Gripe I just can't get over: 'Corporate Memphis' as a name for that annoying 'Exaggerated Proportions Tech People' style doesn't make sense.
First of all, 'Corporate Memphis' was already a thing, in the 1980s.
The Memphis Group, a small collective in Italy, burst onto the scene in 1981 with their wonderfully wild patterns, furniture, and interiors. With anything exciting, it was imitated endlessly once arriving.
Designers literally copied Memphis Group, eg. this example of the 'Prisma Collection' by Milo Baughman' from the mid 80s. Additionally, it was used in corp. interiors like this one for Quatre Plus (1994).
Thread: Back in 2019, found that the Seattle library has a huge archive of HOW Magazine, which covered graphic design back in the 90s. It's a great insight into how varied the design landscape was at the time.
The works below are by Studio MD, one of my all-time favorite firms.
One issue in 1993 covered the interiors of various graphic designers' offices; my favorite being this very vibrant Memphis-inspired look for Vaughn Wedeen Creative in Albuquerque, NM.
Whimsical & questionable 'tribal' motifs make an appearance, as the 'Global Village Coffeehouse' aesthetic was omnipresent in the early 1990s. Some articles from the time do specifically discuss that it may have been a reaction against the (then) new emergence of digital design.
In 1994, inspired by the theme restaurant boom, Steven Spielberg & Jeffrey Katzenberg founded 'Dive!', an undersea-submarine themed restaurant. (3) locations were opened in LA (Century City), Las Vegas, and Barcelona, with all closing by 1999. (1/X)
A fully-curated experience, upon entering through the 'hatch door' entry, guests are greeted by a uniform-clad 'sailor', guiding them to their seats; adjacent to either a porthole window with underwater aquarium or view of the massive multi-screen virtual 'sea window'. (2/X)
I'm particularly impressed by the Las Vegas location's exterior, creating the impression of 'ship bursting through the sea' using various architectural techniques at their disposal; along with the attention to detail in the interior environments.