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This article is part of a series on the history of graphic design and social activism in California from "Artbound." Produced in partnership with Hyperallergic.
California's culture and art movements have long enjoyed a unique freedom from East Coast and European dogmas. This manifests itself in social, creative and aesthetic realms characterized by experimentation, openness and independence. Graphic design is a key element of defining this California way of life, from the clean, unencumbered lines of mid-century modernism to the flamboyant psychedelia of counterculture posters and publications, and the post-modern graphics of the 1980s and '90s. "A mecca of consumerism, it is also a place of great creativity, freedom and social consciousness, where the status quo undergoes constant renovation," writes Louise Sandhaus in "Earthquakes, Mudslides, Fires & Riots: California and Graphic Design, 1936-1986." "Without solid ground, tradition lacks secure footing; old rules go out the door and new motivations rush in, resulting in new and vibrant forms."