Laser Grid

category:electronic category:Visual category:Design Aesthetics category:Black category:1980s

Laser Grid is an 80s visual design aesthetic that developed in the 80s. It is characterized by laser-like visuals on dark backgrounds, a grid motif, and airbrushed chrome effects. In architecture and interior design, angular shapes and a combination of Black with reflective surfaces such as chrome and glass are typical. This aesthetic is the source of the 80s love of glass block walls and floor-to-ceiling mirror, especially those found on closet sliding doors.

History[]

Early Vectorcore computer graphics were not meant to be recorded or transferred to film. Indeed they used special screens, nonetheless, they were used as early at 1972 to create animation. From then on and into early 80 they were commonly featured on computer screen in various movies from Star Wars to 2001: A Space Odyssay. The Grid constituted a major set design element in 1981's the Looker, bit the two movies that most imprinted it as a futuristic design on the popular psyche were 1979's Black Hole and 1982's Tron.

The laser grid's popularity was a consequence of how convenient, easy to draw it is as a shorthand for technology. This and the recent development of actual laser technlogy at the time also helps to explain its popularity amongst designers, for whom it is immediately reminiscent of gridded cutting mats. Despite the name and its sources, computers would not come to be central in graphic design until well into the 90s, and these grids continued to be drawn by hand even as they faded away into memory.

As the Laser Grid (sometimes in a more Vectorcore-like presentation rather than a geometric grid) spread within the technosphere, it merged with the heavily airbrushed style of the time to create visual than went heavy of chrome looks. The grid pattern then spread, in a limited fashion, to Interior design into a sleek, almost monochrome look that went heavy on reflective surfaces such as chrome, mirrors and glass blocks. The popularity of Art Deco revival also contributed to reinforce chrome's popularity in interior design. As a result large mirrored surfaces became ubiquitous both nside and outside buildings, cladding the entirety of certain office buildings.

In logo design, many companies took inspiration from the striped logo of IBM, which was redesigned in 1962, causing the stripe motif to become ubiquitous in the late 70s and into the 80s: AT&T, Microsoft, Sierra Entertainment (to name a few), as well as the logos for Input and PC Magazine.

Although it was largely limited to the technosphere (and even then did not necessarily dominate the advertising language), Laser Grid visuals became a key part of Retrowave aesthetics like Synthwave and, to a lesser degree, Vaporwave. Less commonly, the grid motif also appears in Memphis Lite media.

Visuals[]

Grids, either in perspective or flat
Wireframes
Manually drawn Vectorcore graphics in light on dark background
Pinstriped logo or test
Glowing lines and other elements
Lasers
Heavy use of airbrush, especially to create a glowing or chromed appearance
Monochrome interior design leaning on glass blocks and chrome for visual variety
Chrome and glass combo
Large reflective surfaces

Media[]

See also Vectorcore, as the aesthetic is more or less directly descended from these games.

The Andromeda Strain (1971)
A Computer Animated Hand (1972)
Star Wars (1977)
The Black Hole (1979)
Adam Powers, The Juggler (1981)
Looker (1981)
Tron (1982)

Gallery[]

Visual design

RCA Selectavision 650 VCR commercial 1980

Interior design

Laser Grid

Contents

History[]

Visuals[]

Media[]

Gallery[]

References[]