Ali poster that was made. Others included Dylan, Gandhi, Einstein, and Earhart.
Apple Asia Produced their own different sized 28x40 posters, slightly larger than USA ones. They only did the early series 1 as well as a Buzz Aldrin. Rarity 2
Apple Germany produced some slightly larger 20x28 posters, slightly larger than the Apple NZ ones but smaller than the USA. Have identified 5+ different official ones including an Albert Einstein. Rarity 2+/3-
I tried PMing you but it wouldn't let me.
They are originals. My father used to be a teacher, these are the posters that were sent out to educators.
Anyone seen/know anything about these posters?
Greetings MacRumors members,
I would like to get the opinion of some fellow Think Different poster collectors as to what they think of these.
http://www.mactalk.com.au/22/103855-four-think-different-posters-mounted.html
I have never seen these posters before and am cautious at this stage to call them genuine. I have questioned the seller in the thread and the answers that I am getting back are not very satisfactory.
What does everyone think? Are these fakes or are they as the seller states simply super-rare versions of the posters.
EDIT: I've realised that new members to the website can't actually see the For Sale forum.
Here are links to the posters.
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Sellers has described them as direct from Apple. When in enquired about their size I was given 19"x 29.5" as dimensions.
When I questioned their legitimacy I was given the following answer. Please excuse my direct cut and paste from the other forum.
What can I say ?
These prints came from Apple as a unsolicited gift for ... voluntarily done at my own initiative which supported Apple, at I may say, a difficult time for them around when these posters were issued.
If any person who is a buyer who wants to meet face to face to have a look and discuss their providence I trust I am able to supply evidence that supports they are genuine, it is filed somewhere in that mess of paperwork I have yet to dig into.
To an actual letter from Apple , then this may or may not exist. I recall receiving letters about items but this may have arrived without a covering letter.
This was not the only unsolicited gift from Apple.
As you are in Melbourne and are skeptical about their provenience, then your chance of being a buyer is close to zero.
Addendum
I have supporting evidence for the above assertions, and while I do not have a letter linking Apple with the prints at his stage, I do have a letter from Apple about another gift.
---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 PM ----------
Apple Think Different Posters - MacRumors Forums
TD Poster Set 1: Rarity 3. The first official set Apple assembled and offered for sale through limited channels. This set was produced in the lowest quantities of all publicly offered sets and is valued the highest. Includes Alfred Hitchcock, Amelia Earhart, Thomas Edison, Gandhi, and Picasso(side facing). The huge success led to the production of set 2 in higher numbers.
myoldmac.net - Apple Think Different Posters - Buy it - Einstein, Lennon, Aldrin, Hitchcock, Graham, Gandhi, Picasso, Callas, Henson, Kermit, Adams, Davis, Goodall, Hillary, Robinson, Ali, Houston, Baez, Bernbach, Branson, Davis, Dylan, Earhard, Edis
Because of the different frame format in Europe (DIN format) the posters where produced in a 50 cm x 70 cm (20" x 28 " Inch) format to fit in the European frames. The European posters where never sold / handed out in the USA so the existence of this poster size was maybe unknown to the guide author. He also does not mention the formats of the Passepartout and panoramic prints which had also other formats than the usual prints.
If anyone could shed some light on the matter it would be great. I find the text along the bottom to be weird. The seller has described it as text describing the person featured in the poster.
To me the posters seem to be crops as there are parts missing from the extreme edges. With the Einstein I haven't seem the Apple logo and Think Different text to the left of the poster (facing us) before. It has always been on the opposite side.
Greetings MacRumors members,
I would like to get the opinion of some fellow Think Different poster collectors as to what they think of these.
http://www.mactalk.com.au/22/103855-four-think-different-posters-mounted.html
I have never seen these posters before and am cautious at this stage to call them genuine. I have questioned the seller in the thread and the answers that I am getting back are not very satisfactory.
What does everyone think? Are these fakes or are they as the seller states simply super-rare versions of the posters.
EDIT: I've realised that new members to the website can't actually see the For Sale forum.
Here are links to the posters.
Sellers has described them as direct from Apple. When in enquired about their size I was given 19"x 29.5" as dimensions.
When I questioned their legitimacy I was given the following answer. Please excuse my direct cut and paste from the other forum.
What can I say ?
These prints came from Apple as a unsolicited gift for ... voluntarily done at my own initiative which supported Apple, at I may say, a difficult time for them around when these posters were issued.
If any person who is a buyer who wants to meet face to face to have a look and discuss their providence I trust I am able to supply evidence that supports they are genuine, it is filed somewhere in that mess of paperwork I have yet to dig into.
