When was memphis design popular

But in spite of these obstacles, designers around the world are proving that the style can be more versatile than you might expect. Although Memphis was originally made to draw attention to itself, the colors and chaotic shapes can also make foreground elements pop through sheer contrast.

A common technique is to leave a space among the Memphis Design graphics for the subject of the composition in a kind of frame. Alternatively, scattered shapes can be placed directly behind the subject, creating a backing explosion of abstract color. Memphis Design has always been about making a strong impression. It is so strong in fact that, like a hot sauce, sometimes a small dose is enough to give your project the kick it needs.

This is why many designers these days have opted to use miniature, scattered shapes and lines in order to hint at Memphis Design rather than give their project over completely to flashy graphics.

Doing so allows them to capture some of the jubilant energy that Memphis evokes without all the provocative spectacle. Although classic Memphis Design tends to involve flat colors and simple black-and-white graphic patterns, many contemporary designers have been shaking up the style with more varied textures. These can include watercolor and acrylic paints, overlaid sketch illustration, rough paper cut-out edges, and gradients. The effect is not to only create shading that mitigates the intensity of Memphis Design, it adds a touch of 3D realism to a style that was already leaping off the page.

Letterforms provide excellent, predictable shapes in which to contain the madness of Memphis Design. Like a star, steadfast letters can provide a focal point in order to reign in and center the surrounding graphic elements. More commonly, you will see Memphis design overlaid onto the letters themselves. This can be especially useful with 3D lettering, which gives the designer even more surface planes on which to apply Memphis patterns.

This style usually works best on creative wordmarks or hand-lettering projects, which can afford to be creative and colorful at the potential expense of legibility. Although originally Memphis Design emphasized rigid geometry, a popular reinterpretation has been to work flowing, oblong organic forms back into the composition. Rather than a radical departure, these are a natural evolution of the squiggly lines and circular shapes that were popular with the original Memphis.

While for some this may stretch the bounds of traditional Memphis Design, tradition was never the point. Memphis was all about breaking the rules, and it seems fitting that it would inevitably break a few of its own.

Memphis Design was much more than a shot in the dark or a prank by bored designers. It was a spark that defined a decade and inspired a generation. Its energy, freedom and joyful colors are just as relevant today, which is why so many people continue to find the style irresistible.

But it is also a style that can be polarizing in its daring. Our newsletter is for everyone who loves design! Let us know if you're a freelance designer or not so we can share the most relevant content for you.

By completing this form, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Designers, check out these contests so you can start building your career. Get a design. Design by OrangeCrush As popular and influential as Memphis Design has been over the years, it can sometimes get a bad rap. What is Memphis Design?

By kemalxxx. Many assumed the movement was a brief flash in the pan. Few would have predicted its ultimate cultural impact, or the revival of the aesthetic three decades on. After the collective shut down, many of its members continued practicing individually. Sottsass himself was a successful postmodernist architect, and it was only after his death in that interest in the Memphis design aesthetic was re-awakened in a big way.

The trend has been accelerating ever since. Many of the examples featured below are from the last five years, and some of them see original Memphis Group members returning to form.

Contemporary creatives are also putting a fresh spin on the Memphis design aesthetic, such as London-based French designer Camille Walala , who graduated from the University of Brighton in While the patterns and shapes are familiar, in the modern revival bold primary colours are supplemented by mellow teals and soft pinks, blended with greys as well as the trademark stark black-and-white.

Refined production methods and more high-end materials have also increased the quality of the products themselves — but the retro appeal and rebellious spirit remains strong. The original Memphis Group created a wide range of bizarre creations that won celebrity fans from Karl Lagerfeld to David Bowie.

The Ashoka lamp is one of them — but arguably the most iconic of all, and therefore the perfect start to this list, is Ettore Sottsass' Carlton. Built from sections of laminated MDF, the Carlton could be seen as a bookcase, a room divider or a dresser — or all three — but like many of the Memphis Group's creations, it seems equally comfortable as a modern art installation. Even if you could afford one, you'd need a substantial living room to house it, as the Carlton is enormous — almost two metres square.

It's also the perfect checklist for the Memphis style: a bold colour palette, strong, stark lines, and a geometric structure: its various partitions, voids and shelves are based around a system of equilateral triangles. Most people would argue the Apple Watch was released in , and they'd be right. But the high-end glossy touchscreen smart watch wasn't technically Apple's first attempt: 20 years earlier, it had a Memphis-inspired predecessor.

Part of a marketing drive, the quartz-faced, analogue timepiece was never actually sold as a standalone item, but offered as a freebie if you upgraded to Mac System 7. Long before the modern-day Memphis revival, this watch kept the aesthetic alive in the mids with a bold, simple design based on geometric shapes, bold primary colours, and a delightfully playful squiggle for a second-hand. After Sottsass' death, interest in the Memphis style began to grow. It influenced high fashion houses Missoni, Karl Lagerfeld and Christian Dior, and the latter's collection helped kick-start the modern movement in earnest.

Memphis and postmodernism in general, also helped shape the pop culture landscape. According to artist and designer Gary Panter, who created the elaborate and influential set, Memphis arrived at a moment of hybridism and retro design. The movement itself always predicted its own demise. Perhaps the true lesson of Memphis, and its influence on pop culture, is the malleability of trends and tradition. In the ping-pong between exuberance and minimalism, Memphis represents pastiche and more importantly, personality.

Sottsass himself felt Memphis had a higher purpose. Perhaps the attempt, and the excitement it caused, were what really mattered. Numerous designers have noted the influence these oddly shaped pieces had on their career, from Philippe Starck to Ian Schrager. Perhaps British designer Jasper Morrison captures the mixed feelings about Memphis best: "It was the weirdest feeling—you were in one sense repulsed by the objects, but also freed by this sort of total rule-breaking.

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