Introduction
In 1973 we had hope. We could still assume that our neighbors were not lost to the fantasy of some grand conspiracy. And though divided, we still acted as if the “American Dream” was deserved by all, even if not attainable by all. But the symbolic tremors in our social fault lines had begun to quake.
The following synthesis is a DeepShallow project focused on the aesthetics, cultural structures and political conditions of the 70’s – with an emphasis on the artifacts and ideas that emerged in the year 1973. The goal of this project is to understand how culture and politics can shape our aesthetic biases.
Principles of Style
Typography and logo-marks are loaded with content that spark memory, they bring forth perceptual systems that embody political and social characteristics of that time. The following wordmark vignettes were conceptualized and designed to reflect a social memory of the 70s. Each mark represents a feel with a rationale of those feelings.
Archetypal Logos of 1973
The graphic symbols of the 70’s that represent a the promise of technology and science with feelings of play and excitement.
Chapter 1
Now it’s time to have some fun. Let’s talk about toy aesthetics.
Ch1.01 Catalogues of Desire
Our desires were once only mediated by retail environments and catalogues. Our desires were slowed by these barriers. But instead of stifling them the slowness served to fuel our imaginations.
Back in the year 1973, Walkie Talkies were popular Christmas gifts. Other popular Christmas gifts included the board games Pente and Anti-Monopoly, Raleigh Chopper bikes, Dungeons & Dragons and Shrinky Dinks.
Ch1.02Modular Systems
I fell in love with modular systems playing with TYCO slot cars and Hot Wheels.
Ch1.03Real Cars
What my family drove and the cars I desired.
The first car I remember our family owning was a Gremlin.
I remember its unique shape and proportions.
Now you can drive a Gremlin in the video game Forza.
You can even select a 1973 model.
Chapter 2
The heroes of 1973 used revenge as fuel for fighting power and reclaiming justice.
Chapter 3
Family dynamics became the public interest.
The perception of the American family changed when we turned the camera on it. Actually, it just revealed what had gone unspoken in the rise of the “nuclear family” – that all is not well. The sanctity of the family was actually nothing more than a circus of tragedy. Film began to reflect the the morphing definition of family, some expressions more troubling than others. I grew up in the wake of a divorce. And like other new normals we came to accept, like the tortured Vietnam vet next door or a criminal presidency, the family had become a circus of damaged individuals trying to live up to an unrealistic expectations.
The family was a construct now open for interpretation and scrutiny. Television gave us another family portrait, one that did not attempt to hide the challenges of family in this new America that begun to reveal itself. But what we really learned was that women are the victims of this construct and now they were finding ways to break free.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
THE U.S. FAMILY IN 1973The U.S. population was 211,908,788.
April 4th, 1973
Chapter 4
When media and politics merged into a truth-less soup of culture wars.
We were ready before we knew it. There’s a theory regarding stories with aliens and UFOs, that they were created to prepare public for what’s coming.
The numbers didn’t add up.
The U.S. economy was plagued with high inflation, an oil crisis, rising unemployment, and the worst recession since the 1930s. The recession came about because of an OPEC oil embargo against the U.S., major government spending on the Vietnam War, a large Soviet purchase of corn, wheat, and soybeans during 1972, and a Wall Street crash that caused a bear market.
Inflation tripled from 3.4% to 9.6% and put an end to post-World War II economic expansion. U.S. unemployment was 5.6%, the average family income was $12,900, and a new house cost around $32,500. The retail price for a gallon of gas averaged 39 cents, the minimum wage was $1.60 per hour, and an ounce of gold cost $106.48.
The Senate Watergate Committee began to televise its hearings, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion, and the Endangered Species Act was passed. President Nixon signed legislation that approved construction of the Alaska pipeline.
THE DIVIDE FORMED
Woman’s bodies became a battleground.
Part of our private collection.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Chapter 5
Cults became the norm for people escaping the growing problems in a society holding on to its conservative past. And the demons of our past manifested as ghosts in the present.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Chapter 6
The heroes of 1973 used revenge as fuel for fighting power and reclaiming justice.
The heroes of 1973 used revenge as fuel for fighting power and reclaiming justice.
The Final Chapter
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Environments
Other Worlds
It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.