To an actual letter from Apple , then this may or may not exist. I recall receiving letters about items but this may have arrived without a covering letter.
This was not the only unsolicited gift from Apple.
As you are in Melbourne and are skeptical about their provenience, then your chance of being a buyer is close to zero.
Addendum
I have supporting evidence for the above assertions, and while I do not have a letter linking Apple with the prints at his stage, I do have a letter from Apple about another gift.
---------- Post added at 10:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:10 PM ----------
Apple Think Different Posters - MacRumors Forums
TD Poster Set 1: Rarity 3. The first official set Apple assembled and offered for sale through limited channels. This set was produced in the lowest quantities of all publicly offered sets and is valued the highest. Includes Alfred Hitchcock, Amelia Earhart, Thomas Edison, Gandhi, and Picasso(side facing). The huge success led to the production of set 2 in higher numbers.
myoldmac.net - Apple Think Different Posters - Buy it - Einstein, Lennon, Aldrin, Hitchcock, Graham, Gandhi, Picasso, Callas, Henson, Kermit, Adams, Davis, Goodall, Hillary, Robinson, Ali, Houston, Baez, Bernbach, Branson, Davis, Dylan, Earhard, Edis
Because of the different frame format in Europe (DIN format) the posters where produced in a 50 cm x 70 cm (20" x 28 " Inch) format to fit in the European frames. The European posters where never sold / handed out in the USA so the existence of this poster size was maybe unknown to the guide author. He also does not mention the formats of the Passepartout and panoramic prints which had also other formats than the usual prints.
If anyone could shed some light on the matter it would be great. I find the text along the bottom to be weird. The seller has described it as text describing the person featured in the poster.
To me the posters seem to be crops as there are parts missing from the extreme edges. With the Einstein I haven't seem the Apple logo and Think Different text to the left of the poster (facing us) before. It has always been on the opposite side.
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A brief 2005 online article I found shows an Einstein poster with Think Different and the logo both to the left, although every Earhard I've seen are to the right. Not sure on the size, either. The link below also shows that same Picasso photo and placement of the TD and logo.
http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2005/apple-think-different/
Is the seller talking about framed size or actual poster size? I would get them to clarify that. But the text at the bottom? Either those are really some extremely rare first versions that didn't get much distribution or they are knockoffs.
http://theinspirationroom.com/daily/2005/apple-think-different/
Is the seller talking about framed size or actual poster size? I would get them to clarify that. But the text at the bottom? Either those are really some extremely rare first versions that didn't get much distribution or they are knockoffs.
It looks like this is the set that I have, I bought it directly from Apple in 1998. Theyhave never been mounted and I've hade them in the original shipping container since I got them. I even have the printed receipt from Apple Computer.
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)
The seller isn't being very forthcoming with info. They won't provide higher resolution pics or supply the nature of the text at the bottom as they state that then people could make their own.
Just this morning the seller stated that as part of the condition of sale, the buyer must be happy with the purchase and no correspondance will be entered into after the sale. Seems not quite right to me.
They want $400 for them, but without any real proof that these are genuine I think it's too much.
What do others think? Other than apple.co.nz I've not heard of nor seen text on a TD poster like this.
cocacolakid said:
The seller isn't being very forthcoming with info. They won't provide higher resolution pics or supply the nature of the text at the bottom as they state that then people could make their own.
Just this morning the seller stated that as part of the condition of sale, the buyer must be happy with the purchase and no correspondance will be entered into after the sale. Seems not quite right to me.
They want $400 for them, but without any real proof that these are genuine I think it's too much.
What do others think? Other than apple.co.nz I've not heard of nor seen text on a TD poster like this.
Just a few points
The item is now not for sale to anyone.
I normally do not sell things but give them away either to close friends or to charities. I am not one those hoarding hagglers whose mantra is it has gotta be worth something.
Photos are available now. My camera needed batteries to be charged to use the flash and that took time. When the photos were available three PMs, one to the people who closed the thread, another to the "duty" person and the site owner all have resulted in the thread staying closed. Photos cannot be uploaded to a closed thread. Senior persons were PM'd links to highest res photos I was able to supply. Photos with flash were difficult with the laminating reflecting all the time, but I managed four or five without the flash showing.
Requests for what standard of proof is necessary were ignored, just a vague request. In other words, I could keep trying and go no-where with this. The bar would be raised and goalposts always moving.
