GRUNGE

GRUNGE emerged back in the late 80's in Seattle. It is said to have been inspired by Punk, Rock and heavy metal. It effected several elements in life such as fashion, music, graphic design and typography. During this time there was an outburst especially in the music industry making record labels go crazy starting off from Seattle and merging into several cities in no time. This happened mainly during the 1990's and even though this craze started to fade away soon after, this movement still as great influence on modern rock music today. Grunge is also very popular today when it comes to use in Graphics and the Arts.

When we look at type in the Grunge era, and even today we notice certain characteristics which are consistent. Words were randomly placed, letters were blurred, textures thick and most of the time heavy. It looks somewhat unfinished and chaotic but still aesthetically attractive. It is nowadays coming back into trend and lots of people are using it, it being for postcards, online sites, book covers, magazines and more. Characteristics of the grunge, be it in type or other designs are irregular lines and frames, randomly placed text, breaking of the grid, dirty texture and images, unclear and distorted type and image, torn paper effect and hand written elements. Type also consisted of magazine cut outs put together to form a sort of collage with words.  The use of hand written type for example, gives off a personal and individual feel of the designer. Grunge designers also used photo manipulation, photomontage and vibrant colours.

One of the most influential graphic designers in Grunge is David Carson, and is in fact known as the Godfather of Grunge. He didn't go by the rules of Graphic design and this is what made him popular at the time - ''You don't need to know the rules before breaking them, and never mistake legibility for communication''.

Nirvana Screaming Trees 1990 Poster.

Jenn B’s Typographic Grunge Brushes
A random collection of grungy, decayed typographic brushes. (This shows the influence 
in today's Graphic Design. Brush tools designed to achieve the effect).

Pearl Jam and Blink-182 were two of many 90s bands that adopted grunge typography in their image.

Ray Gun Magazine - David Carson

 The Word Grunge Printed In Red Ink On Parchment, Faded, Damaged.. Royalty Free Stock Photo, Pictures, Images And Stock Photography. Image 9791529. . 2014. The Word Grunge Printed In Red Ink On Parchment, Faded, Damaged.. Royalty Free Stock Photo, Pictures, Images And Stock Photography. Image 9791529. . [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.123rf.com/photo_9791529_the-word-grunge-printed-in-red-ink-on-parchment-faded-damaged-and-destroyed.html.> [Accessed 12 January 2014].
Grunge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Grunge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grunge.> [Accessed 12 January 2014].
Grunge Style In Modern Web Design | Smashing Magazine. 2014. Grunge Style In Modern Web Design | Smashing Magazine. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2008/01/29/grunge-style-in-modern-web-design/.>[Accessed 12 January 2014].
The Rise And Fall Of Grunge Typography - The Awl. 2014. The Rise And Fall Of Grunge Typography - The Awl. [ONLINE] Available at: <http://www.theawl.com/2012/08/grunge-typography.> [Accessed 12 January 2014].