1990s Rave Culture & its influence on Graphic Design

Contents

1 Introduction 3

Rave Culture

20 Clubbed 26

Background Research

33 Phenomenology 37

Conclusion

2

2 Subcultures

12

16

Literature Review

Sanctuary

Graphic Design

24 Research

25 Qualitative

Methods

Research

27 Participant

Ethnography

28

Observation

34 Aims &

35 Project

Objectives

Development

38

References

39

Appendix

48

Image References

Introduction

Throughout this study, I will examine the late 80s to early 90s youth cultural movement: rave culture, and its influence on graphic design. I will examine the development of subcultures, the emergence of rave culture, and discusses my research methodology suited to my practice. By investigating different research methodology not only will I research into my topic, but I will use this as inspiration and inferences towards my final major project. I will also explore whereabouts rave culture sits now, capturing and tapping into the real scene of modern-day raves. I will investigate the impact 90s graphic design has on contemporary artists and designers. For my final major project, my aim is to re-create rave posters, flyers, tickets, and stickers from the 90s free party scene, using inspiration I will collect through my research throughout this project.

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Literature Review

Subcultures The emergence of this thing called “youth culture” is a distinctly 20th-century phenomenon; the collision of increased standards of living, more leisure time, the explosion of post-war consumer culture, and wider psychological research into adolescents all contributed to the formation of this new social category defined by age (Milestone, 1999). Culture is a particular way of life which expresses certain meanings and values not only in art and learning, but also in institutions and ordinary behaviour. The analysis of culture, from such a definition, is the clarification of the meanings and values implicit and explicit in a particular way of life, or a particular culture (Hebdige, 1981). Youth rebellion and music has long been linked with Britain’s sartorial history; from ostentatious radicals embracing new levels of swank vulgarity, to the DIY garbs of punk and brazenly bold colours of the 1980s new wave, the inception of subcultures has provided and outlet for expressive fashion and a space for communities to flourish (Rowland, 2021).

Youth culture has always been a big interest of mine, since studying throughout my undergraduate course, I’ve enjoyed learning about the culture. I would scroll endlessly on Pinterest and the internet looking for photographs, blogs, and stories based on youth culture to educate and fuel

and inspire my creative practice. From the fashion, style, and music, youth culture influences my practice, as the groups show their sense of belonging and express their individuality through their style and social boundaries. Youth culture has constantly been evolving, developing a huge impact on lifestyles, interests, and arts.

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Rave Culture Depending on one’s generation, the word “rave” elicits varied reactions. From the late 80s to, early 90s, a series of events from multiple scenes and cultures swept across the world. Illegal raves took place in abandoned warehouses, forests, fields, and other locations, and by 1987, acid house was a firmly established part of the British cultural scene (Walker, 2020). Raves usually consisted of a great DJ, strobe lights, peace, love, and dance, and became the epicentre of freedom of expression.

Every weekend young people searched the country to find illegal parties. Raves could be organised for weeks; however, the location was left until last minute to be revealed to prevent detection by the police. Service stations were the main meet-up points for people to gather to identify the location, and from there the groups would disperse into the given direction. From there, the night had begun, thousands would gather and party all night replacing their worries with hedonism and euphoria. They would party until the early hours of the morning, drive home, and repeat the following weekend. By 1991 it was a crowded marketplace, with names like Dreamscape, Universe, and Perception. With the music also settling into clubs while the free party scene raged on, it’s remarkable how many people were out there chasing a good time (Warwick, 2021).

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“We just have fun and get people together. We serve a community” (Jones, 2020).

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5 Figure 1

“A rave (from the verb: to rave) is a large dance party featuring performances by DJs and occasionally live performers playing electronic music, particularly electronic dance music (EDM). The music is amplified with a large, powerful sound reinforcement system, typically with large sub woofers to produce a deep bass sound. The music is accompanied by laser light shows, projected images, visual effects and fog machines.

The word “rave” was first used in the late 1980s to describe the subculture that grew out of the acid house movement” (Omri, 2016).

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When researching websites, articles, and books, I discovered the word “PLUR” multiple times, which represents “peace, love, unity, and respect”. Peace, love, and unity; add respect into the fold, and you get the acronym PLUR. PLUR became of the biggest reasons people started flocking to raves — they were chill plces where what you wore and what you looked like didn’t matter. All that mattered was the musi And the fun (Saylor, 2019).

