Olympus OM Series OM-1 - Gizmo
The Olympus OM-1 rewrote the rules of 35mm photography. When it launched in 1972, SLR cameras were bulky, heavy things - the OM-1 was 35% smaller and 40% lighter than its competitors, yet sacrificed nothing in capability. It proved that professional-grade photography could fit in your hands, not just on your shoulder.
This illustration captures the OM-1's elegant compactness - the clean lines, the distinctive pentaprism housing, the perfectly weighted controls that made it a favourite of photojournalists and street photographers for decades. It's a camera that proved smaller could mean better.
From the Gizmo collection - a series of prints adapted from Simon Tyler's forthcoming book Gizmo: The Retro-Tech We Loved and Lost, published by Laurence King in May 2026.
Produced as an open-edition print on 250gsm archival matte paper, with crisp detail and rich colour faithful to the original illustration. Perfect for photographers, design enthusiasts, or anyone who appreciates engineering elegance.
Gizmo Series
Gizmo gathers illustrations adapted from and inspired by founder Simon Tyler's forthcoming book Gizmo: Retro-tech We Loved and Lost, published by Laurence King in May 2026.
The series is a visual archaeology of consumer electronics - the machines that shaped how we listened, watched, played, and worked from the 1960s to the early 2000s. Synthesizers that invented entire genres. Cameras that democratised photography. Computers that launched industries from bedroom desks. Boomboxes that soundtracked city blocks. Each one arrived as the future and departed as nostalgia, often within a single decade.
Every illustration begins with extensive photographic research - sourcing original imagery of each machine in its best light - and builds toward a clean, considered portrait that honours the object's design intent. The aim is not retro sentimentality but honest observation: what made these machines distinctive, how they looked when they were new, and why their forms still resonate.
Printed with the same archival care as our other series, Gizmo turns industrial design history into crisp, enduring graphic art.
Printing & Materials
Our Gizmo series is produced in collaboration with specialist fine-art printing partners using museum-grade 250 gsm archival giclée paper.
Each print is made to order with exceptional precision and colour accuracy, using pigment-based inks for long-term stability and rich tonal depth.
Prints are carefully rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in rigid cardboard tubes to ensure they arrive in perfect condition, ready for framing.
All materials and processes are chosen for their longevity, texture, and fidelity to the original artwork, reflecting our commitment to quality and craft.