The Outdoor Archive

A compelling collection of one hundred years of outdoors magazine and catalog design, featuring the work of crucial creatives and seventy iconic brands, from Salomon to The North Face.

For decades, outdoor brands have put daring and aspirational images on the covers of their magazines and catalogs, pushing the limits of photography and graphic design. This fascinating collection of outdoors covers, drawn from the Outdoor Recreation Archive at Utah State University and spanning one hundred years, features seventy iconic brands including Columbia, The North Face, and Snow Peak. Together, they make up a stunning visual sequence that traverses generations, sports, styles, and continents, and holds something for creatives of all persuasions.

The images, from grainy climbing photographs to homely illustrations of happy campers and cinematic landscapes, are organized…