Trance music is typically the music played at raves, as it is a profound type of music that enhances emotions as it is uplifting and produces a feeling of an altered state. The constant rise and fall of the electronic beats build anticipation and emotion, releasing dopamine from the brain providing you with energy and happiness.

I find rave culture exciting and inspiring, therefore, I decided to educate myself further on the topic. Although I have a good knowledge of the subculture from my previous studies, I was introduced to Mark Leckey through a previous module, creative studio. Mark Leckey is a new artist to me, once I’d researched into him it opened a whole new world of rave culture, I was previously unaware of. Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore was a roughly chronological overview of 30 years of British nightclub culture, from the speedy Northern Soul all-nighters of the 70s to 90s field raves via

the casuals culture which Mark associated with as a teenager growing up in Liverpool.

Through his work, Mark Leckey speaks of class, technology, and pop culture, exorcising emotion in all its messy beauty along the way (Stone, 2017). Leckey’s work is inspiring to me as it reflects his emotion. Throughout creating different mediums, my emotion and aesthetic is expressed in everything I do. Leckey states that “everything I make is a response to what I am anxious about, what I’m feeling” (Stone, itsnicethat, 2017).

Communicating emotion through art is extremely important, especially with a topic such as rave culture, where the scene thrives off euphoria. To convey nostalgia, freedom, and desire through my work I need to consider the colour, symbolism, and composition. Any colour can be used to create artwork that represents rave culture, as artwork created in the 90s was a mix of anything and everything. ‘Simple colourways, bold typography, bold splurges of colour, conjuring images, clean lines, pop-art inspired, bold confidence’ (Bill Brewster, clubbed, 2018), these are just a few examples of the way the visual communication is detailed throughout the book Clubbed, including logos, posters, flyers, etc.

In terms of symbolism, the famous smiley face symbol became the iconic graphic of acid house in the late 80s. Immediately after noticing the smiley symbol, we are in-

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stantly drawn back to nostalgic 80s acid house. “The smiley symbol totally reflected the feeling and ethos of Shoom – the positivity, love, unity, fun, and happiness” (Williams, 2018). Symbolism is important in communicating graphic language as its expresses visual and sensory experience and the artist’s inner subjectivity. To successfully transmit emotion in my artwork, I need to consider the appropriate aspects which will picture the projects I envision.

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Sanctuary: The Unlikely Home of the British Rave Sanctuary: The Unlikely Home of British Rave is a pop-up exhibition that displays original posters, flyers, artefacts, merchandise, footage, and more. I discovered the exhibition online and decided to visit to view the memorabilia in real life. The exhibition gave me a perspective on the culture, displaying and contextualising different pieces of art. Upon walking into the project space, the walls were white, and the space was brightly lit, allowing the memorabilia to showcase itself. Across the main big wall as you walked in presented the ‘Dreamscape’ poster, which was an iconic graphic design piece from the 90s. There was a diverse number of posters, flyers, tickets laid out underneath the glass cabinet, presenting in different shapes and sizes, with contrasted graphic language. Hanging from the ceiling there was a ‘Sanctuary Security jacket’ and placed on a stand there was a black vuvuzela with a multi-coloured string attached. Displaying ephemera, the exhibition has created a true sense allowing one to experience the memorabilia first-hand.

My main reason for visiting the exhibition was because I wanted to experience what it had to offer, whilst also fuelling my ideas to inspire creativity. The exhibition shone a light on the past, and what sense of community the culture presented. Not only does the rave culture scene present

us with a sense of unity, but the different individuals who contributed to the exhibition to allow it to open create a sense of community, as they connected to provide materials to showcase such a display.

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Graphic Design As I’m heavily interested and influenced by 90s rave culture, for my proposed final major project my aim is to re-create posters, flyers, tickets, and stickers from this era. Throughout this study, by using multiple research methods I intend to gain inspiration for my final major project. Secondary sources, such as websites, articles, and books, have provided me with the most useful information as they convey the photos and stories of real-life rave culture.

Instead of starting from a blank canvas in Adobe Creative Cloud, a previous module, creative studio allowed me to explore a range of advanced concepts and practices to experiment with my practice further. From this, I plan to work with different mediums such as drawing and painting to test my skills further and to better my creative outcomes. As my desired outcome for my final major project is to re-create rave posters, flyers, tickets, and stickers, using materials such as ripped paper, old receipts, contrasting textures, will build my desired result.

