Pretty in Punk: An Investigation Into The Visual Legacy of Punk

Pretty In Punk: An Investigation Into The
Visual Legacy Of Punk
Evan Barnes
(Ba Hons) Graphic Design
Nottingham Trent University
August 2017
List of Figures
Figure 1: ‘This is a Chord’, from Sideburns first issue in 1977.

Poynor, Rick. Oh So Pretty: Punk in Print 1976-80. London: Phaidon
Press, 2016. P.65
Figure 2: Pink Floyd on-stage at Wembley in 1974.

Belo, Helder. Pink Floyd - 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' (Live at
Wembley - 1974). Youtube,2011. (Online)
Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2DGf0z7wqQ
(Accessed 22/5/2017)
Figure 3: An example of Hippy fashion in the 1960s.

n.a. 1960s Fashion Images, Fanpop, n.d. (Online)
Available at: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/1960s-
fashion/images/33252481/title/1960s-hippie-fashion-photo (Accessed
21/5/2017)
Figure 4: Edwardian Teddy Boys wearing Drape Jackets.

n.a. History of the Biritsh Teddy Boy and Culture, The Edwardian
Teddy Boy,n.d. (Online)
Available at: http://www.edwardianteddyboy.com/page2.htm (Accessed
21/5/2017)
Figure 5: Raoul Hausmann’s 1920 piece The Art Critic.

n.a. Dada, Tate, n.d. (Online)
Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/d/dada (Accessed
23/5/2017)
Figure 6: Jamie Reid’s poster for The Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save The Queen’
single poster.
Poulsen, Henrick Bech. ’77, The Year of Punk & New Wave. London:
Helter Skelter, 2005. P.282
Figure 7: The swastika variation of The Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save The
Queen’ artwork.
n.a. The Sex Pistols “God Save The Queen” 1977 Silver Jubilee Photo
& Protest, Feel Numb, n.d. (Online)
Available at: http://www.feelnumb.com/2010/10/15/sex-pistols-god-
save-the-queen-1977-silver-jubilee-photo-protest/ (Accessed
21/6/2017)
Figure 8: Rogen Dean’s elaborate artwork for Yes’ album ‘Relayer’.

Dead, Roger. The Roger Dean Gallery, Roger Dean, n.d. (Online)
Available at: http://gallery.rogerdean.com/ (Accessed 24/5/2017)
i
Figure 9: Linder Sterling’s artwork for Buzzcocks’ single ‘Orgasm
Addict’.
Sladen, Mark, and Ariella Yedgar. Panic Attack: Art in the Punk Years.
London: Merrell Publishers, 2007. P.200
Figure 10: Issue 5 of Mark Perry’s ‘Sniffing Glue & Other Rock & Roll
Habits’.
Poynor, Rick. Oh So Pretty: Punk in Print 1976-80. London: Phaidon
Press, 2016. P.49
Figure 11: The Sex Pistols’ one-off Zine named ‘Anarchy In The UK’.
Triggs, Teal. Fanzines. London: Thames & Hudson, 2010. P.49
Figure 12: Inside of The Sex Pistols’ Zine, ‘Anarchy In The UK’.
n.a. Anarchy in the UK Fanzine, Tumblr, n.d. (Online)
Available at:
https://stillunusual.tumblr.com/post/129298241606/anarchy-in-the-uk-
fanzine (Accessed 26/8/2017)

Figure 13: Chainsaw Zine, published in 1977 by “Charlie Chainsaw.
Triggs, Teal. Fanzines. London: Thames & Hudson, 2010. P.52
Figure 14: An example of Punk fashion in the 1970s.

n.a. You’re So Punk Rock, We Want Shops, 2012. (Online)
Available at: http://wewantshops.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/youre-so-
punk-rock.html (Accessed 26/8/2017)
Figure 15: Vivienne Westwood and friends displaying unusual Punk

fashions.
Claire, Marie, Anarchy in the UK: A Brief History of Punk Fashion,
Marie Claire, 2017. (Online)
Available at: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/fashion/a-brief-history-of-
punk-fashion-79145 (Accessed 24/8/2017)
Figure 16: An example of Punk’s use of borrowed objects within

fashion.
n.a. 18 Images Showing Punk Was No Joke In the 70s, EMGN, n.d.
(Online) Available at: http://emgn.com/entertainment/18-images-
showing-the-punk-scene-was-no-joke-in-the-70s/ (Accessed
24/8/2017)

Figure 17: Punk fashion incorporating the swastika.
n.a. 18 Images Showing Punk Was No Joke In the 70s, EMGN, n.d.
(Online) Available at: http://emgn.com/entertainment/18-images-
showing-the-punk-scene-was-no-joke-in-the-70s/ (Accessed
24/8/2017)

ii
Figure 18: Apple’s 1984 Super Bowl commercial.
Taube, Aaron. ‘How The Greatest Super Bowl Ad Ever - Apple’s “1984”
- Almost Didn’t Make It To Air’. Business Insider, 2014.
Available at:http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-super-bowl-
retrospective-2014-1?IR=T. (Accessed 24/8/2017)
Figure 19: Zandra Rhodes’ runway adaptation of Punk in 1977.

Harris, James. 29 Things You Didn’t Know About Punk Style, Complex,
2013. (Online)
Available at: http://www.complex.com/style/2013/05/29-things-you-
didnt-know-about-punk-style/zandra-rhodes (Accessed 2/3/2017)
Figure 20: X-Static Productions’ rave poster, ‘The World Is Our Oyster’
in 1992.
n.d. Rave Flyers, Loft Sites, n.d. (Online)
Available at:
http://www.loftsites.co.uk/old_school_rave/flyers/rave_flyers.html

