While strolling the streets of Bristol, I happened to stumble upon a curious 'Lost Cat' poster. From a distance, it looked like your average cat poster, but the closer I got, the more I realised that this was no ordinary plea to help find a feline – it was actually part of an international phenomenon.
The quirky cat poster designed by Illustrator and Instagrammer @StevexOh features a painting of a cat and some hilarious information about it. At first glance, you may just see the 'lost cat' in bright red, but the closer you look at the design, you soon realise that it actually reads: "This is not a poster about a [lost cat]". When I then researched the funny design, I soon found out it was part of an international cat poster project called '(Not a) Lost Cat'. If you fancy creating your own international poster project, then why not download Illustrator and have a go?
I spotted the (Not a) Lost Cat poster in Bristol, UK. (Image credit: Future/@StevexOh via Instagram)
Steve Chapman's Lost Cat posters have been cropping up in every corner of the world. From Australia to LA, to India to South Africa, these felines have been busy globe-trotting and have become part of a niche community of '(Not a) Lost Cat' poster fans.
Over on Chapman's Instagram page, he has set up a highlight explaining the story behind the curious design. Chapman says, "Whilst walking the dog, I saw a poster of a lost cat. I turned it into a painting and put them up all over London". He goes on to explain that many people asked for the design, meaning that he has ended up sending them all over the world so people can pop them up where they live.
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The (Not a) Lost Cat posters have been spotted... at the Taj Mahal, India...(Image credit: @StevexOh via Instagram)
On Trafalgar Square, London...(Image credit: @StevexOh via Instagram)
On Times Square in New York, USA...(Image credit: @StevexOh via Instagram)
By the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, USA...(Image credit: @StevexOh via Instagram)
At the Town Hall in Brussels, Belgium...(Image credit: @StevexOh via Instagram)
In St Ives, UK (I thought cats didn't like water)(Image credit: @StevexOh via Instagram)
If you head over to Chapman's website you can ask to order the Lost Cat posters for free. You will have to pay for postage, but Chapman will send you two posters – one for you to keep and one to put up. Then once you've done that, you can log it into the cat map and see where everyone else has put their posters up (see below to see the cat map).
Not only do I love these designs, but I love the fact that the creative community from all over the world have joined in on this project. I look forward to bumping into one of these posters again soon. But for now, why not paint your own obscure cat poster with some products from our roundup of the best traditional art supplies?
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Amelia is Creative Bloq’s Staff Writer. After completing a degree in Popular Music and a Master’s in Song Writing, Amelia began designing posters, logos, album covers and websites for musicians. She now enjoys covering a range of topics on Creative Bloq, including posters, optical illusions, logos (she's a particular fan of logo Easter eggs), gaming and illustration. In her free time, she relishes in the likes of art (especially the Pre-Raphaelites), photography and literature. Amelia prides herself on her unorthodox creative methods, her Animal Crossing island and her extensive music library.