As I’m ‘re-creating’ artwork from the 90s, I wanted to use my talent, whilst also combining it with the inspiration I’ve gained from my research to achieve creative outcomes. I intend to create artwork that looks old, somewhat low quality, used, which carries a huge element of nostal-

gia. In addition to this, I aim to create work that gives the impression that it’s been pulled down from the attic, and with multiple stains on them, causing the ink to run together. The overall outcome of my finished artworks aims to communicate nostalgia, freedom, and desire. I believe by experimenting with various materials and combining my physical and digital skills, I can test my expertise into developing a final major project which I propose.

‘So step this way and feast your eyes on 35 years of British club history, told through eyes, pens, scalpels and MacBooks of some of our most gifted designers’. ‘The logo was culled from an old Letraset book, using traditional Clip-Art, both kitsch and instantly memorable’ (Bill Brewster, Clubbed, 2018). Both sentences extracted from Clubbed educate me with the reality of graphic design in the 90s.

To me, graphic design is Adobe Creative Cloud, as I wouldn’t usually experiment with other materials to create my artwork, however, to re-create artwork from the 90s I will test various mediums. Whilst shopping, I discovered a packet of neon metallic smiley face stickers, which I purchased to scan using my phone, therefore, I can use them to create. I’ve also considered creating stamps, which again, I can scan it onto my laptop using my phone, and

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then start my ‘blank canvas’ before using my laptop. By incorporating different elements into my graphic design work, will be communicating more of a nostalgic effect.

“When I was first handed a flyer, I’d never seen anything like it, they were our way into the underground culture, had the look and feel of something only we could know and understand. The artwork of a flyer can promise pure escapism just from its design.” These flyers had to look good to get people through the door, too. Psychedelic colours and trippy, surrealist designs dominated acid house and happy hardcore in the ’90s, with rave flyers to match. They’d get stuffed into people’s pockets as they walked out of a club in a daze, ready to be rediscovered the next morning” (Wickes, 2021).

In the nineties and early noughties, there was a lot of money in the music industry. Clubbing was huge. Clubs and labels had massive budgets to employ the top designers in the country. And this showed in the work. The designs in the book all show modernity and beauty. The messaging is clear and concise, and the typography is always beautifully set. The majority of the designs haven’t been dated which shows how special the work is. Club goers wanted to keep them and hang them on the wall (Banks, 1990s rave culture and its influ-

ence on graphic design, 2021). Through my participant observation with Rick Banks, I learned that his passion for graphic design and dance culture is immense.

His inspiration from this has enabled him to create incredible work, fuelling my inspiration. Electronic dance music can evoke strong emotional responses which can create a particular mood or atmosphere, which then promotes creative thinking.

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“I would come up with a concept that could work as a series, and Ali would either be into it or not. It was one of the first jobs I had out of college, so it allowed me to experiment and develop my own visual language, but it’s safe to say that science and house music played a major role in my thought process” (Bill Brewster, Clubbed, 2018).

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“Dance music was one of the biggest reasons I got into graphic design. In my teenage years, I loved spending hours in record stores, browsing vinyl and CDs. In addition to hunting down specific tracks I’d heard on the radio or on Napster, I often bought records based solely on the cover art. I didn’t know it at the time but looking back I was infatuated with the details within the design. I would obsess over the logos and try to redraw them in my schoolbooks. I’d sit in my bedroom and read all the tiny 5-point copy on the packaging for Gatecrasher CDs or admire the stunning abstract still life photography on a Renaissance flyer. I’d open the inner booklets and read all the footnotes and memorise who designed what and who produced what. I would study the grid system counting how many columns compilations and club posters showed.

I soaked up everything and tried to replicate what I’d seen by making mixtapes with accompanying — albeit awful —artwork” (Banks, 1990s rave culture and its influence on graphic design, 2021).

“It was all one love, everyone together. Anyone can dance all of a sudden, freedom of expression. Dress down, not up. Converse trainers, smiley T-shirts- a sort of tribalism took over. Everyone was happy to be the same”. – Pete Tong (Omri, Technostation, 2016)

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Clubbed Clubbed is a book written in 2018, by Rick Banks and Bill Brewster. Clubbed is a visual history of club culture featuring logos, posters, flyers, photography, tickets, and lanyards from UK clubs from the last 35 years. Clubbed is a document of one small facet of that, but an important one nonetheless: the look of dance music and it has sold and styled itself (Bill Brewster, 2018). I purchased this book after discovering it on the internet as I wanted to discover new ideas.

This isn’t the kind of book you would purchase as an eBook or read as a pdf online.