iii
Introduction
Punk was a movement that developed at a time of high unemployment that did
everything it could to shock the public with its disruptive boldness, rejecting popular
culture for hostile music and DIY fashion. This dissertation will investigate the
definition of Punk, and the best way to define the movement. It will examine Punk as
a subculture, looking into its fashion and graphic language, exploring why it was short
lived, and what it left behind.
The first chapter will explore the difficulties that arise when trying to define Punk,
looking at various definitions, discussing their contradictions and vagueness. The
lack of firm definition of Punk will be explored through its roots as Punk arose without
any strong inspiration, yet as a reaction to the conditions it surfaced from, often
considered as a movement that stood for nothing.
With Punk being somewhat indefinable, it can be discussed in both negative and
positive lights. The chapter will explore a brief history of the conditions of the 1970s
in which punk first arose, and its rebellion against these circumstances. Punk’s
reaction to these conditions will be observed, as the movement responded with both
forward looking and anarchic attitudes. The positive aspects of Punk will also be
discussed, with reference to its D.I.Y ethic, giving a voice to the working class youth.
Punk’s music genre will be examined as it provided the youth with an easy and
alternative way to voice their opinions and ideologies, also recognised for its intimacy
with fans as it rebelled against from the remoteness of popular bands with Led
Zeppelin and Pink Floyd as examples.
Despite Punk being particularly difficult to pinpoint, the origins of Punk in both social
and political nature, can widely be agreed upon. Often Punk has been described as a
subculture, which is arguably the best way to discuss various aspects of Punk itself.
The second chapter will start by discussing subcultures as a collective, showing

examples of Punk’s predecessors and their characteristics, observing their collective
1
attempts to resolve current issues of the times they arise. The visual language of
subcultures will be inspected, as it is arguably the most commonly important aspect
of subcultures as a whole. Following this Punk will then be explored as a subculture,
observing the movement’s teen angst against the society it arose within, responding
with strong visuals that perfectly express why Punk should be considered as a
subculture. This strong-shared visual language is important within Punk as it reflects
the raw nature of the movement.
The chapter will then investigate the graphic language of punk, looking at the record
covers, Zines and fashions that Punk put into the world through its sound D.I.Y ethic.
This ethic will be explored, considering the need for a D.I.Y culture and its effects
within the Punk movement. The record covers will be depicted, considering the visual
style of the pieces, with examples from Jamie Reid and Linder Sterling. The raw
visual style used in the records is one that can be compared to that of Dadaism
through its choice of collage to rebel against capitalist forces. The underground press
will be discussed as Zines represent a prime example of Punk giving its members a
platform in which to speak out and express likeminded opinions. Using low cost
materials and methods, Zines offer an accessible way to revolt against the
mainstream without backlash from the establishment. Finally the chapter will discuss
Punk fashion and its constant attempts to protest against authorities with an unusual
style, set out to shock the nation.
The third chapter will explore the end of the Punk era, taking into account how Punk
lacked a set agenda and how this could have impacted the continuity of Punk.
Reflecting on the movement, the chapter later discusses the D.I.Y legacy that Punk
left behind. Although the visual language and other aspects of Punk were left in the
1970s, the D.I.Y ethic has lived throughout many decades after the “death” of punk.
This can be seen in examples of rave culture, with heavy D.I.Y roots within its music
posters leading through into the digital age. The D.I.Y legacy that Punk left behind
has shown an insurgence within the digital era, as accessible technology means the
general public have a platform in which to speak out as Punks originally set out to do.
2
Chapter One: Can We Define Punk?
Contradictory Movement
Punk came into being in the mid 1970’s, rejecting all that came before it, representing
the working class youth’s angst through the movement’s ‘anarchic, nihilistic and
deliberately confrontational’1 attitude, aggressive music, and erratic fashion. Although
arguably a staple movement within the 70’s, Punk itself proves impossible to define,
with attempts seen as a ‘perennial endeavour that leads to endless frustration’2.
Many attempts at pinpointing Punk over the years have shown to be inconsistent,
vague and contradictory. Punk’s ever changing boundaries and debatable origin
makes Punk indefinable as Hebdige states ‘perhaps there is no single means of
explaining the phenomenon that was Punk at its best’3.
Although finding the definitive meaning of Punk is unachievable, due to its ambiguous
nature there are many responses to the movement in both a negative and positive
light. Punk can often be viewed as destructive through its fluctuating confines and
rejection of mainstream culture, yet favoured for its close-knit community and DIY
aspects. This chapter will discuss both the positive and negative aspects of the
movement and the best way in which to discuss the movement as a whole.
Punk as a Negative Movement
As mentioned previously, Punk has often been portrayed within a negative light, as
Home simply states ‘It was empty, shallow and trivial’4. Punk ‘rejected the decadent,
elaborate nature of music, fashion and the visual arts in favour of the disposable and

1 Stephen Colegrave and Chris Sullivan, Punk: A Life Apart (London: Cassell Illustrated,
2004). P.18
2 Paul Hiebert, ‘What Is Punk?’, Flavorwire, 2010, (Online)
Available at: http://flavorwire.com/99393/what-is-punk-25-definitions-from-people-who-
should-know. (Accessed 13/11/2016)
3 Hebdige, Subculture: The Meaning Of Style (London: Methuan, 1979). P.17
4 Stewart Home, Cranked Up Really High (Hove: Codex, 1995). P.20
3
shocking’5, often providing an antagonistic reflection on its surrounds, to understand
Punk’s spurn on society, the conditions in which Punk arose must first be discussed.
The beginning of the 1970s saw changing times for public attitudes, due to a shift in
the political landscape. The newly elected Conservative Government came into
power, bringing with them ‘strikes, power cuts and the three-day week to conserve
energy’6 resulting in what was described as a ‘decade of industrial unrest’.7 1973 saw
oil prices double that ‘exacerbated economic inequalities’8 and flung the country into
recession. This later caused ‘one of the biggest teenage unemployment rates since
before the war’9, leaving Britain’s youth ‘hopelessly trapped’10 with an ‘overwhelming
sense of collapse.’11
It was this ‘era of grey grey grey’12 that the UK created that encouraged the working
class youth to respond with ‘frustration and rebellion through sarcasm, cynicism and
rupture.’13 Punk has often been discussed as the ‘working-class youth’s attempt to
deal with status problems caused by the ‘middle-class measuring rod’14, in an
attempt to move forward and away from the political and economical roots that it
arose from. The way in which Punk responded to the conditions it arose from is
somewhat contradictory as it has often been discussed as both ‘nihilistic and forward-
looking’15, in the sense that the members were discontented with society at the time,
yet ‘wasn’t offering a solution’16. With ‘no set agenda’17, Punk did very little other than

