I'd still love to see it even higher resolution, but that's much better, even though the images are now in different places and some are cut...

Things I couldn't tell before...

So it's easier to see now that #12 has a head-mounted mic on and a hat with a tassle.

#26 looks to be wearing a T-shirt

#21 and 20 look to be using the same model guitar

....

But none of this helps me identify anyone else.

Vixy has a new guess for #12: Alannah Currie from The Thompson Twins.

I just came up with the same thought.

I'd thought about the Thompson Twins connection last night only because of the hair. But the dress wasn't right. The fact there was a dress at all in fact is the first thing I thought was too wrong.

On the newer image you can also see that the hat doesn't fit this guess. There are so many sources for images that would instantly be recognizable as her, none of them similar to this one at all. I'll have to disagree on that guess.

#12 is definitely dancing and the upraised leg is the left crossing in front of the right.

I also see Thompson Twins hair (Tom Bailey) in #20, but I don't think that would be a good guess for that silhouette.

I want to say the TV behind Annie Lennox (13) is showing multiple people standing directly in front of and behind each other with their arms extended at different levels, so as to emulate a multiarmed Hindu goddess. I want to associate that with the Bangles, but I could be mistaken.

I thought the same thing, although I thought it might have been a mirror trick, where they mirror the left and right sides of the video. Is there a scene that matches that shape in Walk Like an Egyptian?

How about Lady Miss Kier from Deee-lite? I can't think of her having a beehive, but there's something about the star earrings (which I couldn't make out on the smaller one) and the ring.

Note that, on this version, the head is cut off of the possibly-Devo silhouette.

It's a seamless pattern, so any cut off parts are on the opposite side of the image.

Also, Deee-Lite is the next decade, the 90's.

Both good points.

Okay, it's devo for sure. What convinced me was the belt, called out in white on the t-shirt.

Could any of them be Huey Lewis?

We've been trying to tie some of the images to Huey Lewis, but having trouble matching a specific outfit from a well-known 80's video of Huey to any of the silhouettes on the shirt. Some of the outfits come close to 18, except that you never see Huey with a guitar.

There are a lot of image choices I would have changed if I were putting together this design with the intention to reflect a rounded/balanced 80's representation. Huey Lewis would be one I'd definitely include. As it stands, I don't think any of the silhouettes are of him.

Like Tony, I started to go backwards and picking artists to look for. Only to get frustrated of course.

Unfortunately, I also don't think the one with the keytar is anyone from Devo. I haven't seen any Devo images with a keytar yet, only strap mounted synth. Also haven't seen any with head-mounted mic. The suit also doesn't look like an outline of their bio suits to me and the belt looks a little low and not straight enough. Lastly, if I were designing the image and wanted to include Devo, it would be an image with their iconic red hats. Nothing else instantly says "Devo" IMO.

The following images are instantly recognizable:

Michael Jackson - the pose and the glove - it might as well be labled with his name in big bold letters.

Tina Turner - there just no mistaking that image for anyone else. The lean and the hair. And of course the legs.

Madonna - it's not the best silhouette, but still not really mistakable for anyone else. I'd have preferred a slightly different pose and perhaps more hair.

Cindy Lauper - also not mistakable even without any of the white parts. That dress and pose alone do it.

Boy George - hat and overall frumpiness of the outfit. This could not possibly be anyone else.

Prince - similar to the Michael Jackson, it might as well be labeled with his name - it wouldn't be any easier.

David Lee Roth - Jump. Period. I would *not* have put both Eddie Van Halen and David Lee Roth in the same image.

Everyone else is a little tougher, though a number of them now seem totally obvious, the above were the most in-your-face to me. I'd argue that the above are the most universally recognized ones too. Especially the MJ.

Anyway, I'm thinking of finding out where the designer lives and then holding him for ransom until he reveals all his sources.

