They mention how MTV helped distribute the Memphis aesthetic to a mass market, but a glaring omission in the Vox piece was the other guy who distributed the Memphis aesthetic to a mass market:
Micheal Mann. For those who don’t immediately recognize the reference, his vehicle for this aesthetic was
check out the Memphis (or look-alike, at least) chair behind Phil Collins, here:
I’d say that Mann was not drawing solely on Memphis, anything Po-Mo was fair game and he and his design team probably had a lot of original ideas, too. But if they’re going to mention MTV (because they were first, OK, yes) I think not mentioning Miami Vice is an oversight. Leaving aside the influence of Memphis, I’d say MV was responsible for the promulgation of 80s design archetypes in its own right. If MV had a specific contribution, I’d say clothing. Not sure if the styles were original or borrowed, but everybody started dressing that way because of the show.
After Memphis, MTV, and Miami Vice’s influence became the norm, even kids could get in on the act:
I note with some embarrassment that the last one was mine