5 Ambrose and Harris, The Fundamentals Of Publishing (London: AVA Publishing, 2006).
P.46
6 Tarrant, Rebel Rebel (London: Pyramid Books, 1991). P.128
7 Ibid. P.118
8 Sladen and Yedgar, Panic Attack: Art in the Punk Years (London: Merrell Publishers,
2007). P.11
9 Brake, Youth Culture and Youth Subcultures (London: Routledge, 1985). P.81
10 Poulsen, ’77, The Year of Punk & New Wave (London: Helter Skelter, 2005). P.13
11 Sladen and Yedgar, Panic Attack: Art in the Punk Years. (London: Merrell Publishers,
2007). P.145
12 Poulsen, ’77, The Year of Punk & New Wave. (London: Helter Skelter, 2005). P.13
13 Aynsley, Pioneers of Modern Graphic Design: A Complete History (London: Octopus
Publishing Ltd, 2004). P.198

14 Brake, Comparative Youth Culture (London: Routledge, 1985). P.8
15 Bestley and Ogg, The Art of Punk (London: Omnibus Press, 2012). P.6
16 Home, Cranked Up Really High. (Hove: Codex, 1995). P.24
4
cause a disturbance within mainstream culture, ‘signifying nothing’18.
Punk as a Positive Movement
Whilst often viewed as a negative movement due to the way in which Punk
responded to the circumstances in which it occurred from. Punk also provides many
positive aspects, which Punk is widely remembered for, such as their strong music
roots, DIY ideology and sense of community.
One of the most significant aspects of Punk is their do-it-yourself philosophy. This
ideology allowed the working class youth to become part of something bigger,
opening up a world of possibilities previously unavailable to them due to low income.
With this new philosophy, Punk set out to tear apart ‘consumer goods, royalty, and
sociability’19 looking to destroy the ‘idols of the bourgeoisie’20. Becoming a catalyst for
the views of an ignored demographic of the working class youth that felt voiceless to
their circumstance. Punk provided such a platform by giving the working class an
opportunity to express themselves through any means imaginable, with the likes of
confrontational fashion, aggressive music, and home made Zines as available
options.
Punk music is a huge part of the movement and has commonly been portrayed in a
derogative way due to its aggression and destructive aspects yet it can equally be
seen in a positive light as it is portrayed as easy and accessible to people of any
class, shown in Sideburns Zine (Figure 1), displaying three chord diagrams along
with ‘This is a chord. This is another. This is a third. Now form a band’21, showing it

17 Sabin, Punk Rock: So What? (London: Routledge, 1999). P.2
18 Home, Cranked Up Really High. (Hove: Codex, 1995). P.20
19 n.a., ‘1970s Punk Youth Culture and Fashion Look Book’, n.d., (Online)
Available at: http://buddhajeans.com/2013/06/21/1970s-punk-youth-culture-and-fashion-look-
book/. (Accessed 4/3/2017)
20 Ibid.
21 n.a., ‘Punk FanZines’, The British Library, n.d., (Online)
Available at:
http://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/21cc/counterculture/doityourself/punkfanZines/punkfanZi
nes.html. (Accessed 6/2/2017)
5

Figure 1: ‘This is a Chord’, from Sideburns first issue in 1977.
could be recreated by anyone with a guitar. With its minimalistic approach Poulsen
describes as ‘plain wildfire back-to-basics, stripped-down rock and roll’22, Punk
rejected many aspects of mainstream music, with a main example being the
virtuosity and skill of mainstream poplar bands of the time, such as the likes of Pink
Floyd and Led Zeppelin, with no need to be musically talented like Jimmy Page,
replacing detailed and practiced riffs with straightforward and in your face distortion
and simplistic chords, making the music ‘uniformly basic and directly in its appeal’23.
The topics of Punk songs were often anti-establishment, confrontational and
provocative, tackling the present issues the working class youth faced at the time
‘addressing the current problems of society’24.
Directly aiming to offend and distress, Punk music became ‘everything that
mainstream was not’25, emerging as ‘an angry noise in the centre of white pop
music’26. Mainstream bands of the 1970s were often ‘disengaged from the mundane
concerns of everyday life and adolescence’27, more concerned with unusual themes
such as Witchcraft, spirituality and fantasy worlds, as Led Zeppelin’s ‘The Rune’s
album shows for example many references to J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the
Rings trilogy, which can be seen in the song Ramble On when Robert Plant sings 'T
was in the darkest depths of Mordor’.
This was met with the reaction of Punk music that was highly concerned with the
‘dispossessed and the economically downtrodden’28 to declare their views on matters
such as culture and politics becoming ‘impenetrably tangled in ideologies’29.

22 Poulsen, ’77, The Year of Punk & New Wave. (London: Helter Skelter, 2005). P. 20
23 Hebdige, Subculture: The Meaning Of Style. (London: Methuan, 1979). P.109
24 Poulsen, ’77, The Year of Punk & New Wave. (London: Methuan, 1979). P.371
25 Chouiniere, ‘Punk Music: Definition, History & Bands’, Study, n.d., (Online)
Available at: http://study.com/academy/lesson/punk-music-definition-history-bands.html.
(Accessed 6/2/2017)
26 Chambers, Popular Culture: The Metropolitan Experience (London: Methuen & Co Ltd,
1986). P.172
28 Melder, ‘This Is a Chord. This Is Another. This Is a Third. Now Form a Band.’, Wordpress,
2014, (Online)
Available at: https://antmelder.wordpress.com/2014/06/22/this-is-a-chord-heres-another-now-
form-a-band/. (Accessed 13/4/2017)
6
The disengagement of mainstream music within the 1970s cannot only be seen
through the music itself but also the attitudes of the bands. Mainstream bands show
a complete remoteness from their fans in every aspect, often playing to crowds of
thousands of people, hugely detached from its audience, appearing to be a huge
distance from their fans (Figure 2). Punk music arose to fight against the ‘widening
gap between artist and audience’30 created by mainstream bands and their spectacle
shows. Punk responded with an underground culture in which the bands were
approachable, as the likes of Crass performing at Erics Club in Liverpool, seen
inches away from fans, approachable on every level.
The strong musical aspect of the Punk movement is not the only positive aspect to be
thought of when considering Punk within the 1970s. The movement provided a
‘critical space’31 outside of the mainstream culture in which the working class youth
could come together to counteract the ‘ideo-media’32 surrounding them in the 1970s.
Punk brought people together in a new ‘network of relationships’33 tied together with
their anti establishment ideologies that were formed due to the conditions that were
present at the time, much as many subcultures did before the rise of Punk.
Punk offered the working class the potential to ‘express their own creativity’34 through
the strong D.I.Y roots the movement adopted (see chapter two), with a found
freedom within fashion and visual languages that wasn’t socially acceptable within
mainstream culture. The visual aspect of Punk is the most recognisable feature of the
movement, with its rough and ragged design style, the style can be seen in the
graphic language of Punk, through its Zines, posters, fashions and other artefacts.
The shared values and beliefs of the working class fit perfectly into the factors, which

