Clubbed: A Visual History of UK Club Culture is a new book by London-based designer and art director Rick Banks, who goes by the moniker Face37.
Bound by a black diamond dust cover, the book’s appearance mimics the dark environment of a club. It’ll celebrate the history of UK club culture through the documentation of the dance scene’s accompanying visuals, and include logos, flyers, posters, photography, cover art, fonts and more collated over 35 years. The starting point of the book’s trajectory begins from the 80s with the Haçienda and courses through to the current club climate at Printworks London.
A particular highlight is a specially commissioned editorial from Bill Brewster, and the book contains contributions from a plethora of figures in the dance scene, such as art director, DJ and label head Trevor Jackson.
According to the Kickstarter, many of the graphics are “pre-digital and internet so a lot of time has been spent scanning old transparencies, bromides and retouching physical hard copies.” Some visuals have been recreated “from scratch down to every minute detail”.
Ian Anderson, founder of The Designers Republic said, “Working with clubs was a lifesource for TDR™. It provided regular creative outlets for 24-hour designer people with low boredom thresholds to play and experiment with new ideas and new ways to look at old ideas every month and sometimes every week. We were our own target market playing fast and loose with the visual language of a generation in desperate need of one.”
You can help fund the book via Kickstarter.
