Jacob Kleintz
FYWT
Christa DiMarco
Research Paper

A Culture of Rejection
Graphic designer David Carson reflected the grunge culture of the 1990’s through his design of the first issue of the music magazine, Raygun which was published November of 1992. Grunge itself, has its roots in the new music that was emerging as America entered the 90’s. Much of the music shows a disenchantment with society and a sense of entrapment. In 1992, music critic Simon Reynolds said about teenagers in the 90’s, “…there’s a feeling of burnout in the culture at large. Kids are depressed about the future.” By the early 1990's a majority of young adults found the pop music of the time had become too dull and boring. Due to this fact teens turned to a more alternative sound. They found this sound to be produced by college radio and small time record label companies. (Benner). By the start of the 90’s grunge was not only moving to new areas but also began making their own music. Grunge musicians rejected expensive, highly staged performances; most would not use pyrotechnics or other complicated lighting and visual effects during their shows. Grunge ironically arose from a complete rejection of culture (Berman). Carson's style of typography experimentation influenced the development of the deconstructed style of design and a whole new era of designers. The experiments by Carson and other Ray Gun designers were chaotic, abstract and distinctive, but sometimes illegible. The magazine's radical subject matter often related to music and pop culture icons, became a reliable source for the prediction of up-and-coming stars. As grunge music was making its way throughout the country this new style of design would continue to evolve along with it.
If a graphic designer had to live by one quote it would be of Carson's most known sayings, “...don't confuse legibility with communication just