29 White, ‘Why a History of Punk Rock Matters’, Huffington Post, 2012, (Online)
Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/josh-white/punk-rock-history_b_1103667.html.
31 Ibid. P.111
32 Ibid.
33 Savage, England’s Dreaming (London: Faber and Faber, 1992). P.3
2007). P.197
7
Figure 2: Pink Floyd on-stage at Wembley in 1974.
make a subculture, as ‘a consciousness of class-based politics’35 is seen within many
subcultures, as Hippies for example, arose as a direct rebellion against the
conditions it arose in, as did Punk. Whilst Punk many be extremely hard to define, the
best way to discuss Punk would be in the form of a subculture, due to its extremely
prominent shared visual language, ideologies and sense of community.

35 Ibid. P.48
8
Chapter Two: Punk as a Subculture
What is a Subculture?
Subcultures have ‘long played a significant role’36 in society, coming to light in the
20th century. Early subcultures simply represented an informal group of persons with
the same viewpoints or interests, and in later years the term came to represent a
group with beliefs and attitudes that differ from mainstream society. Subcultures
represent ‘an interference in the ordinary sequence’37 as although they often come
into existence with no advanced planning, they often spontaneously ‘arise as
attempts to resolve collectively experienced problems arising from contradictions in
the social structure’38. More often than not, it is political and social issues that
subcultures form to resist. Some subcultures are ‘largely working class’39 such as
skinheads, meaning that they are specifically disturbed by the inequalities of the
capitalist system, which raises their need for change, forming subcultures as
‘solutions to economic contradictions’40.
Although often reflective of political and economic contradictions, subcultures

represent a definite identity shown through a shared visual language. This can be
seen through many subcultures, usually in the form of shared fashions usually
alienated by mainstream culture, for example the likes of hippies with their ‘brightly
coloured, ragged clothes, tie-dyed t-shirts, beads and sandals’41(Figure 3), which
would easily be recognisable from the subculture today. Subcultures often redefine
objects of the current times by using them in a new light, taking the original
association of the objects away, but replacing them with a new meaning, as Merrell
states

36 Sklar, Punk Style (London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013). P.2
38 Brake, Youth Culture and Youth Subcultures. (London: Routledge, 1985). P.12
39 Muggleton, Inside Subculture (New York: Berg, 2000). P.12
40 Ibid.
41 Bhaddock, ‘The Hippies Counter Culture Movement’, Mortal Journey, 2011, (Online)
Available at: http://www.mortaljourney.com/2011/03/1960-trends/hippie-counter-culture-

movement. (Accessed 9/1/2016)
9
Figure 3: An example of Hippy fashion in the 1960s.
‘Youth cultures, such as mods and skinheads, embraced class-based
clothing, embellishing or ‘pimping’ them up (jeans, Doc Martens, braces
etc.). Hippies embraced the casual work attire of the all-American
workforce (Levi jeans) and mixed it with the informal, workaday
garments from both east and west. By making the clothing more open,
less rigidly hierarchical, more openly democratic and universal, the
rhetoric became one of the openness: emancipation through fashion.’42
Shared visual language is the most important aspect of a subculture, as it allows

them to be identifiable and recognisable against mainstream culture. The visual style
often reflects the beliefs of the members, often reflecting the issues arising at the
time, such as Teddy Boys wearing drape jackets (Figure 4), showing off their new
found disposable income. This shared visual language becomes important within
subcultures as it allows its members to express their principles forming a connection
within their community, reinforced with shared styles that reflect their ideologies and
unites the members within the joined beliefs.
Punk as a Subculture
Despite following an abundance of previous subcultures that attempted to ‘resolve

collectively experienced problems arising from contradictions in the social
structure’43, Punk exemplified ‘most clearly the subcultural uses of these anarchic
modes’44. Arising as a ‘direct confrontation to the remnants of the hippie
movement’45, as their viewpoints of ‘peace and love philosophy’46 gave Punks
‘something to rebel and something to hate’47 as they ‘aggressively refused all

2007). P.48
43 Brake, Youth Culture and Youth Subcultures. (London: Routledge, 1985). P. vii
45 Raposo, ‘Never Trust A Hippie’ (University of the Arts London, 2011), (Online)
Available at:
https://www.academia.edu/1157767/Never_Trust_a_Hippie_The_Representation_of_Extrem
e_Politics_in_Punk_Music_Graphics_and_the_Influences_of_Protest_and_Propaganda_Tra
ditions. (Accessed 24/11/2015)
46 Colegrave and Sullivan, Punk: A Life Apart. (London: Cassell Illustrated, 2004). P. 14
47 Ibid.
10
Figure 4: Edwardian Teddy Boys wearing Drape Jackets.
previous subcultures’48, leaving behind the sixties ‘Summer of Love ethos’49 for
Punks ‘iconography of disrespect’50.
Timing is what makes Punk unique from any subculture that came before it, for if at
any other time period, Punk simply wouldn’t have existed, as it arose from as a
backlash to the present society at the time. Punk came together as a subculture to
reject the mainstream in every aspect imaginable with pure teen angst, using its
visual aspects to propel its ideologies to the forefront of society, projecting its core
messages through the likes of fashion, Zines, and Punk music’s visual
representations. Through the underground press is where the subculture made its
biggest mark, responding to mass production with raw print based media, which
represented everything that bulk fabrication, was not.
Observing Punk as a subculture clearly shows the importance of the visuals it

displayed as they relied heavily on visual means, such as any subculture before
them. Punk displayed strong raw visual portrayal of its ideologies with the use of
fashion, publication, and music design, which will be discussed further in the next
section.
The Graphic Language of Punk
With Punk occupying its ‘own unique space’51 as a newly recognised identity came
‘new forms of graphical expression’52, rejecting ‘the decadent, elaborate nature of

48 Raposo, ‘Never Trust A Hippie.’ (University of the Arts London, 2011), (Online)
Available At:
https://www.academia.edu/1157767/Never_Trust_a_Hippie_The_Representation_of_Extrem
e_Politics_in_Punk_Music_Graphics_and_the_Influences_of_Protest_and_Propaganda_Tra
ditions (Accessed 24/11/2015)
49 Lister, ‘Anarchy in the UK: A Brief History of Punk Fashion’, Marie Claire, 2015, (Online)
Available at: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/549380/a-brief-history-of-punk-fashion.html.

