Psychedelic Exploding Grunge

Posted by Amanda Huber on May 20 at 4:15 PM Not since Clare Danes pined for Jared Leto in My So Called Life have we seen so much grunge. We are confronted with it everywhere, from the I-haven’t-showered-in-weeks look of American Apparel billboards, to the unrefined sculptural montages of contemporary artists at the New Museum. newmuseum.org



Perhaps one the more successful manifestations of grunge today is in the realm of graphic design. Out is the gloom-and-doom of the early 90’s— today’s grungy graphics are injected with psychedelic colors and explosive energy. Sure, there is an undercurrent of anxiety and repression (couldn’t be grunge without it), but these graphics are assertive and surprisingly upbeat. Take for example, the logo for 2 Fresh, a multidisciplinary design agency in Istanbul, Turkey.



Its creative engines are clearly fueled by its culture, an exciting fusion that lives at the hub of east and west, north and south, Europe and Asia, modern and traditional. Visually, it is the juxtaposition of natural motifs rendered in day-glow hues collaged together with photographic images that makes it so arresting.



This CD cover by the UK design firm Non-Format is destructive and tender at the same time. While color is absent in this design the high contrast silhouette makes this grungy image feel modern. The organic elements are in sharp contrast to the crisp typography, but at the same time, seem to be exploding out of it.

Violent eruptions of  butterflies, leaves, and flowers mixed with paint and shrapnel are even more prevalent on the web than in print. Here are a few examples of this explosive trend in web graphics.







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