Some other artists I considered in my backwards search:

Psychedelic Furs
Simple Minds
Thompson Twins
Spandau Ballet
Duran Duran
Yes
The Clash
Dire Straits (Tony mentioned lead singer as possibility for #20 in OP)
Men at Work
Frankie Goes to Hollywood

Some additional artists I'd consider back-searching:

Big Country
Bryan Adams
Rick Springfield
Peter Gabriel
Toto
Wham!/George Michael (maybe #28 for which I had already suggested Rick Astley)
Los Lobos (for 30/31 maybe)

#20 and #9 are probably the most generic ones of the lot, and it's easy to argue them as so many possibilities. Especially #20 IMO.

Yeah, Susan suggested to me Simple Minds just this morning, and sure enough, the hair on number 26 is (to my eye) identical to the "Don't You Forget About Me" video.

Edit: Darn, it's Michael Stipe. I forgot he used to have hair.

High rez individual silhouettes.

Edit: With some answers.


http://www.flickr.com/photos/chopshopstore/sets/72157611184350055/

We were right about Morrisey.

I'm also going to put a stake in the ground for the duo as Tears for Fears, since the guy on the right is a bassist.

Any guesses for #9 ?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chopshopstore/3107669085/in/set-72157611184350055/

Guitar shape is consistent with Brian May's custom guitar, but it looks a little big, and the hair isn't big enough.

Edit:: No, the headstock is wrong for Brian's custom made guitar.

Edit:: I'm guessing Jon Anderson for number 9. The hair is right for the "Owner of a Lonely Heart" era, and the facial profile looks like him. However, I don't see him playing that guitar in the Owner of a Lonely Heart video (although he does occasionally play guitar in the Yes concerts).

Vixy and I are now pretty sure #6 is Peter Gabriel. She found this image:

http://www.halleyandpeter.nl/afb/gabriel92.jpg

I can't believe I didn't think of it, I'm such a huge slobbering Peter Gabriel fan.

This is funny because two more artists I thought of checking against were Depeche Mode (Martin Gore) and REM (Michael Stipe). I don't think I would have thought of the Martin Gore Silhouette for some time, but I should have gotten the Michael Stipe one based solely on the pose. That's why it looked so damn familiar to me.

Argh.

The Morrissey one, IMO, is a crap image. Just not representative enough. I don't think I would have ever guessed that was Peter Gabriel with the keytar. At least I feel god about having guessed so many correctly. And sure enough many of the artists I thought to look up are in there, including Duran Duran represented in that image you thought was Joe Jackson. Again, it's an image that is obvious for that particular video, but not necessarily representative of the person, Simon Lebon, nor the band. But, anything about 80's music videos MUST have Duran Duran. They were the kings of 80's music video with no exceptions, IMO.

BTW, Re: David Bowie - I told you so!

If it didn't take so long to make really good vector silhouettes, I'd make a bunch myself just to keep this party going. I still have to finish the African Savannah animal ones that I'm supposed to put up in my daughter's bedroom though...

Ok- now I've got to ask!

What is the name of the style of image where one color and bold, solid areas are used- no shading.
Sort of like this image of Juan Valdez

There should be a button on the photo editor that automatically makes something like that, but I don't know anything about it.

edit- another example is the logo for the Flying Tigers
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Tiger_Line

I think the Madonna pic is from the movie, Desperately Seeking Susan.

That flying tigers pic looks like a woodcut. I know there's a name for the style, but I don't recall what it is...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodcut

It's called posterization. Essentially you're reducing the number of colors in the image, and it's the color reduction settings in a photo editor program that will create that effect (combined with careful use of the brightness and contrast controls).

The trick is that if you take just any old photo and simply posterize it, it's not going to look nearly as good as the Juan Valdez or Flying Tigers images. Those started off as a simple posterization, but were heavily tweaked by hand illustration to turn them into something really appealing. I think both of those logos predate computer imaging, so the posterization and hand illustration were probably truly done by hand.

Thanks, all!
Sorry for the thread-diversion.

I've really enjoyed this little contest, although I couldn't contribute much to the solutions.

Where is that T-Shirt guy? There are only two left to confirm. Three I suppose if you include the Simon Lebon give-away.