50 Chambers, Popular Culture: The Metropolitan Experience. (London: Methuen & Co Ltd,
1986). P. 172
51 Bestley and Ogg, The Art of Punk. (London: Omnibus Press, 2012). P.6
11
music, fashion and the visual arts in favour of the disp9osable and shocking’53.
Although there is not just one primary visual aesthetic to define 70s Punk, the
movement’s wide breadth of coverage such as fashion, graphic design, illustration
and publishing, all show Punk’s ‘nihilistic and forward-looking’54 values.
When Punk came into light, it brought with it a very strong do-it-yourself ethic (briefly
referred to in Chapter Two) arguably and ironically stemmed from the counter culture
of the sixties, such as the hippies with their self-dyed attire. DIY expressed the notion
of ‘self organization and contextual expression’55 which was necessary as Duncombe
explains:
‘The ideal of do-it-yourself arose out of necessity within the Punk
movement. While Punk rock became a major – and profitable – musical
movement in England in the 1970s, stateside the recording and
magaZine industries showed little interest. With their eyes on the safe-
money stars of the late sixties and early seventies, and the new dance
music, disco, they didn’t consider Punk as much of a paying
proposition. So if you were a Punk musician and wanted to play to an
audience; you rented out the local VFW hall. If you wanted to make a
record you financed it yourself. And if you wanted to write about your
music you had to put out a Zine.’56
Although Duncombe describes how invaluable Punk’s DIY ideology was within the
music industry, it is not only here that DIY made its mark within Punk culture. The
movement adopted the D.I.Y. culture in every aspect as a rejection of the ‘glossy,
highly produced, celebrity-orientated mainstream of popular culture’57, fitting into the
everyday lives of its members through many different forms. This ethic fit in perfectly
with Punk youth, as they heavily consisted of the working class with ‘low economic

52 Lekach, ‘All Ripped Up: Punk Influences on Graphic Design’, 99 Designs, 2015, (Online)
Available at: http://99designs.com/designer-blog/2014/04/25/ripped-punk-influences-graphic-
design/. (Accessed 20/7/2015)
53 Ambrose and Harris, The Fundamentals Of Publishing. (London: AVA Publishing, 2006).
P. 46
54 Bestley and Ogg, The Art of Punk. (London: Omnibus Press, 2012). P.6
2007). P.197
56 Duncombe, Notes From the Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture
(London: Verso, 1997). P.120

57 Gauntlett, Making Is Connecting (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2011). P.53
12
income’58, choosing the D.I.Y ethos out of practicality, whilst being able to ‘show
autonomy from what was going on in the industry at large’59.
The sense of D.I.Y. within the Punk community is extremely important, as it gives not
only a voice but also a sense of community to the generation that ‘had been made to
feel so culturally isolated’60. The concept represents revolt against the sense of
‘lacking humanity’61 from living in the UK in the 1970s, by providing independence
from ‘dogmatic group thinking of mainstream trends’62 through anti-consumerist
music, fashion, publications and many other aspects.
Record covers are an imperative part of Punk’s DIY image, as they were used to
visually reflect the ‘simple, dirty and aggressive messages’63 that Punk set out to
express through its rough and ready music style (discussed in Chapter One). Punk’s
music and album artwork went hand in hand as they both display substantial DIY
influences in their revolt and attack on consumerist media. The graphic language
used in Punk record artwork is one that is easily recognisable with rough photocopied
collages and deconstructed imagery.
Punks album artwork was often directly reflective of the music itself, created by the
‘innate needs of the culture and the access of its’ members to the requisite
technologies’64. The work regularly consisted of cut up lettering, collage and
photocopied images, strong linked to the Dadaists, thought of as the ‘under-

58 Moran, ‘Punk: The Do-It-Yourself Subculture’, Social Sciences Journal 10, no. 1 (2011): 1–
9. P.6
59 Lekach, ‘All Ripped Up: Punk Influences on Graphic Design.’99 Designs, 2015, (Online)

2007). P.197
61 Sklar, Punk Style. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013). P.105
62 Ibid.
63 Lekach, ‘All Ripped Up: Punk Influences on Graphic Design.’ 99 Designs, 2015, (Online)

64 Lekach, ‘All Ripped Up: Punk Influences on Graphic Design.’
13
recognized predecessors to Punk’65. This likeness between Punk and Dadaism can
be seen when looking at Raoul Hausmann’s 1920 piece The Art Critic (Figure 5) and
The Sex Pistols 1977 single poster for God Save The Queen (Figure 6). The two
show an extreme likeness through the choice of collage, using cut and paste designs
to set them off with an edge of ‘ideological flair’66, as both represent a rebellion
against a capitalist force.
By far the biggest influence on Punks graphic language within the music industry is
Jamie Reid. Reid is best known for the artwork that he made for The Sex Pistols,
serving the band well as he provided a ‘graphic parallel to the songs’67 making the
bands image easily recognisable through Reid’s rugged approach to design. The
most famous of Reid’s designs for The Sex Pistols include their God Save The
Queen single (mentioned previously) and it’s many variations such as the alternative
displaying the Queen with swastikas over her eyes (Figure 7), stating “God save the
Queen, the fascist regime”, with pure intention to shock and disturb the public, by
taking a radical political symbol out of its sordid context, repurposing for
‘revolutionary purposes’68. Though the variations of this artwork all create the desired
effect, the original album cover for God Save The Queen is one of Reid’s most
famous works to this day. The cover depicts a photograph of the Queen from the
Silver Jubilee, in which the Queen has been blindfolded by the title “God Save The
Queen”, alongside being gagged by the bands name, all with the use of ransom-note
lettering. Merrel states that this ingenious use of lettering ‘suggests that the band is
holding up for ransom the values embodied by the Queen’69, displaying obvious
revolt against the conditions of the UK at the time.

