# Rave & Acid House Graphics

> The pocket-sized promotional art of acid house, rave and early techno, handed out in record shops and car parks to advertise all-night parties. Fronts revived psychedelia through smileys, trippy eyes, fractals and airbrushed fantasy landscapes; backs crammed DJ line-ups, sound-system credits and info-line numbers. Early desktop software, chrome 3D logotypes and fluorescent or metallic inks gave it a synthetic, hedonistic glow.

- Period: 1988–2000
- Where: Western Europe
- Origin: London and the UK club and orbital-rave circuit; also Manchester and Berlin
- Branch: Counterculture
- Also known as: Acid house flyers, Rave flyer art, Club flyer art
- Page: https://stylogeny.com/styles/rave-flyer/

## How it works

- Put one hypnotic emblem (a smiley, an eye, a fractal, a planet) at the centre of the front.
- Cram the reverse with DJ names in clashing faces and sizes, sponsor logos and an info-line number.
- Push colour to fluorescent and metallic extremes on black, with spectral gradients and glows.
- Render logotypes in chrome, bevel and early-computer 3D, or airbrush them like a fantasy paperback cover.
- Appropriate and twist corporate logos and pop icons into in-jokes the crowd will recognise.

## Its design choices

Defining choices make the style, characteristic ones are usual, occasional ones turn up now and then.

### Layout & composition
- [Central symmetry](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/central-symmetry/) (characteristic)
- [Full bleed](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/full-bleed/) (characteristic)
- [Collage & layering](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/collage-and-layering/) (occasional)

### Space & hierarchy
- [Single focal point](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/single-focal-point/) (characteristic)
- [Layered information](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/layered-information/) (characteristic)
- [Horror vacui](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/horror-vacui/) (characteristic)

### Typography
- [Eclectic mixing](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/eclectic-mixing/) (characteristic)
- [Ornamented display](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/ornamented-display/) (characteristic)
- [All caps](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/all-caps/) (characteristic)
- [Experimental & distorted](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/experimental-and-distorted/) (occasional)

### Colour
- [Fluorescent & neon](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/fluorescent-and-neon/) (defining)
- [Gradients](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/gradients/) (defining)
- [Dark ground](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/dark-ground/) (characteristic)
- [Full polychrome](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/full-polychrome/) (characteristic)
- [Iridescent & holographic](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/iridescent-and-holographic/) (occasional)

### Form & shape
- [Pictogram](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/pictogram/) (characteristic)
- [Biomorphic curves](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/biomorphic-curves/) (occasional)

### Surface & texture
- [Chrome & 3D render](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/chrome-and-3d-render/) (characteristic)
- [Painterly brushwork](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/painterly-brushwork/) (characteristic)
- [Gloss & highlights](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/gloss-and-highlights/) (occasional)

### Ornament
- [Emblems & badges](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/emblems-and-badges/) (defining)
- [Cosmic & celestial](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/cosmic-and-celestial/) (characteristic)
- [Abundant decoration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/abundant-decoration/) (occasional)

### Imagery
- [Painterly illustration](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/painterly-illustration/) (characteristic)
- [3D render](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/3d-render/) (characteristic)
- [Found & vernacular imagery](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/found-and-vernacular-imagery/) (characteristic)
- [Generative imagery](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/generative-imagery/) (occasional)

### Medium & production
- [Offset printing](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/offset-printing/) (defining)
- [Desktop publishing](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/desktop-publishing/) (characteristic)
- [Photocopy & zine](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/photocopy-and-zine/) (occasional)

### Tone & intent
- [Communal & popular](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/communal-and-popular/) (defining)
- [Rebellious & subversive](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/rebellious-and-subversive/) (characteristic)
- [Playful & witty](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/playful-and-witty/) (characteristic)
- [Technological & futurist](https://stylogeny.com/design-choices/technological-and-futurist/) (characteristic)

Avoids: Modular grid, Generous white space, Humanist & Garalde serif, Earth & mineral, Ornament-free, Authoritative & institutional, Calm & contemplative

Palette: #0a0a0a, #ffe600, #ff00b4, #00e5ff, #6a00ff, #39ff14

Typefaces: Eurostile Extended, OCR-A, Custom chrome, bevel and airbrushed 3D logotypes

Known for: George Georgiou (Shoom smiley flyer, 1988); Dave Little (Spectrum 'eye' flyer, 1988; V&A collection); Shoom (Danny & Jenni Rampling, London); Sunrise orbital raves (Mystery Trip flyer, 1988); Spiral Tribe (free-party sound system)

## Where it comes from, and what it’s close to

- Grew out of: [Psychedelic Poster](https://stylogeny.com/styles/psychedelic.md) (1965–1973)
- Influenced by: [Pop Art Graphics](https://stylogeny.com/styles/pop-art.md) (1955–1975)
- Influenced by: [Bitmap & Pixel Graphics](https://stylogeny.com/styles/bitmap-pixel.md) (1977–1995)
- Led to: [Acid Graphics / New Ugly](https://stylogeny.com/styles/acid-graphics.md) (2016–present)
- Alike in its design choices: [Matatu & Nganya Art](https://stylogeny.com/styles/matatu-art.md) (1990–present), 61% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Picó Sound-System Painting (Colombian Caribbean)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/pico-sound-system-art.md) (1967–present), 56% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Jeepney Art](https://stylogeny.com/styles/jeepney-art.md) (1946–present), 51% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Generative-AI Image Aesthetic](https://stylogeny.com/styles/ai-image-aesthetic.md) (2022–present), 50% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [South African Vernacular Design (Ijusi)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/ijusi-vernacular.md) (1995–present), 49% alike
- Alike in its design choices: [Demoscene Graphics (Cracktros, Demos & Text-Mode Art)](https://stylogeny.com/styles/demoscene-graphics.md) (1985–present), 49% alike

## Real works

- [It's Back! The Original Back to the Future Rave (flyer)](https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/v/object-285443/back-to-the-future-rave/): Promoter unrecorded (Bass Box Warehouse, Edmonton), 1990–1995 (early 1990s), London Museum (formerly Museum of London)
- [Total Recall (rave flyer, front)](https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/v/object-285442/total-recall/): Club Elevation and Volatile State (promoters); designer unrecorded, 1990–1995 (early 1990s), London Museum (formerly Museum of London)
- [Zillion Phase 1 (all-night rave flyer)](https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/v/object-285462/zillion-phase-1/): Unrecorded, 1991 (event on Saturday 15 June 1991), London Museum (formerly Museum of London)
- [Destiny (rave flyer)](https://www.londonmuseum.org.uk/collections/v/object-285464/destiny/): Destiny (promoters), 1992 (event on Saturday 10 October 1992), London Museum (formerly Museum of London)

## Sources

- Matthew Collin, Altered State: The Story of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House (1997)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Georgiou_(designer)
- Velocity Press, The Rarest Acid House Flyers: https://velocitypress.uk/rarest-uk-acid-house-flyers/

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From Stylogeny (https://stylogeny.com/), an atlas of graphic-design styles by Van Riel Online Services. How it is made: https://stylogeny.com/about/. Cite as: Stylogeny, “Rave & Acid House Graphics”, https://stylogeny.com/styles/rave-flyer/