• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

thread for Good Design

CARI | Aesthetic | Neon Ooze

cari.institute cari.institute

Neon Ooze (1990s)​

ca. Late 1980s - Early 1990s​

The ubiquitous neon ooze motif that proliferated in kids (and sometimes adult) media in the 1980s & 1990s. Mad scientists, toxic waste, sludge, slime, ooze, blobs, globs, and general gross-out content. Probably tied to some general societal anxiety about the environment in the 1980s.

Note: Name sourced from the Facebook group, 'Neon Ooze/Surf Shack' created by Karl Kraft. Some examples are also sourced from that group, and some are from our internal CARI research.
 
though this one speaks a lot to many of the books, computer programs, and posters I had

Utopian Scholastic (1990s)​

ca. Late 1980s - Late 1990s​

In some ways this aesthetic is the 'kids version' of Frasurbane, with an emphasis on scholastic endeavors, 'edutainment', and an 'end-of-history' approach to learning. It uses the same classical and 'timeless' typography and imagery with Frasurbane, adding in the aesthetic of 'stock photography collage' depicting the most basic and identifiable depictions of forms and concepts for quick comprehension. This reliance on this style of collage is predicated on two factors in the era; the proliferation of stock photography collections, and the development of desktop publishing & graphics-editing software in the 1980s.

Note: The term 'Utopian Scholastic', was derived from the Facebook group of it's origin, 'Utopian Scholastic Designs from a pre-9/11 World', created by Suze Huldt. Some images shown here are sourced & curated from that group, and some are CARI member scans & finds.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top