manifest in the design clichés of the period—a Mad Max, Road Warrior,
post-Holocaust vision of life wed to a skewed 1930 s modernism. It quickly
emerged as a distinctly identifiable style, easy prey for style merchants, the
entrepreneurs who learned from the 1960 s that even the most sincere youth
culture can be a profitable commodity. Punk was co-opted and
commercially packaged as new wave. A domino effect began, in which a
plethora of new wave products—from clothes to watches to records—
created a need for eye-catching advertising, which in turn created demand
upon publishers for outlets.
In Los Angeles, the surge in chic, trendy, and not altogether
uninspired new wave–styled publicity for boutiques, restaurants, and
galleries fostered the tabloid Stuff, ostensibly an elegant supermarket
handout whose only editorial content (save for a few insignificant text
pages) was its paid advertising. Indeed, some of the ads were designed
with more zest, imagination, and panache than a lot of conventional
graphic design. On the East Coast, similarly focused “square” tabloid/
magazines, including Details,Paper, and the full-sized tabloid,New York
Talk, were merely editorial environments for advertising. As a rule these
East Coast periodicals ran “soft” feature stories, picture spreads, and
random items covering their cultural milieu. Although each masthead listed
a considerable number of contributing writers, it is fair to say that the
writing would not overtax the average reader. At best it would entertain
and at worst, separate one page of ads from the next. Still, these
publications should not be totally dismissed as fluff.
A famous photograph taken by Berenice Abbott in the early 1930 s
shows a packed newsstand in midtown Manhattan with more than one
hundred different magazines for sale (most for about a nickel, as compared
to today’s average three-dollar cover price). Despite the varied photographs,
illustrations, and titles on their covers, many of the publications look alike.
Graphic style is a visual indication of a cultural period. Many of the
magazines in Abbott’s photograph are in the deco mold—then the
dominant style. Although style represents a period, it does not always state
content. In every period there are manifestations that define the dominant
attitude and those that copy it. That many of today’s culture tabs look the
same is simply a signpost of a design-conscious and technologically
advanced period. Some of the publications discussed here will be forgotten,
like the hundreds of me-too undergrounds published during the late 1960 s
and early 1970 s. Others will make a lasting contribution to (rather than
merely being a reflection of ) the visual culture and the culture as a whole.
tuis.
(Tuis.)
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