Vibes, aesthetics and rave posters
The Cursor pick & mix no. 1
Welcome to the first edition of The Cursor Mag pick & mix. This new format is basically a mixed bag of personal updates and goodies I found online: websites, videos, blogs, imagery and other bits and bobs that are too good to not share with you.
Website: CARI
CARI (or Consumer Aesthetics Research Institute) describes itself as “an online community dedicated to developing a visual lexicon of consumer ephemera from the 1970s until now.” For me, it’s one of those inspiration sources that feel so dear to me that I secretly want to gatekeep it.
ILately I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about taste and aesthetics (hence the focus of this newsletter.) I came across this piece by Anu Atluru in my feed and it’s hard to summarize this article, so let me just share a quote that really stuck with me:
“The power of an aesthetic today is that it holds inherent viral potential. […] What will it mean for the artists of today who still seek to create with depth and meaning and not just for memetic potential?”
I found this idea of aesthetic as a vehicle for virality really interesting. I really recommend you read the full thing, so many good observations!
This video is already a bit older and I would love to see a 2025 update that considers the influence of AI. This video is a very in-depth analysis and critique of the Aesthetics Wiki. I think it complements Atluru’s article linked above really well.
There are two things I have a huge weakness for: wacky underground rave flyers and early internet. Recently I came across the work of Jean Pierre Consuegra, who somehow managed two morph those two loves of mine into absolute graphic design masterpieces.
Hi, I’m Maureen and I work as a product designer and design content creator.
The Cursor Magazine is my online publication on design and career.