Darian, a designer originally from Massachusetts, collects matchbooks from gay bars, highlighting their intricate designs and the unique subcultures they represent. He discovered these treasures while designing a t-shirt and became fascinated by the variety and creativity found in the matchbook imagery. Darian's collection reveals how these objects offer insight into community identities, contrasting them with today's mass-market designs. He emphasizes that these matchbooks capture the essence of queer spaces, serving as tangible connections to a thriving culture that celebrated diversity through vibrant, personalized design.
I wanted people to have to get up close to the book and rotate it around to see some of the finer details, to really get cozy with it.
You can tell through the design that people really knew their community... So much design right now feels mass market, especially when it comes to the gay community.
These matchbooks reflect a time when queer spaces had their own distinct identities - designed by and for the people who gathered there.
Many of them feature what you'd expect to see, buff men in various degrees of undress... They get really fun when they stray from that.
Collection
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