Clubbed features a black glittery hardback cover, mimicking the club environment, with the words ‘Clubbed’ through the centre. As soon as I came across this book, I knew I had to purchase it as I wanted to experience the genuine feel and sensation of reading it in person. Clubbed correlates with my passion for graphic design and the rave scene as it features contrasting artwork/graphics by different clubs. Each club that is mentioned in the book has a description of its unique distinct identity, its establishment, where it sits now, and some include the club's influences on graphic design/art and who it was inspired by. I purchased this book as I wanted to use it to educate myself on the graphics and artwork of the most famous clubs of the UK and incorporate the graphics and information to inspire my practice.

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Research Methods

To better my understanding of the context of rave culture and to examine the influence behind the graphic design, I have chosen the following research methods: Qualitative Research using participant observation, ethnography, phenomenology, and background research. These various methodologies will help me to understand certain Z that I will utilise in my research.

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Qualitative Research During my search for appropriate methodologies for my proposal, I discovered that qualitative research methods will allow me to uncover what I need to know. The phrase qualitative methodology refers in the broadest sense to research that produces descriptive data, people's own written or spoken words, and observable behaviour.

Qualitative researchers are concerned with how people think and act in their everyday lives. As we learn about a setting and how participants view their experiences, we can make decisions regarding additional data to collect on the basis of what we have already learned (Steven J. Taylor, 2015).

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Background Research By obtaining secondary research, this provides a foundation for my research and educates me on the areas of my study. This allows me to quickly access many websites, publications, and journals from the past, which helps me clarify my research. Finding and reading specific articles related to my area of interest will aid my research and provide me with a greater understanding of the topic of my study, which allows me to improve the quality and depth of my research.

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Participant Observation I chose to use Participant Observation as a method of research as I wanted to gain a relationship with respondents and delve deep into their experiences. I chose this method of research because I wanted to study the research participants' culture and language. I intend to keep an open mind, which would provide me with opportunities and concepts for my final major project. During a night out, I met a girl named Kimmy and throughout chatting I discovered she used to be a DJ in the early 2000s in Ibiza. She kindly offered to be a participant in my research, I was chatting with her for around an hour which allowed me to create a relationship with her and discuss her nostalgic days.

My second participant observation was with a graphic designer, Rick Banks. I stumbled across an article on rave culture online, and within the article, Rick's name was mentioned, alongside his personal and business Instagram handle. Owner of “F37 ®” and creator of the book ‘Clubbed’, Rick has a following of 31.4k following, with impressive graphic design work. I messaged Rick as my study begins with the exploration of rave culture, and then investigates the graphic design influenced by this. Therefore, I thought he would be a perfect participant to comment on the graphic design behalf, with a touch on rave culture.

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Ethnography Ethnography is a method of social science inquiry in which the researcher embeds herself in the ongoing interactions of a particular social setting or set of relations in order to understand and explain members’ lived experience (Colin Jerolmack, Approaches to Ethnography, 2018). Once someone chooses to focus on a particular issue and to study through participant observation, beginning an ethnography can be straightforward, you show up somewhere and spend time there (Colin Jerolmack, Approaches to Ethnography, 2018). I picked this method because I'm investigating modern-day rave culture, and by partaking in events in a real-world setting, I'll be able to examine group social interaction first-hand. I'm unable to use ethnographic research for this because some of my research involves the examination of previous events.

However, to study rave culture in modern-day society, I attended “Warehouse Project” and “Hard Dance Music Event” to interact with the scene and capture the scene for myself to create two short ethnographic studies. By ‘becoming part of the group’ I am studying, I’m playing two roles at once: the subjective participant and the objective observer.

My first short ethnographic study was visiting Warehouse Project in Manchester. ‘A dominant force in Manchester’s dance music scene’, The Warehouse Project, or WHP as its commonly known, is a series of club nights that take place between September and Jan-

uary. Held each year in Manchester, these events feature producers, artists, bands, and DJs from diverse genres of electronic music. I entered the venue around 10 pm and headed straight to a stage to watch a DJ after meeting up with friends. The venue, which was a large warehouse, was very big and spaced out and cold. I found that a lot of the girls were dressed in a statement to be recognised, such as revealing tight outfits and underwear.