65 Ibid.
66 Ibid.
2007). P.193

2007). P.193
14
Figure 5: Raoul Hausmann’s 1920 piece The Art Critic.
Figure 6: Jamie Reid’s poster for The Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save The Queen’
single poster.
Figure 7: The swastika variation of The Sex Pistols’ ‘God Save The Queen’
artwork.
This D.I.Y approach to music visuals rejected every aspect of the mainstream, with
its own methods of creating visual content, far from that of mainstream rock with
Roger Dean’s artwork for Yes album Relayer (Figure 8) as a perfect example of what
Punk was rebelling against. The otherworldly feel and extremely detailed painted
finish of Deans work shows skill that Punks couldn’t begin to create with their low
income and working class background, instead opting for a more D.I.Y approach with
a much rougher feel, reflecting that of its music and ideologies.
With this hostility towards mainstream graphic language, Punk offers a platform in
which the artists could create works without ‘limitations and restrictions’70. Linder
Sterling takes advantage of this lack of authorial restraints, representing
appropriation within her artwork for Buzzcock’s 1977 single Orgasm Addict (Figure 9)
which features ‘images culled from pornography and glossy magaZines’ 71creating a
naked woman whose head is replaced with an iron, along with breasts showing a
‘smiling, toothy, red lipsticked mouth for each nipple’72. Linder’s ‘simplicity and
directness’73 is a perfect portrayal of political subversion and independence from
mainstream ideologies.
Record artwork was not the only printed media that was highly significant within the
Punk movement, commonly influenced by underground music, Zines are a perfect
example of Punks DIY ethic put into play. Describing thrown together publications,
stapled and photocopied, they are often described as Punk’s way of talking ‘to and
for the underground culture’74. They mostly consisted of reviews, interviews and
editorials, which many considered them sole way of ‘disseminating information about
the movement and music itself’75 at the beginning of the movement. The underground

2007). P.11
72 Ibid. P.174
73 Ibid.
74 Duncombe, Notes From the Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture.
(London, Verso, 1997). P.2

75 Triggs, FanZines (London: Thames & Hudson, 2010). P.45
15
Figure 8: Rogen Dean’s elaborate artwork for Yes’ album ‘Relayer’.
Figure 9: Linder Sterling’s artwork for Buzzcocks’ single ‘Orgasm Addict’.
publication method allowed ‘everyday oddballs’76 to speak openly about society and
their views with complete honesty, giving ‘a healthy “fuck you” to sanctioned
authority’77, with the hope to communicate their viewpoints to a community of like
minded people, discussing their ideologies to similar mindsets without backlash from
the establishment.
The platform demonstrations an extremely strong sense of visual language easily

recognizable for its rough style and low budget feel which Hollis describes as ‘anti-
design’78. As Punks were mostly working-class, cost was a huge facet to factor into
the production of the Zines, often meaning that early publications were photocopied
in black and white, with limited numbers available. Next to no regard was shown for
page layout, spelling and grammar, with many only concerned with getting the
content out there in the true Punk fashion.
Sniffing Glue & Other Rock & Roll Habits (Figure 10), frequently shortened to Sniffing
Glue was one of the most popular Punk Zines released in the 70’s. Mark Perry
decided to create the first issue of the Zine in July 1976 as he states in a Dazed
interview, ‘I just felt there was a need to have a magaZine that was devoted to Punk
rock so I had the idea to start my own fanZine’79. Characterised by its amateur vibe,
Perry used a children’s typewriter and marker pens to quickly assemble them within
its run of 50 copies, each embodying the graphic language of Punk with their thrown
together DIY finish.
This thrown together style opened up a door for people to create their own content,
with many bands such as The Sex Pistols with their Zine Anarchy in the UK (Figure
11) using Zines to reach out to fans, widening their audience. Anarchy in the UK was

76 Duncombe, Notes From the Underground: Zines and the Politics of Alternative Culture.
(London, Verso, 1997). P.2
77 Ibid.
78 Richard Hollis, Graphic Design: A Concise History (London: Thames & Hudson, 1994).
P.188
79 Pink, ‘Tracing the Beginnings of the Punk FanZine’, Dazed, 2016, (Online)
Available at: http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/30999/1/mark-perry-tracing-
the-beginnings-of-the-punk-fanZine. (Accessed 13/3/2017)
16
Figure 10: Issue 5 of Mark Perry’s ‘Sniffing Glue & Other Rock & Roll Habits’.
Figure 11: The Sex Pistols’ one-off Zine named ‘Anarchy In The UK’.
a one off designed by Jamie Reid (discussed previously in the chapter) in 1976 to
advertise for The Sex Pistols, using ‘urgent red lettering’80 and Ray Stevenson’s
image of Soo Lucas, Poynor regards it as ‘one of the quintessential images of British
Punk’81. The issue was designed as a broadsheet standing out from other Zines
available, inside it contains little text, yet mainly consist of photos of the band (Figure
12). It was in these next few years that Zines would blow up across the nation, with
many people taking it into their own hands to create Zines, with later examples
showing more artistry and vivid colours such as Chainsaw (Figure 13) first published
in 1977. The popularity of Zines stemmed for many years into the 90s in which it got
a new breath of life in a digital age.
Fashion played a significant role in these values and is arguably the most memorable
aspect of Punks’ visual style. Invading the mid-seventies it did ‘everything it could to
challenge and confront the borders of normality and acceptability of the times’82.
Punks were easily recognizable, with ripped up clothing, black leather jackets and
spiked hair (Figure 14), often adopting a more unusual approach to fashion as
Hebdige explains
Objects borrowed from the most sordid of contexts found a place in the
Punks’ ensembles: lavatory chains were draped in graceful arcs across
chests encased in plastic bin-liners. Safety pins were taken out of their
domestic ‘utility’ context and worn as gruesome ornaments through the
cheek ear or lip. ‘Cheap’ trashy fabrics (PVC, plastic, lurex, etc.) in
vulgar designs (e.g. mock leopard skin) and ‘nasty’ colours, long
discarded by the quality end of fashion industry as obsolete kitsch, were
salvaged by the Punks and turned into garments (fly boy drainpipes,
‘common’ mini-skirts) which offered self-conscious commentaries on
the notions of modernity and taste.83 (Figure 15)
This use of unconventional fashion has often been considered as a ‘taunting

portrayal of pop culture’84 which attacked the ‘uncritical consumption’85 of mass
produced goods through its rejection of mainstream fashion in favour of a DIY

