Looking for something?

Tap outside or press close

ResourcesBooks

Clubbed: new book by Manchester's Rick Banks celebrates a visual history of UK club culture

If you were old enough to remember the heady days of the late '80s or early '90s, when clubbing was at its height, then you'll no doubt feel warm and fuzzy when you remember all the visuals that went along with it. The logos, the posters, the flyers, the photography... even the tickets, menus and lanyards... it was an era in the UK that gave birth to some of the world's most iconic nightclub and electronic music brands.

Written By:
The word Clubbed in metallic lettering on a black background scattered with white sparkles and glitter effects

Now it's being celebrated in a new book entitled Clubbed thanks to Manchester-based designer Rick Banks. Launched on Kickstarter earlier this year, the publication takes a closer look at the graphics behind Manchester's iconic Haçienda, Liverpool's legendary Cream and Sheffield's ever-popular Gatecrasher.

"I publish books I’m passionate about," he told Creative Boom. "My previous two publications were both about football. Dance music, my other passion, was hugely influential to me when I was growing up; it was one of the biggest reasons I got into graphic design.

"For years, I was always amazed no one had done a modern, visual book on clubbing. Similar types of books were published in the early '90s and they generally featured just flyers with some ‘humourous’, awful pastiche design."

The deluxe hardback features a dazzling collection of never-before-published materials and a specially commissioned editorial from writer and DJ Bill Brewster. Priced at £45, you can grab yourself a copy of Clubbed via face37.com.

Open book spread showing Cream nightclub's logo design system with geometric pinhead symbol in various iterations and colour variations on coloured squares
Open spread from Rick Banks' Clubbed book showing FAC 51 The Haçienda branding with yellow and grey diagonal stripes, alongside Haçienda cover design and identity system elements in yellow, blue and black
Open book spread showing yellow pages with large black text reading "Fac Off
Open book showing Haçienda club branding with yellow and teal colour scheme, including a large poster design on the left page and smaller graphic elements on the right
Open book spread showing Gatecrasher's yellow geometric logo on left page and green typography samples of alphabet fonts on right page
Open pages of Clubbed book showing colourful abstract geometric designs in red, orange, yellow and pink on the left, and BUGGEDOut! cover with turquoise circles on coral on the right
Two open pages from Rick Banks' Clubbed book displaying club culture graphics on the left and a figure wearing an orange geometric hood on the right
An open spread from Clubbed book showcasing a grid of colourful club flyers and graphics from UK dance music venues including Haçienda, Cream and Gatecrasher from the late 1980s and 1990s
Two pages from Rick Banks' Clubbed book showing a black page with a glowing magenta circle and calendar grid for Fabric nightclub, and a pink page listing Fabric's New Year's Day 1999 event details and performers
Gatecrasher club promotional poster and flyer designs featuring bright blue, pink and red geometric patterns with pixelated imagery and text
Open spread from Rick Banks' Clubbed book showing a curated collection of graphic design work from UK club culture including posters, flyers and visual identity designs
Black hardback book cover with textured surface featuring the word "Clubbed" in grey text
Share

Further Reading