I didn’t know many of the artists who were performing at the event, however, I planned to enjoy it and thrive off the atmosphere and alcohol. After around half an hour, I realised that the zip to my small backpack was opened, and my hoodie was falling out. After checking my bag, I realised that my iPhone had been stolen from my bag. After exploring the venue and enquiring about the lost and found, I decided to just enjoy my night and hope that it would be returned to me if it was found. Not only was I upset that my phone had been stolen, but there was a group of boys making homophobic comments to a friend, causing us to leave to a more tranquil spot. I attended the last DJ set, Charlotte De Witte, to find that the majority of the people in front of me had their mobile phones out taking photographs or recording the performance. Around 70% of people in the crowd had their phones out recording videos or taking photographs, which was interfering with living in the moment. After eventu-

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ally leaving the venue after searching for my phone again, I was relieved to be going home.

My second short ethnographic study was visiting the “Hard Dance Music Event” in Preston, I attended this event with my female friend. As we entered the small building to show my ticket, we walked outside to the inside square to discover a fairground ride, a hotdog van, loud music, and flashing lights.

Still quite sober, we felt like I’d entered another world. The uproar from the male operating the fairground ride, shouting through the mic, combined with the ecstatic lights and roaring music created an electric carnival atmosphere. There were multiple different buildings, however, we walked into the first door we saw. Greeted by multicoloured ‘NU Rave’ posters, we entered the ‘Barn’. Upon walking in, we didn’t quite think the atmosphere could get any better. We entered darkness, combined with strobe lights, a live DJ, and people everywhere. Some people were dressed normally, as some were in fancy dress. Shortly after walking in, we discovered a male dressed head to toe in bright green, delivering real rave vibes. After we got a drink at the bar, we decided to explore the rest of the venue, therefore, we headed back out to the square and through a different door. Upon arriving at the next building, we were welcomed into a similar situation, however, the venue was huge. As we walked towards the dancefloor, we discovered hanging neon inflatable stars

and led light up snowflakes above a sea of people dancing. The ambiance was exhilarating. Once the main DJs began to play, two dancers emerged from backstage, which began performing either side, holding strobe lights in their hands sporting fancy dress, consisting of furry leg warmers and holographic two pieces. There was also a fire breathing act performing, combined with confetti cannons and a smoke machine dispersing the room.

Throughout the night I was constantly ecstatic, from the beginning until the end. I also found that a lot fewer people were using their phones within the venue, there were hardly any phones with anyone recording videos or taking photographs and just living in the moment.

Both of my short ethnographic studies contrasted vastly. After attending Warehouse Project, I was very apprehensive about even going out to a nightclub or a crowded area, after my iPhone was stolen from me. I had to convince myself to attend the Hard Dance Music Event after such a traumatic experience at Warehouse Project, however, I’m pleased I attended. Attending both events allowed me to immerse myself in the situation and observe the people and culture. I was able to experience what raves are like now and participate in my study to observe it first-hand.

Although I am unable to experience raves in the 90s first-hand, I’m unable to compare through my findings. Therefore, using participant observation, I will use the expe-

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30 Figure 12

riences of two individuals to do this. I would get better, more accurate results if I included more people for participant observation.

However, I found it difficult to contact people who would be appropriate for my research, therefore, I selected quality above quantity.

During my interview with Rick, he mentioned how mobile phones ruin the atmosphere, I immediately knew before I interviewed him that he wouldn’t mention this. “I don’t think there is a rave culture in the true sense (like there was in the 80s). I do think mobile phones ruin a lot of the atmosphere in clubs. I was happy to hear Fabric banning them. However, during the pandemic with the majority of clubs shut down we saw the rise in rave culture in terms of people meeting up illegally. In today’s age, clubs are getting shut down more and more due to numerous reasons. And even the ones who aren’t getting shut down, generally don’t have the budgets to employ top design talent. Hence the mishmash you see nowadays. However, clubs like Numbers break this mould and have created some beautiful posters” (Banks, 1990s rave culture and it’s infleuence on graphic design, 2021).

Secondly, discussing rave culture with Kimmy, she speaks: “There is so much nostalgia right now. The music bends space and time and I see so many amazing gigs going on, however, for me, the phone situation grinds my gears. In my day we were free to be whatever we wanted; we could do anything freely not worrying about it coming back on us. That

is priceless and can’t be replicated these days sadly. I have so many conversations where my friends and I talk about feeling sorry for the youth of today and them never being able to experience what we did. Raves/music, they shaped us today” (Moreland, 2021).

The nostalgia and anger between both participants are clear throughout their responses. Raves could be improved massively, as the ‘raver generation’ from the 90s potentially wouldn’t attend raves nowadays purely for this reason. The comparison between then and now is the development of technology and mobile phones.

