Father of Grunge

David Carson, famous for his innovative typography and graphic design was born on September 8th, 1945 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Although born in Texas, he spent most of his Childhood in southern California. He attended Cocoa Beach High School, where he was the class President for three years. When asked where he’s from, he’s mostly likely to say Cocoa Beach. While growing up, he discovered his love for surfing, which eventually gave him an open door into the world of graphic design.

He attended San Diego University to study Sociology and graduated with a Bachelor of the Arts degree. It wasn’t until after graduation that he first encountered graphic design. In the mid 1980’s he attended a two week graphic design course at the University of Arizona. Then, Carson attended the Oregon College of Commercial Art. He then studied graphic design and took a three-week course in Switzerland.

While still new to graphic design, he started out by creating work for surfing events. Since he was ranked the ninth best surfer in the world in 1989, designs for surfing held a special place in his heart. His first job as a graphic designer was for Self and Musician magazine, which contains articles regarding surfers’ interests. Another big job he landed was the Art Director of Transworld Skateboarding. While working here, he revised and renovated the style and layout of the entire magazine. It was during his employment here that he developed his signature “dirty type photographic” typography. In 1987 he also worked for Transworld Snowboarding, an extension of Transworld Skateboarding.

n 1992 Carson was offered a position working for Ray Gun, an alternative music magazine. This was David Carson’s big break. The last magazine he was previously working for folded after only six issues, but the publishers of Ray Gun saw great potential in Carson’s work. He went on to become the Art Director of Ray Gun. In one of the issues of the magazine, Carson took dull interview with Bryan Ferry and published it completely in the Dingbats font, a font composed of only symbols. Not to worry, though, if you were actually interested in reading the interview, it was published in a legible font of the back of the issue. In only three years, he tripled the circulation of the magazine and his edgy designs attracted a new platform of readers.

In 1995, his work was so renowned that he quit his position at Ray Gun to establish his own firm, David Carson Design. Some of his original contracts were with Pepsi Cola, Nike, and Budweiser. He later went on to sign with AT&T, Fox TV, and Nissan, to name a few.

His work generated so much buzz and became so popular that he has been in over 280 interviews worldwide. He has received more than 230 awards for his graphic design, photography, advertising and branding; Designer of the Year 1998 and 1999 (International Center of Photography), and Master of Typography (Graphics Magazine), to name a few.

Carson also has four published books, one being a world-wide best seller. November 1995 was when the first of the four was released. “End of Print” went on to sell more than 200,000 copies, be printed in five different languages, and become the best-selling graphic design book worldwide. In 1997 “2nd Sight” was released, followed by “Fotografiks,” in 1999 and “Trek,” in 2000.

David Carson’s design work is characterized as, “illegible, chaotic type” that doesn’t follow any of the standard typography practices. Carson’s work sometimes embodies overlapping images, in-your-face-colors, and grunge styled fonts.

The actual design process contains several steps including collaging, layering, photography, digital effects, and the use of typography. Visual textures are a huge part of a lot of his work. Often times, you’ll see photographs overlapping with textured images and overlays of typography elements.

David Carson, sometimes referred to as the “Father of Grunge,” places the majority of his design process on the inspiration of the piece and not the actual process or programs used to create the design. In an interview, when asked about his design process, Carson replied, “the design process is more than just playing around with Photoshop…It’s developing an eye for inspiration sources, exploring ideas, concepts and design methods. It is knowing how to combine elements to create a complete and successful design.” Carson also gives his viewers a lot of credit for viewing and interpreting his work since it can be so unorganized. It really makes the viewers think. Carson believes that “big agency advertising tends to horribly underestimate the basic intelligence of human beings.” In order to create these thought provoking pieces, Carson uses objects that many others would see as useless. He does this in order to give the viewer something to take away from his art.

Another factor in his designs is his sociology background. In another interview, Carson said that he is “interested in the viewer’s response,” and likes to know, “who the audience is and how to best speak to that group.” A lot of this goes back to what was previously stated about having people take something away from his art. If they aren’t taking anything away from it, then the message isn’t being portrayed correctly.

It goes without saying that David Carson has created a signature style that will be around for a while, influencing other designers and helping them to find their own style. Carson excels at what he does with design, along with his surfing skills. He has left his mark on the digital design world that cannot be erased. The “Father of Grunge,” will live on forever.

See below the magazine spread I created for my final project in a media design class, 2017.