Welcome to Scarfolk.

This is a fictional English town somewhere in the north west. Or is it the south east? Who knows.

It was created by writer and designer Richard Littler and first appeared in a fake blog which supposedly featured items from the archives of the fictional Scarfolk Council.

Things like public information literature, out-of-print books, TV programme screenshots, record and cassette sleeves, advertisements, household products and children’s toys, reflecting brands and imagery from the period.

But this isn’t an ordinary town. In sleepy Scarfolk, pagan rituals blend seamlessly with science. The holiday resort nearby is called Lavaland. Hauntology is a compulsory subject at school, and everyone must be in bed by 8pm because they are perpetually running a slight fever. As one of the the posters says:

Visit Scarfolk today.

Our number one priority is keeping rabies at bay.

For more information, please reread.

Forever stuck in an infinite 1970s time loop, Scarfolk is a satire not only on that decade but also on contemporary events. The archive items touch on totalitarianism, school and childhood, suburban life, politics, occultism and religion, as well as attitudes to racism and sexism at the time.

Richard Littler has said that Scarfolk was born out of growing up in the 70s, and has a variety of influences including George Orwell, Monty Python and The League of Gentlemen, satirist Chris Morris, and the work of cartoonists Gerald Scarfe and Ralph Steadman.

It’s also inspired by public information films and posters issued by the Central Office of Information and British Transport Films during the 1970s.

Films like this. And this. Now you understand.

If you actually want to see some more, you can visit Scarfolk here.

Why do I like it? Good question. The art direction is great. The imagery is consistently strong. The headlines and copy are all spot on. It’s all quite edgy, unsettling and thought provoking.

And it’s certainly not safe, something which can be said of much of the best creative work.

Oh, and it reminds of the undercurrent of weirdness that was there in the 70s.

Enjoy?

And below is the original Pepsi press ad from 1974, which was part of a campaign which also featured a series of TV spots.

And below is the original poster which was run by the Conservative Party in 1978 in anticipation that Labour Party Prime Minister, James Callaghan would call a general election. It was revived for the general election campaign the next year, after the government lost a vote of no confidence in the wake of the Winter of Discontent. It was created by Saatchi & Saatchi.