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Phenomenology Phenomenology is frequently described as a purely descriptive discipline. It describes our experiences just as they are given. Phenomenology is not primarily focused on the structure of the mind. Rather, the proper focus of phenomenal analysis is the mind-world. This will become clearer the moment we consider the central concept of intentionality (Zahavi, 2018.)

“I’m too young to have experienced the ‘proper’ raves of the 80s/90s. Looking back there must have been something magical meeting up in the middle of nowhere at a certain time without any phones or Ubers. I was even too young to experience the super club ’trance’ era. Although I have been to the recent Cream reunions in Liverpool which were incredible”.

“At the time, I was still too young to go clubbing but I loved the music and embraced the genre like a true fan boy. I bought CD’s, vinyl, posters, merchandise, and collected flyers and magazines. I find it strange that nowadays, this whole experience is often reduced to a tiny square JPEG, often poorly designed, in the bottom corner of Spotify or iTunes. Admittedly I’m not the biggest clubber in the world but I still buy and listen to dance music every day while I work. And I always look out for its corresponding design, as they are my two biggest passions.

The designs in the book — the very same ones I loved when I was a teenager — formed the designer I am today” (Banks, 1990s rave cul-

ture and its influence on graphic design, 2021).

Well… I just lived for it. The music mainly drove my enjoyment and watching the DJs which inevitably led me to want to DJ. I still listen to the music now. I guess I had more energy then. It was so great to feel part of something, surrounded by people. You would meet a stranger and feel like you’d known them forever and dance with them for hours and feel their energy and appreciate the music together while just dancing on the spot or on a podium. The love you could feel for a stranger.

Strangers would offer you water on a regular basis and chewing gum and you would wake up with tight muscles in your head from chewing gum for hours and hours. I think living in the north we were spoilt especially as the super club’s cream and hacienda came about. I used to go to the cream every week and I never realised how lucky I was. The bowlers (Manchester) DJs would play their sets on KEY103, and I would just about be able to pick up radio reception where I lived. I loved Stu Allen so much… I still listen from time to time now when I’m driving. I would befriend groups of people that I have long lost touch with, and we would sit out in service stations after hours as it got light. It was all part of the scene. I would inevitably feel rough as a dog on Monday, and we would always expect the “Tuesday blues” but then you knew it was nearly the weekend and you would be buzzing to do it all over again” (Moreland, 1990s rave culture and its influence on graphic design, 2021).

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Aims & Objectives

1.

Explore the influence 90s graphic design has on current creative practices.

Investigating contemporary artists and designers, I will investigate popular culture and understand the influence.

2.

Compare and measure 90s rave culture with modern-day rave culture.

Combining with background research and participant observation, I will use ethnography to attend events which will allow me to determine the contrast between both comparisons.

3.

Collect and analyse my research to obtain education and inspiration for my final major project.

The research will be collected using different methodologies to influence and instigate concepts for my future creative practices.

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Project Development

My initial approach to my project will be constant experimentation. By testing multiple media and materials, I aim to develop my project by transforming my ideas and deciding which processes are best.

By experimenting with my concepts enables me to navigate my practice and understand what does and doesn’t work for me.

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Conclusion

This research aims to explore the formation of subcultures and the acid house movement, rave culture. Secondly, the research intends to examine multiple research methods to build my knowledge of the behaviours, attitudes, and the general characteristics of a group of people. Supporting this, the present findings confirm the outcomes from multiple data collected throughout the study, enriching the literature with organic research, exploring community, cultural and artistic contexts. Rave culture is defined as hedonistic and euphoric, and by tapping into the scene personally, I was able to discover this. In addition to this, my study considers the influence rave culture has on graphic design. By engaging with my findings, I was able to educate myself and understand the importance the 90s rave and dance scene has on modern designers. The research has helped me build a project I envisioned by understanding personal experiences and influences, whilst seeking inspiration through the visual communication I discovered.

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. Retrieved from Techno Station : https:// www.technostation.tv/90s-rave-culture/ Omri. (2016, October 8). Technostation. Retrieved from Technostation: https:// www.technostation.tv/90s-rave-culture/ Rowland, O. (2021, May 6). Arts. Retrieved from Arts: https://www.arts. ac.uk/study-at-ual/short-courses/stor i e s / to p - 8 - b r i t i s h -yo u t h - s u b c u l t u re s Saylor, D. (2019, June 14). Ranker. Retrieved from Ranker: https://www.ranker. com/list/raves-then-and-now/donn-saylor Steven J. Taylor, R. B. (2015). Introduction to Qualitative Research Methods. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated.