80 Poynor, Oh So Pretty: Punk in Print 1976-80 (London: Phaidon Press, 2016). P.22
81 Ibid.
84 Brake, Comparative Youth Culture. (London: Routledge, 1985). P. 79
85 Ibid.
17
Figure 12: Inside of The Sex Pistols’ Zine, ‘Anarchy In The UK’.
Figure 13: Chainsaw Zine, published in 1977 by “Charlie Chainsaw.
Figure 14: An example of Punk fashion in the 1970s.
Figure 15: Vivienne Westwood and friends displaying unusual Punk fashions.
aesthetic, representing a ‘rebellion against that sense of lacking humanity’86
representing Punks ‘independence from dogmatic group thinking of mainstream
trends’87, simply using anything and everything imaginable to stand out from the dull
mass produced mainstream trends.
Through its clothing style, Punk also took one step further by converted the
‘commodity into the fetish’88 through the presence of ‘safety pins, razor blades and
chains’89 (Figure 16), also including the whole ‘paraphernalia of bondage’90 with
rapist masks and rubber clothing.91 Further attempts incorporating the swastika into
Punk ensembles (Figure 17), removing it from its Nazi context and ‘replaced as a
shock-provoking jewelry’92, bringing with it criticism from ‘left-wing intellectuals for
insufficient political stance, and abused by right-wing groups disappointed by their
sporting of the swastika without espousing its Nazism’93. This extreme use of
commodities was used to jolt the public as Punk’s ‘prime objective’94 was to shock
the nation with its rejection of normality, aiming to simply become an ‘iconography of
disrespect’95, through its forceful and contemporary rejection of the mainstream.
Whilst Punk had strong ideologies, most of which were rebellious against the
mainstream culture, including popular fashion, music and publications, they would not
have been as widely known if not for the visuals the D.I.Y ethic created to display
them. The visual displays that Punk put out into the world have been recognizable
throughout the decades, and will live through many more.

86 Sklar, Punk Style. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013). P. 105
87 Ibid.
2007). P.49
89 Shepherd and Shepherd, 1970s Britain (London: Shire Publications Ltd, 2012). P.46
91 Ibid.
92 Brake, Comparative Youth Culture. (London: Routledge, 1985). P.78
93 Ibid.
95 Chambers, Popular Culture: The Metropolitan Experience. (London: Methuen & Co Ltd,
1986). P172
18
Figure 16: An example of Punk’s use of borrowed objects within fashion.
Figure 17: Punk fashion incorporating the swastika.
Chapter Three: The Legacy of Punk
What Happened to Punk?
Punk was over as fast as it began, fading into nothingness, being adapted into new
directions by the end of 1977. Whilst the movement had many memorable positive
aspects (see Chapter Two), Punk’s nihilistic attitude and rebellion to almost
everything made it hard for the movement to endure, as it couldn’t move forward, as
without a ‘set agenda’96 it had no way to develop without compromise. The
movement was renowned for its rebellion against the politics of the time, Punk was
sure to fade away as towards the end of the 1970s there was no longer any strong
politics for Punks to revolt against, leaving followers of Punk to go in new directions,
leaving the movement behind.
There was no real way for Punk to develop without leaving behind its strong D.I.Y
roots and visual language that had been ‘made safe by the cultural industry’97, this is
apparent through the fall of Punk within the music industry.
The fast paced and repetitive music reflected Punk as a movement entirely, yet there
was only so much the same style could be repeated. The genre ‘burning brightly for a
short time before crashing to the ground in flames’98, adapted into different musical
styles, with more well-known of bands being ‘bought out and renegotiated by
multinational record companies’99, going against everything that Punk originally set
out to rebel against. The Sex Pistols are an example of this as Johnny Rotten moved
onto Public Image Ltd, which provided a new offset from Punk with its much more
complex musicality and heavier sound.
Not only was it the music from the Punk movement that found its way into popular

96 Sabin, Punk Rock: So What? (London: Routledge, 1999). P. 2
97 Gordon, Throwing the Punk Rock Baby Out With the Dirty Bath Water (Nottingham: Do
One Press, 1996). P.11
98 Youngs, ‘A Brief History of Punk’, BBC News, 2002, (Online)
Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/2601493.stm. (Accessed 18/11/2015)
99 Gordon, Throwing the Punk Rock Baby Out With the Dirty Bath Water. (Nottingham: Do
One Press, 1996) P.11
19
culture, but also its visual aesthetics as well. Punks aesthetics slide into
consumerism was surely inevitable as Punk draws many similarities to
advertisements in the way that it has a strong sense of youth rebellion, which
became common within advertising within the 1960’s. This sense of youth rebellion
along with the strong visual language of the movement, Punk became a perfect fit for
advertising within the mainstream culture. Using its disruptive and unruly clothing to
sell its political ideologies, Punk made the movement’s visual language its own
personal advertisement, easily sucked into everything it rebelled against.
Consumerism has used youth rebellion as an advertising tactic since many years
before the uprising of Punk.
Apple’s 1984 Super Bowl commercial uses this tactic of portraying a strong sense of
rebellion to sell its products to a wide audience. Taube describes the advert as
‘classically disruptive’100 , as it showed
A Big Brother figure addresses a room full of drab, bald-headed people
and praises the futuristic society's achievement of the "Unification of
Thoughts." A blond-haired woman in a white T-shirt and bright, orange
shorts then runs into the room, chased by policemen, and throws a
sledgehammer through the screen.101 (Figure 18)
This advert is one of many that uses rebellion as a selling tactic within its brand,
showing how youth revolt, such as that within Punk, can be made culturally safe,
changing anti-establishment aesthetics to work for the mainstream.
Punk’s fashion was no exception of this rapid slide into the conventional through
displaying similarities to mainstream advertising as clothing was soon ‘bought by
mail-order’102, shown when the renowned fashion designer Zandra Rhodes took the
scruffy Punk aesthetic (Figure 19) and put it on the runway, showing generic high
street fashion with safety pins, black jersey, and fabric tears making Punk culturally

