The Cul-de-sac Club

Laptop aesthetics, anti-design and faux-Baroque: these are current trends in graphic design, according to eye magazine. But those are about the only bright spots on the scene, writes Adrian Shaughnessy: "Graphic design appears to have settled into a complacent middle age, content to be in the thrall of corporatism, branding, marketing, focus groups and quick-fix makeover culture. Even in its more radical guises, design has become self-admiring and masturbatory -- a condition utterly alien to innovation and the forging of new directions." Well, that's depressing.

I'm not quite sure what "anti-design" is, but I imagine my cobbled-together, Verdana-infested blog is an example.

Maybe designers could get some ideas by perusing the DeMoulin Bros. catalog of "Burlesque and Side Degree Specialties, Paraphernalia and Costumes," circa 1930. The catalog showcases a variety of bizarre contraptions, like this Whiz Bang Aeroplane, apparently intended for use in club initiation rituals. "We had one of the best nights ever," raves a testimonial blurb from someone at the "Brooklyn and L.I. Milk Square Club."

A "Milk Square Club"? I can't quite get my mind around that concept. The catalog is a reminder that there was once a massive culture of clubs and fraternal organizations in this country, long before the internet made it unnecessary to meet like-minded souls in physical space.

(links via things magazine)