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The decade-defining style of Memphis design boasts bold repeating patterns and clashing colors. These repeating patterns typically feature a combination of basic geometric shapes and stripes. Immediately upon their debut, Memphis patterns challenged convention, and with time, they’ve affirmed their popularity with each reappearance and reimagining.
Before the Memphis pattern design became synonymous with gaming arcade carpets, there was a small collective of designers and a dream. Let’s look at the history of Memphis patterns together and see how you can use them in your designs.
Discover ready-to-use Memphis patterns on Envato:
What was the Memphis Group?
In December 1980, architect-turned-designer Ettore Sottsass invited a group of like-minded creatives to his small Milan apartment to discuss the future of design. Feeling stifled by the creative industry’s lack of originality, Sottsass assembled this collective to empower designers, explore new ideas, and ultimately discover what they could accomplish by breaking free from the confines of the Modernist rulebook.
At the time, The International Typographic Style, also referred to as Swiss Design, was still reigning supreme. This movement championed minimalism and regimentation—two concepts Sottsass was vocal in denouncing. In architecture, Brutalism was regarded as superior. While open to structural innovation, functionality remained the primary focus.
“When I was young, all we ever heard about was functionalism, functionalism, functionalism. It’s not enough. Design should also be sensual and exciting.”
Ettore Sottsass
After creating over 100 sketches between them, the group reconvened after three months to discuss their differing concepts and ideas. For Sottsass, inspiration came from his travels abroad. Upon visiting the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Ettore was awestruck by the brightly colored, asymmetrical homes that brought a unique personality to each city. Photographs of the houses featured in Sottsass’s magazine, Terrazzo.
Also known as Memphis Milano, the collective had spent that evening repeatedly listening to Bob Dylan’s 1966 album, Blonde on Blonde. In a nod to track 6, “Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again”, the Memphis Group found its name.
The group’s members set their sights on crafting furniture and interiors unlike anything we’d previously seen. The collective celebrated non-conformity and freedom of creative expression, prioritizing fun over functionality. Without introduction, Memphis debuted its first collection at Salone de Mobile in Milan. The designs were whimsical and playful, and even critics could not deny their charm.
The rise of Memphis patterns
The disruption caused by Memphis’s unconventional design approach was garnering positive attention among other designers, and their influence trickled into the mainstream. Manhattan Design created the first iteration of the iconic MTV logo in 1981. Because the designers rejected a fixed color palette, the logo became ever-changing, adopting different trends over the years. Among the retro patterns were Memphis Group style variants.
Across big and small screens, the film Ruthless People and TV musical Pee-wee’s Playhouse both debuted in 1986 and featured Memphis-style set designs. The fashion industry began to take notice of the Memphis pattern, exploring bold colors and exciting shapes within the design and structure of their garments. Teen sitcom Saved by the Bell (1989–1992) boasted a clear Memphis influence in its set designs.
Tokyo Broadcasting System debuted its Memphis-inspired logo in 1991, though the broadcaster seemingly struggled with translating the complex logo design across different formats. Several simplified variants were created before the logo was ultimately scrapped and replaced with a wide-set serif in 1994.
In response to the difficulties corporations faced adopting this style, a subdued version of the movement emerged, proving more palatable to consumers. Dubbed ‘Memphis Lite’, or Contempo-Eclectic, the style retained the geometric shapes and playful patterns of the original Memphis but defaulted to a less saturated color palette.
The fall of Memphis patterns
Memphis continued to design and create the now-esteemed furniture and homeware pieces. While their work endured a slow rise to commercial success, the collective was presented with a key to the city during the November 1984 “Memphis to Memphis” exhibit in Memphis, Tennessee.
Despite this accolade, Ettore Sottsass stepped away from the group the following year, explaining that the Memphis design style had expressed itself fully and he was conscious to avoid being defined by a single movement. The group persisted without its founding member until disbanding in 1988. Memphis produced a total of seven collections over their active years.
Commercially, the Memphis art style was still thriving. The bright colors of the 80s became neons in the 90s, quickly becoming synonymous with the rave culture of the era. This revived color palette breathed new life into Memphis patterns and ensured their longevity into the next decade.
Find Memphis in the neons of the 90s:
However, technological developments were causing a stir. The 90s brought the release of Adobe Photoshop and other tools that made digital design more easily accessible and encouraged experimentation.
