This week Mirror80 celebrates the bold world of ’80s graphic design, examining its styles through the posters, stickers, album covers, and yes, Trapper Keepers of the 1980s! In this decade of excess, designers sought to grab the audience’s attention with a variety of eye-catching images and fonts.
Friday Video Pick: “Genius of Love” by Tom Tom Club
To wrap up Album Cover Week, Mirror80 aimed to spotlight a video that looked as if an album cover had come to life. And there was no other video for us than “Genius of Love” by Tom Tom Club, featuring artwork by pop artist James Rizzi. Rizzi also created the artwork for the track’s single release, as well as the cover of Tom Tom Club’s 1981 self-titled LP.
1980s Album Cover Fashion
When it comes to ’80s fashion, it’s hard to beat the album cover art of Duran Duran’s 1982 release Rio and Heaven 17’s 1981 release Penthouse and Pavement. Using the artwork of Patrick Nagel, Duran Duran spotlights big hair, big ruffle and extra big earring trends that graced the fashion realm of the “more is more” decade. And how perfectly does Heaven 17 evoke the empty yet style-filled world of ’80s corporate life through the artwork of Ray Smith?
Mid-Week Match-Up: ’80s Album Cover Parallels
Join us for today’s Mid-Week Match-Up as we note the similarities between some unforgettable ’80s/early ’90s album covers. Whether it’s happy coincidence or evidence of an ’80s design trend, sometimes a parallel just can’t go unnoticed…
’80s Album Cover Trends
Oh how we love ’80s cover art! In honor of Album Cover Week, Mirror80 takes a look at three trends that put their stamp on the decade’s canvas. With examples from the cover art for both albums and hit singles of the 1980s, we give you three visual styles that continue to hold up over time. I’d frame these and hang them on my wall!..
Pic Fix: A Flock of Seagulls Album Covers
This week Mirror80 celebrates that magical mixture of art and graphic design that is the 1980s album cover. We’ll reflect on album cover trends from our favorite decade, spotlight the resemblance between cover art selections of various ’80s musicians, and show you how to use ’80s fashion to recreate the look of famous covers. We start today with the album cover art of A Flock of Seagulls, the New Wave band that hooked ’80s audiences with their space-age sound and technology-influenced visuals.
Friday Video Pick: “Careless Memories” by Duran Duran
After reeling from the shock of discovering a Duran Duran video that I hadn’t yet seen, I was quickly smitten with the ’80s decor showcased in various scenes. From the chrome and glass coffee and dining tables to the white sofa and ’80s Deco lighting, it was all I could do to keep from whitewashing my living room and filling it with musicians in New Romantic blouses. Top it off with a vase of tulips, and I’m in ’80s design heaven.
1980s Interior Design Resources
We know an ’80s interior design revival is headed our way, but when it comes to decor, ’80s style hasn’t exactly been embraced by large numbers of antique dealers and vintage furniture shop owners. Yet. But have no fear–while you’re waiting for ’80s interior design finds to become readily available, there ARE places to look for your next purchase, as well as many sources of inspiration. Here are some of our favorites!
1980s Interior Design Styles
The world of 1980s interior design is a richly complex one. From metallic accents to striking angles and curves, many ’80s motifs are surprisingly modern–even timeless–making them easy to integrate into today’s design. When I first wrote this post three years ago, the ’80s revival hadn’t officially hit the world of design. Only a handful of images featuring 1980s interiors were available online. Not to mention, many people still cringed when hearing the phrase “’80s furniture.” Oh how times have changed, thanks to phenomena like the Memphis-Milano revival and the ’80s Tumblr! Time to update this post with new images that prove 1980s style is reaching a whole new generation of design enthusiasts. Here’s our breakdown of 1980s interior design styles:
Pic Fix: 1980s Interior Design
This week Mirror80 celebrates 1980s interior design in all of its glossy, bold glory. We’ll take a look at key ’80s design styles and movements, provide suggestions on ways to incorporate ’80s decor into your home on both a large and small scale, and point you to the best 1980s interior design resources currently available. Whet your appetite with today’s Pic Fix, a collection of spectacular images from the book Decoration and Design for the 80’s by Pamela Ferguson, available at Amazon.com. Speaking of amazing 1980s design resources, this one is a personal favorite!
