During the 1960s pop culture started to emerge, it changed almost every aspect of society. Pop culture was reflected in music, art, literature, and even furniture. Pop art rebelled against abstract art and its influence on typography resulted in fonts. The hippie movement was another thing that had a great influence on typography during the 1960s. The “flower power” counterculture was reflected in fonts because they were made to look distorted and were put in unconventional colors - similar to the effect of psychedelic drugs. Typefaces of the swinging 1960s were a result of the psychedelic era of hippies, bellbottoms, lava lamps, pop music, the Beatles, and free love. Inspiration and primary attributes of psychedelic art were kaleidoscopic and spiral patterns, bright colours, extreme detail and groovy typography. These are the movements that the psychedelic generation, many of whom were educated in art, looked to for inspiration. No one embodies the psychedelic spirit more
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acid trip itself. One popular designer of that decade is Keiichi Tanaami, an artist, illustrator, and designer known for his prominence in Japan’s Neo-Dada movement during the 1960s and 1970s. His work is heavily influenced by Pop art, Andy Warhol, and the psychedelia and music of the 1960s, his films, prints, paintings, and sculptures also tell a more sinister story of his experiences during the Great Tokyo Air Raid of 1945. Early in his career his colorful collages of erotica and the vibrant colors of the sexual revolution attracted the attention of the Monkees and Jefferson Airplane, who commissioned him for album covers in 1967. The psychedelic style used in the 1960s is still being used to this day.
than Wes Wilson, the godfather of the concert posters. His style was synonymous with the peace movement and the groovy ’60s. Wilson created the posters for Ken Kesey’s acid tests and the Beatles’ final performance. Wilson also changed typography forever when he invented and popularized a ”psychedelic” font in 1966 that made the letters look like they were moving or melting. Wilson’s bold patterns spoke directly to an audience experimenting with LSD. The 1960s broke the conventions of graphic design with its twisting, melting, and distorted forms, psychedelic art mimicked an
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References 1960’s | Sawyers Illustration. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://sawyersillustration. wordpress.com/ba-hons-illustration-2/research-project-2/1960s/ Retrieved from https://hypebeast.com/2017/6/keiichi-tanaami-amulet-of-the-tapir-exhibition-nanzuka-gallery Retrieved from http://network9.biz/brand-design/how-the-psychedelic-sixties-changed-design-forever/ Keiichi Tanaami | Artist Bio and Art for Sale | Artspace. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.artspace.com/keiichi_tanaami Last of the Famous International Fanboys: Green Lantern: The 1960’s Movie. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://famousfanboy.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/green-lantern-1960s-movie.html Psychedelic Poster Pioneer Wes Wilson on The Beatles, Doors, and Bill Graham | Collectors Weekly. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.collectorsweekly. com/articles/psychedelic-poster-pioneer-wes-wilson/ rock concert posters 60s 70s | The official hendrix thred-poster084. gif | Classic Rock | Pinterest | See the best ideas about Concert posters, Jimi hendrix and…. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://au.pinterest.com/ pin/466474473877191934/ Typography in the 1960s-1970s by Autumn Hall on Prezi. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://prezi.com/gcthdl3aohoo/typography-in-the-1960s-1970s/
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