David Carson took on the role of Art Director at alternative music magazine, Ray Gun, in 1992 after catching the eye of the magazine’s publisher. Carson’s work is experimental and moody, and his unconventional, anti-grid ethos is regarded as revolutionary. Leaning into the grunge aesthetic of the mid-late 90s, Carson’s interest was captured by the words left unspoken but communicated by composition.
As the new millennium approached, TV, film, and video games were captivated by fantasies of the future. The Y2K trend took off in the late 1990s and early 2000s as the use of CGI began to rise. The rave scene had also found a new aesthetic, and Memphis had been replaced.
The return of Memphis patterns
Since the mid-2010s, Memphis design has started to make a comeback, appearing unexpectedly at the forefront of culturally iconic moments. Pop star Katy Perry stepped out in Christian Dior’s Memphis-inspired collection at the 2011 MTV VMAs. Adidas, Supreme, and Vans are among the global fashion brands that have adopted the style across their collections and campaigns. BMW collaborated with Garage Italia Customs to unveil their Memphis makeover for Milan Design Week in 2017.
The immediate popularity of Netflix show Stranger Things catapulted 80s pop culture back onto our radar. The costumes, in particular, feature repeating patterns influenced by the Memphis art style—where we often find purple and lavender shades.
Artist Camille Walala gained popularity in the mid-2010s for her signature style, a fusion of Memphis, op art, and the geometric designs of the South African Ndebele tribe.
Having adopted its name from Bob Dylan, it is befitting that this movement found its way back into music, featuring on the artwork for Paramore’s 2017 synth-pop album, After Laughter. David Bowie was an avid collector of Memphis items, acquiring over 100 pieces.
While some 21st-century nods to Memphis ring true to the 80s movement, others are not so instantly recognizable. Minimalism began to gain traction in the 2010s, evidenced by the influx of sans-serif logo redesigns. Where more and more brands were opting for the less-is-more approach and allowing room for carefully considered typography to do the heavy lifting, others were determined to showcase their personality.
Brands who have adopted the minimalist Memphis Milano style include ice-cream manufacturer Halo Top and eco-conscious toilet roll brand Who Gives A Crap. By condensing the geometric elements and following a pastel or monochromatic palette, the designers made the style more palatable to the contemporary market. Craft beer houses and microbreweries frequently showcase Bauhaus and Memphis influence in their packaging, imitating and combining both styles to create retro yet innovative designs.
Illustrators have demonstrated creative freedom in exploring looser versions of the Memphis style. Geometric shapes have become soft, abstract doodles, owing to a more whimsical and unserious interpretation. The addition of abstract shapes and patterns can elevate a design, making it appear more visually striking.
3D designers have succeeded in translating this flat geometric pattern to three-dimensional spaces. As the style is so heavily centered around basic shapes, it renders beautifully, enabling 3D artists to explore depth of field and how elements might interact with one another in a composition.
Use our collection of pre-made 3D objects and renders in your next project.
Like Memphis, “fun and colorful” is also how street artist and illustrator Mul Draws describes his work. Mul’s “disco-style” pays homage to the 70s and 80s, with the clashing elements lending themselves to striking graffiti art.
As we look to the past for inspiration, so do brands. It’s becoming increasingly common for brand designers to adopt a technique called ‘retromarketing’ to evoke feelings of nostalgia and quickly build a connection with consumers.
Channel nostalgia in your next design with these downloadable patterns:
There are, however, other ways that brands can position themselves as more personable. In 2017, design agency Buck developed the illustration and animation system named ‘Alegria’ for Facebook. In doing so, they established a framework for commercial artwork, now referred to as “Corporate Memphis”. Adopting the principles of Memphis Milano’s retro pattern design, with contrasting colors and playful use of shapes, these character illustrations feel relatable and breathe life into a brand’s message.
Find illustration packs to suit every style, available on Envato:
The lasting impact of Memphis design
In the cyclical way that design trends disappear and reappear, each reimagining borrows from and contributes to other art styles—evolving with the times, while maintaining the signature elements that the movement is known for.
The beauty in borrowing from different styles is that it allows us creatives to explore techniques and artistic approaches that we might have deemed outside of our comfort zone, ultimately creating a more well-rounded designer.
While some projects may lend themselves to certain styles more than others, an important and universal takeaway from Memphis is the passion for innovation and excitement within their designs. This retro 80s pattern is sure to continue its resurgence, remaining relevant amongst current graphic design trends.
For more creative inspiration, check out the Memphis patterns on Envato, and read about retro design trends and what makes a trend a trend.