Stone, B. (2017, February 27). itsnicethat.

Retrieved from itsnicethat: https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/artist-mark-leckey-270217 Stone, B. (2017, February 27). Itsnicethat.

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Retrieved from Itsnicethat: https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/artist-mark-leckey-270217 Technostation. (2016, October 8). Retrieved from Technostation: https:// www.technostation.tv/90s-rave-culture/ Walker, A. (2020, August 4).

Brighton Journal.

Retrieved from Brighton Journal: https://brightonjournal.co.uk/the-history-of-illegal-raves-

and-why-theyve-been-making-a-comeback/ Warwick, O. (2021, January 21). djmag.

Retrieved from djmag: https://djmag. com/longreads/let-us-be-your-fantasyhow-fantazia-brought-uk-rave-masses Watson, G. (2017, May 10). Port Magazine. Retrieved from Port Magazine: https://www.port-magazine.com/fashion/a-brief-history-of-british-subcultures/ Wickes, J. (2021, October 25). The Face. Retrieved from The Face: https://theface.com/ culture/old-school-rave-flyers-phatmediajungle-acid-house-happy-hardcore-nightlife Williams, P. (2018, April 18). Redbull. Retrieved from Redbull: https:// www.redbull.com/gb-en/history-of-the-acid-house-smiley Zahavi, D. (2018.).

Phenomenology: The Basics. n.d: Taylor & Francis.

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Image References

Figure 1: Ted, T. S.. (2020). Youth Culture, Rave. Another Mag. https://www.

Figure 9: Rick, R. B..

(2016). anothermag.com/art-photography/gal- “Clubbed the book”. Face37. https:// lery/11176/spiralled-by-seana-gavin/2 w w w . f a c e 3 7 . c o m / s h o p / c l u b b e d a -v i s u a l - h i s to r y- of- u k- c l u b - c u l t u re Figure 2: Ted, T. S. (2016). “Setting up a sound system at a rave”. Another Mag. https:// Figure 10: Rick, R. B.. (2016). www.anothermag.com/art-photography/ “Clubbed the book”. Face37. https:// gallery/11176/spiralled-by-seana-gavin/12 w w w . f a c e 3 7 . c o m / s h o p / c l u b b e d a -v i s u a l - h i s to r y- of- u k- c l u b - c u l t u re Figure 3: Emily, E. G.. (2016). “Bless This Acid House” poster by Jeremy Deller. Eye on Design.

Figure 11: Rick, R. B.. (2016). https://eyeondesign.aiga.org/what-rave-cul- “Clubbed the book”. Face37. https:// ture-is-teaching-modern-graphic-designers/ w w w . f a c e 3 7 . c o m / s h o p / c l u b b e d a -v i s u a l - h i s to r y- of- u k- c l u b - c u l t u re Figure 4: Flyers and posters at Sanctuary: The Unlikely Home of the British Rave Figure 12: Warehouse Project Figure 5: Dreamscape poster at Sanctuary: The Unlikely Home of the British Rave Figure 6: Flyers and posters and accessories at Sanctuary: The Unlikely Home of the British Rave Figure 7: Rick, R. B..

(2016).

“Clubbed the book”. Face37. https:// www.face37.com/shop/clubbeda -v i s u a l - h i s to r y- of- u k- c l u b - c u l t u re Figure 8: Rick, R. B..

(2016).

“Clubbed the book”. Face37. https:// www.face37.com/shop/clubbeda -v i s u a l - h i s to r y- of- u k- c l u b - c u l t u re

Figure 13: Hard Dance Music Event Figure 14: Mind Map of initial project ideas Figure 15: SWOT Analysis of project Figure 16: Gantt Chart, project management

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Appendices Appendix A

Figure 14 41

SWOT Analysis of Project Proposal

Appendix B

Strengths

Weaknesses

Create sense of nostalgia and community Gaps in knowledge and expertise Timescale and deadlines Skill level

Threats

Opportunities

Change in government guidelines due to COVID-19

Learn more about the culture Improve my skills and practice Create relationships for future practice and contacts Figure 15

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Appendix C

Gantt Chart of Project Development

Figure 16

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Appendix D Interview with Rick Banks (R=Rick) (I+Interviewer)

lets and read all the footnotes and memorise who designed what and who produced what.