100 Taube, ‘How The Greatest Super Bowl Ad Ever - Apple’s “1984” - Almost Didn’t Make It
To Air’, Business Insider, 2014, (Online)
Available at: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-super-bowl-retrospective-2014-1?IR=T.
101 Ibid.
102 Gelder, The Subcultures Reader, Second (London: Routledge, 2005). P.123
20
Figure 18: Apple’s 1984 Super Bowl commercial.
Figure 19: Zandra Rhodes’ runway adaptation of Punk in 1977.
safe, taking away from the DIY nature that Punk explored, neglecting the significance
behind the aesthetics, only posing then as affordable style for ‘young adults
interested in the latest trends’103 with little remaining depth.
It is no surprise that Punk slipped into mainstream society as every aspect of the
movement fit perfectly into what popular culture consists of when stripped back of its
aggressive ideologies. Although the lastingness of Punk was extremely short,
spanning over two short years within its prime, the legacy of Punk can be
remembered through the properties it left behind, cultivating future generations for
many years.
What Did it Leave Behind?
Punk soon disintegrated into the mainstream as the visual language was bought out
by the system, the music was replaced by more intricate styles, with the rest of the
movement fading to black. Although Punk burned out, it left behind a notably strong
D.I.Y legacy that has inspired many over the years since the fall of Punk, as it
remains as relevant today as it did in the 1970s.
The Do-It-Yourself ethic has lived on throughout many years as it has inspired a
creative community to build its own space within society for voices to be heard, taking
control of their environment. This influence can be seen most directly in rave culture,
as it utilised Punk’s D.I.Y principles through creating homemade posters to advertise
the raves with any materials available, X-Static Productions’ 1992 poster for The
World Is Our Oyster (Figure 20), showing a cheaply produced digitally created poster,
reflecting the music of its time, such as Punk did previously.
Rave culture was not the only time that the D.I.Y ethic adopted by Punk has been
influential. Punks’ ethic has seen a huge insurgence since the rise of the digital era,
being as relevant as ever within the everyday lives of the public. With the rise of
digital availability and ease of access to computers, D.I.Y has turned into ‘the basics

103 Sklar, Punk Style. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 2013). P.2
21
Figure 20: X-Static Productions’ rave poster, ‘The World Is Our Oyster’ in
1992.
of design in all genres’104, giving design nobodies a chance of making a voice to be
heard. It is instances such as this that portray that despite desirable visual aesthetics
changing throughout the ages, and Punk itself fading as a result, the core message
of Punk’s D.I.Y ideology remains relevant today, as Poulsen stated ‘Some people
argue that punk is dead, others that it is alive. They are both right’105.

105 Poulsen, '77, The Year of Punk & New Wave. (London: Helter Skelter, 2005). P.370
22
Conclusion
Although Punk was only fully active between the years of 1976 and 1977, it created a
huge footprint within the society it existed within. Arising as a contradiction to the
conditions it arose from, the movement was destined to fall apart as there was no
real forward looking plan Punks set into play. Responding to society with its
abundance of visual language, the movement sent ‘ripples through society’,
challenging everything that the mainstream was.
Despite often being discussed as a negative movement, the opportunities in which

Punk offered its members is invaluable as it provided them with an accessible
platform, a newly created space in which to speak out to like minded individuals,
oppressed by mainstream portrayals of the community. The D.I.Y ethic adopted by
Punk presented an abundance of visual styles created by the movement in a revolt
against mainstream culture and mass production, reflective of the movement’s
ideologies.
With many years passing and Punk itself fading into nothingness, the legacy it left
behind is extremely important, even to this day. Punk unknowingly gave the world a
new aspect on society with its D.I.Y ethic, allowing ordinary members of society to
make a stand and express themselves freely without repercussion. Although the
visuals aspects of Punk were mostly left behind in the 1970s, today the core D.I.Y
ethic behind the movement remains as relevant as ever.
23
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27

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Visual Legacy Of Punk

Figure 1: ‘This is a Chord’, from Sideburns first issue in 1977.

Figure 2: Pink Floyd on-stage at Wembley in 1974.

Figure 3: An example of Hippy fashion in the 1960s.

Figure 4: Edwardian Teddy Boys wearing Drape Jackets.

Figure 5: Raoul Hausmann’s 1920 piece The Art Critic.

Figure 8: Rogen Dean’s elaborate artwork for Yes’ album ‘Relayer’.

Figure 14: An example of Punk fashion in the 1970s.

Figure 15: Vivienne Westwood and friends displaying unusual Punk

Figure 16: An example of Punk’s use of borrowed objects within

Figure 19: Zandra Rhodes’ runway adaptation of Punk in 1977.

The second chapter will start by discussing subcultures as a collective, showing

Punk as a Negative Movement

Publishing Ltd, 2004). P.198

Punk as a Positive Movement

Although often reflective of political and economic contradictions, subcultures

Available at: http://www.mortaljourney.com/2011/03/1960-trends/hippie-counter-culture-

Shared visual language is the most important aspect of a subculture, as it allows

Despite following an abundance of previous subcultures that attempted to ‘resolve

Observing Punk as a subculture clearly shows the importance of the visuals it

The Graphic Language of Punk

Available at: http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/blogs/549380/a-brief-history-of-punk-fashion.html.

(London: Verso, 1997). P.120

Available at: http://99designs.com/designer-blog/2014/04/25/ripped-punk-influences-graphic-

Available at: http://99designs.com/designer-blog/2014/04/25/ripped-punk-influences-graphic-

Available at: http://99designs.com/designer-blog/2014/04/25/ripped-punk-influences-graphic-

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The platform demonstrations an extremely strong sense of visual language easily

This use of unconventional fashion has often been considered as a ‘taunting

What Happened to Punk?

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What Did it Leave Behind?

Despite often being discussed as a negative movement, the opportunities in which

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