For more than 81 years Globe Poster Printing Corp. of Baltimore, Maryland made you look — bright colors, bold wood type, and lettering gave Globe posters an unforgettable rhythm and bounce. From fairs and carnivals to headliners like James Brown and Aretha Franklin to Salt N’ Pepa, and Two Live Crew, Globe shouted the names of the biggest acts of the 20th century. In late 2010 a concerned group of Baltimoreans learned that Globe would be closing and the fate of the company’s assets were unknown. This group of artists, designers, historians, and local business owners formed the Friends of Globe. They set out to find Globe a new home, to keep the collection together, and to keep it in Baltimore. The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), the oldest continuously degree-granting art college in the United States, became a promising prospect. With the support of MICA students, the Friends of Globe rallied support and convinced MICA’s then-President and Provost to acquire Globe’s assets. In the summer of 2011, sixteen box trucks made their way across the city from Globe’s last location in Baltimore’s Highlandtown neighborhood to MICA’s campus. 

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The acquisition included palettes of wood type, hand-carved printing blocks, photo engravings of the famous and not-so-famous faces Globe printed for, tools of the trade, and archival materials including posters, business records, and production process ephemera. Now known as the Globe Collection and Press at MICA, it is a source for teaching and research, archives, and a working press producing new work in the beloved Globe style. 

When Globe arrived at MICA, along with it came Bob Cicero. Bob, his father Joe Cicero Sr., and his brothers Joe Jr. and Frank, owned and operated Globe from 1975 – 2011. Bob brings to MICA his wealth of printing knowledge that only comes from lived experience. As an adjunct faculty member in MICA’s Printmaking Department, Bob shares his expertise with undergraduate and graduate students, ensuring that the legacy of Globe and the tradition of poster making lives on with the next generation of artists and designers. 

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The Globe at MICA archive houses approximately 7,500 unique posters, most dating from the 1980s through 2010. While many of the earlier posters are not housed in Globe at MICA’s archive, thousands of pieces of process ephemera like sketches, hand-cut rubyliths, films, poster mock-ups, handbills, fliers, tickets, black and white images of performers, invoices, ledgers, and promotional materials give insight into Globe’s operation and the clients they were working with. These materials serve as a teaching tool for students, scholarship, and a source for inspiration. 

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In addition to teaching, Globe at MICA is a working collection. Its type and tools remain in active use, producing new work that carries the iconic Globe style forward. Globe at MICA collaborates on projects with institutions, museums, music venues, businesses, and civic organizations. Posters are produced the same way Globe did for decades — bright fields of color are screen printed one layer at a time and bold text and image is rolled on through a letterpress. Student interns work alongside experienced printers, gaining hands-on experience in letterpress and screen printing processes, graphic design, and typography while contributing to these projects. 

Client needs often drive the work, but Globe at MICA has embraced opportunities to engage with current events. Since 2016 Globe has been civically engaged, promoting nonpartisan voter participation. The first “VOTE” posters paid homage to campaign posters from the archive by borrowing design elements and language to empower voters to utilize their democratic powers. The posters were distributed on MICA’s campus and in the surrounding Baltimore community. 

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The distinct styling caught the attention of organizers at Baltimore Votes. In contrast to the polished san-serifs and varying shades of red and blue that come with modern campaign design, Globe feels familiar and approachable, it brings an authenticity that organizers and Baltimoreans connect with. Globe has produced hundreds of pieces of voting ephemera but one of the most prolific designs to come from this collaboration is “I Love Baltimore so I Vote.” Thousands of these posters have been distributed across Baltimore. They are often given out as people exit polling locations and go on to dot windows and doorways even long after an election season comes to a close. Dozens of variations have been created for towns, colleges, and university voter participation efforts across the country. 

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These efforts seek to promote and unite, something Globe posters did for decades. The Maryland Institute College of Art is the proud steward of the Globe Collection and Press, preserving the history for the next generation of artists, designers, scholars, community members, cultural enthusiasts, and others, while pushing the Globe style forward through new work.