1950s computer brochures

>It would be cool to be the programmer of a computer the size of a semi truck. It probably did the work of a pocket calculator, but it looked impressive.

that is pretty much what you're doing today - from the point of view of the programmers of the year 2074 :)

It's modernist design, which originated in the 1950s! The "flat" design of today is really just a return to the design ideas of the 50s, coupled with a lot of what we've learned since then.

I too was struck by just how similar these advertisements look compared to what we see today. The biggest difference is the color pallet, which is primarily due to the availability of different colored dyes at the time. While the jury's still out on the matter of modernist design in interactive applications, I firmly believe that it is fantastic for the print medium.