Uncovering the Spectacular Commercial Art of Wes Cook
A mural at McDonald's, Centralia, Washington, leads Cabel Sasser down a delightful rabbit hole.
When I saw a link to this video posted to Mastodon, it was accompanied by a comment that said, "watch to the end". I did, and was floored.
Cabel Sasser, Panic — XOXO Festival (2024) on YouTube.
The talk by Cabel Sasser is about his research into the life and work of Wes Cook, an outstanding commercial artist whose clients included Disney, McDonald's, and Universal.
Sasser has gone deep, including gradually scanning and publishing pieces from Cook's portfolio to a dedicated website that honours the artist and designer.
The original drawing for the McDonald's mural above is among these, and here are just ten more that offer a glimpse into the variety of Cook's work. They show the stages his ideas would pass through before becoming a mural, set design, or themepark attraction.
PS. Although they never met, both Wes Cook and Mark Oatis were involved in the work that brought Tokyo DisneySea to life. Oatis was designing signs and other graphics for the American Waterfront feature, which consisted of two blocks inspired by 1910-era New York. However, one façade remained un-named, as Mark explains:
"Many ideas had been floated, but none had hit the mark. I was asked for my opinion, and I suggested that, with all these signs in such profusion, there probably had to be sign shop somewhere! The idea was embraced on the spot, and I threw myself into creating the full complement of designs found on any quality shop of the era, right down to the 'A business with no Sign is a Sign of No Business' sign, lettered on the front door."
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