I would study the grid system counting how I: What was your overall experience from raves? many columns compilations and club posters showed. I soaked up everything and tried to R: I’m too young to have experienced the ‘prop- replicate what I’d seen by making mix-tapes er’ raves of the 80s/90s. Looking back there with accompanying — albeit awful — artwork! must have been something magical meeting up in the middle of no where at a certain time I: What do you think “rave culture” is without any phones or Ubers. I was even too like in modern day society? What is young to experience the super club ’trance’ the difference between then and now? era. Although I have been to the recent Cream reunions in Liverpool which were incredible. R: I don’t think there is a rave culture in the true sense (like there was in the 80s). I do think I: As my main focus on this study is graphic mobile phones ruin a lot of the atmosphere in design, throughout rave culture in the 90s, clubs. I was happy to hear Fabric banning them. could you comment on this? What was it like? However, during the pandemic with the majorWere you intrigued by flyers/posters/tickets? ity of clubs shut down we saw the rise in rave culture in terms of people meeting up illegally.

R: Dance music was one of the biggest reasons I got into graphic design. In my teenage In the ninety’s and early noughties there was years, I loved spending hours in record stores, a lot of money in the music industry. Clubbing browsing the vinyls and CDs. In addition to was huge. Clubs and labels had massive budghunting down specific tracks I’d heard on the ets to employ the top designers in the counradio or on Napster, I often bought records try. And this showed in the work. The designs based solely on the cover art. I didn’t know it in the book all show a modernity and beauty. at the time but looking back I was infatuated The messaging is clear and concise and the tywith the details within the design. I would ob- pography is always beautifully set. The majorsess over the logos and try to redraw them ity of the designs haven’t dated which shows in my schoolbooks. I’d sit in my bedroom and how special the work is. Club goers wantread all the tiny 5-point copy on the pack- ed to keep them and hang them on the wall. aging for Gatecrasher CDs or admire the stunning abstract still life photography on a In today’s age clubs are getting shut down Renaissance flyer. I’d open the inner book- more and more due to numerous rea- 44

sons. And even the ones who aren’t getting shut down, generally don’t have the budgets to employ top design talent. Hence the mish-mash you see nowadays. However, clubs like Numbers break this mould and have created some beautiful posters.

Interview with Kimmy Moreland (K=Kimmy) (I=Interviewer) I: What was your overall experience from raves?

K: Well…. I just lived for it. The music mainly drove my enjoyment and watching the DJs which inevitably led me to want to DJ. I still listen to the music now. I guess I had more energy then haha. It was so great to feel Part of something. Surrounded by people. Whether people agree or not the drugs were a very important part of the raves. You would meet a stranger and feel like you’d known them forever and dance with them for hours and feel their energy and appreciate the music together while just dancing on the spot or on a podium. The love you could feel for a stranger.

Strangers would offer you water on a regular basis and chewing gum and you would wake up with tight muscles in your head from chewing gum for hours and hours. I think living in the north we were spoilt especially as the super club’s cream and hacienda came about. I used to go to the cream every week and I never realised how lucky I was. The bowlers (Man-

chester) DJs would play their sets on KEY103 and I would just about be able to pick up radio reception where I lived. I loved Stu Allen so much… I still listen from time to time now when I’m driving. I would befriend groups of people that I have long lost touch with, and we would sit out in service stations after hours as it got light. It was all part of the scene. I would inevitably feel rough as a dog on Monday, and we would always expect the “Tuesday blues” but then you knew it was nearly the weekend and you would be buzzing to do it all over again.

I: As my main focus on this study is graphic design, throughout rave culture in the 90s, could you comment on this? What was it like?

Were you intrigued by flyers/posters/tickets?

K: The flyers were so important but in the early days I don’t really recall keeping many.

I would probably clutch them for hours in a right state as they were given to me as I left.

For me what was more important was the mix tapes that people would record off the radio and then you would rerecord for yourself. Later I loved the art on the vinyl sleeves but would equally be excited about a plain white label.

I: What do you think “rave culture” is like in modern day society? What is the difference between then and now?

There is so much nostalgia right now. The music bends space and time and I see so many

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amazing gigs going on… However, for me the phone situation really grinds my gears, in my day we were free to be whatever we wanted. We could do anything freely not worrying about it coming back on us. That is priceless and can’t be replicated these days sadly. I have so many conversations where me and my friends talk about feeling sorry for the youth of today and them never being able to experience what we did. Raves and music, they shaped us today.

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