8 June 2025
The collection documents the visual intensity that once defined underground dance culture
Did you know there’s an online archive preserving the bold graphic legacy of ’90s rave posters and flyers?
Curated by Martin Murphy and hosted on the creative platform Are.na, the collection offers a window into the visual identity of 1990s rave culture. From the bold, hyper-saturated palettes of Dance Planet to the sci-fi surrealism of Dreamscape and Pleasuredome, the archive captures a moment in dance music history where graphic design played as much a part in the experience as the soundsystems themselves.
What began as cardboard flyers pinned to bedroom walls or stapled to city-centre fences now exists as a searchable digital collection, preserving the aesthetic energy that once fuelled the global underground scene. It serves not only as a nostalgic record for those who lived it but also as a visual resource for contemporary designers and researchers alike.
A handful of standout designs from the archive can be viewed below, while the full catalogue is available for browsing on Are.na.
