Worthy enough for his own post (stay tuned), Bob Staake, the renowned American illustrator, cartoonist, children's book author, and designer, makes a point to showcase the work of those who inspire him. One way he is doing this is by sharing links and images on his site of those illustrators and designers that have shaped his own sense of composition, color and style. It's quite clear from his work that he has great taste, and those who continue to inspire Bob Staake, along with a great number of other contemporary illustrators and designers include: A.M. Cassandre, Alex Steinweiss, J.P. Miller, Paul Rand, Paolo Garretto, Jean Carlu, Donald Brun, Herbert Leupin, Albert Borer, Mary Blair, Aurelius Battaglia, Herve Morvan, & James Flora.

Throughout my life I've been mesmerized by posters -- particularly those created by the Europeans of the mid-20th Century. These bold, graphic and inventive posters continue to captivate contemporary illustrators, and while many of us have liberally taken inspiration from iconic poster graphics, I'd like to think we build on the visual tradition built by the artists (many well-known, many anonymous) who worked from 1930-1960 in France, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, and virtually every country on the European continent. - Bob Staake

Check out the rest of Bob's inspirational collection here.