The persons with concerns both have high level of trading activity. One have over 5000 posts, mostly to do with trading. Please read between the lines if you are capable of dealing with that subtlety. Both of these persons reside in Melbourne and are likely members of Ausom, an Apple User Group. While there is no evidence of personal politics in play, there sure is a lot of smoke.
There was ample opportunity for those with concerns to arrange a personal inspection by a "friend" in my home town. Offers to an interested party to inspect who lived in nearby town were ignored. With a forum with that many members surely someone would have had the time to look and see for themselves.
The gift was given over 12 or so years ago and finding an Apple Staff member who remembered what happened would be difficult.
The details of its history are simple The prints arrived, were laminated and mounted on MDF and hung on the wall. There is not much else to say.
Some of thread was copied but not all of it.
The prints were laminated and mounted and the cost of doing this in now year money was $50 that is $200 for the four, or half of the sale price.
Several hundred people viewed the thread and none of them saw fit to, at least support the possibility that the prints were genuine. That is indeed a sorry indictment of the quality of conversation or lack of it.
The prints were on quality paper printed on high end printing equipment, unlikely to be forged in any case. Prints of that quality are not forgeries as the work involved is considerable and equipment costs are high. Tying up equipment for hours would not happen without someone noticing. Any high end business would not risk losing custom from Apple or anyone else by breaching copyright.
There was not that much to say, except the prints stayed on the wall for more than a decade.
Most of the people who are commenting on the Think Different Campaign who appear to know everything were not there at the time.
Most of the comment on forgeries is based on a eBay article which has several errors but remains intact.
Shipping an article of this nature logistically will require a large sturdy packing case. This is not something that will travel easy like a mailing tube.
Shipping this article to a person with doubts is fraught with risk, least of which is to a persons reputation. With a face to face delivery, their is an opportunity to see the quality and decline if they chose.
Attempting to supply any photo at the standard demanded will require high end photo equipment to show the prints in their true light.
Uploading a photo to an external website in my case resulted in detail, 2.4 meg being stripped down to 1 meg. A 5 to 10 meg, by my estimate would have been required.
Another option I considered was a professional appraisal and there would have been a certificate which stated its authenticity.
Several possible purchasers most likely have been driven away by ill informed comment by two people with less than benign intent. Hours of my life and significant amount of cash for this paperwork would still have to deal with the errors planted in their minds.
The business which laminated and mounted the prints has long gone, his modest shop replaced by a large white goods chain.
It is very easy to become part of the baying pack but difficult to do any sensible research and as this is work, is not normally done, the lack of thought and logic on those who do nothing but bray in turn is clearly obvious.
The one person who would have treated these with respect and proudly displayed them had the chance to phone me and ask any question he chose.
The money was not important to me. I wanted these to go to a good home, not to become part of some dealers inventory or stacked away in storage awaiting an increase in value, but on display as I have done where people can see them.
To those of you who have chosen to doubt my personal integrity, your opportunity to meet a decent human is lost.
For those of you with value sets in the material world, an opportunity lost to acquire a rare item, it is likely there is less than a dozen of these in existence. For those who think, consider the purpose of the prints, that at least will yield a clue to why they existed and why so few are around.
The prints will be given away to people who appreciate them and will use them for the benefit of others.
I will let everyone know where the prints have gone as soon as it is done.
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I don't see why you are getting so upset. Nobody has seen that version of posters before, in 20 years of the TD posters being out there. It raises red flags, and rightly so.
They may very well be legit, but there is no information backing that up, only your word.
They may very well be legit, but there is no information backing that up, only your word.
Think Different started in 1998. Math anyone ?
For your education and enlightenment, Apple is a niche market and Apple prints are a narrow space even more so.
Certain tactics to lower the buy price work well in these cases, HiBall, Damage, Defect, Deception.
Making a HiBall offer then waiting works by scaring off the competition and so does any strong hint of deception. If for some strange misguided reason I chose to sell to this person, on arrival the prints would have the fine tooth comb over and all the defects listed as an excuse not to pay and also if I asked for a return, after a statement of damage then a slight packing accident will have further made my life difficult.
These are not pristine and have been on display for over a decade so any reasonable person would expect wear and tear as they do. The prints were not stored in a mailing tube under the bed.
Electronic Rumour is not fact, and accusing someone of fraud or lying is nasty at best. With no real way of defending the accusation, I left to explain in detail, how it all happened and this is over a weekend.
Price, from what I can gather, if the collector who appears to be in collusion with another from Melbourne flew up, inspected, paid $400, he would have been well in front.
Several people echoing the same lack of fact has as much value as a neighbourhood of dogs barking at each other, in this case the eBay article that started all this has nothing in the way of fact to support it.