Duncan Yo-Yo | 1930

Duncan Yo-Yo, 1930, by Raymond Gid

This striking Art Deco poster features a dynamic composition of stylized black figures with bright red circular heads and hands, playfully juggling red yo-yos against a warm beige background. The flowing, exaggerated movement of the figures conveys a sense of energy and rhythm, enhanced by the bold typography of "Duncan Yo-Yo" positioned diagonally across the lower portion.

The Duncan Yo-Yo brand became synonymous with the popular toy in the early 20th century, particularly after entrepreneur Donald F. Duncan acquired the rights to the design from Filipino immigrant Pedro Flores in the late 1920s. By the 1930s, yo-yos were a global phenomenon, with mass advertising campaigns and competitions fuelling their success.

Raymond Gid, born Raymond Marc Adolphe Grunberg on November 25, 1905, in Paris, was a French graphic designer and typographer. He began his career in his youth by publishing caricatures in newspapers and adopted the pseudonym "Gid," which he officially took as his name in 1964. Gid studied architecture at the École des Beaux-Arts but did not pursue it professionally, instead gaining recognition for his poster designs, particularly in the realm of cinema. His collaboration with publisher and typographer Guy Lévis Mano led him into book design, where he explored typographic art deeply. Gid received several accolades for his work, including the gold medal for poster design at the 1937 Exposition Internationale in Paris and the Prix National de l'Affiche in 1976 and 1979. He passed away on November 12, 2000, in Paris.