Gig Posters By Valentina Sisti & John Sosa

What is

a Gig Poster

anyways?

In case you didn’t know...

Gig (noun)Slang for a job or booking, used especially for the temporary engagements of an entertainer

Pos·ter (noun)A bill or placard for posting often in a public place

When you think of a gig poster, something like this may come to your mind...

WRONG!

• Authentic gig posters do not just consist of printed pictures and event information

• They are handmade by skilled artists and designers

Poster by Kevin Tong for The Black Keys, 2010

VS

• Gig posters are not only created to promote concerts, events, or musicians, they are seen as pieces of art

Poster by Jermaine Rogers for Radiohead, 2008 Poster by Powerslide Design Co. for Simian Mobile Disco, 2010

• The gig poster scene is considered underground

• However, fans are part of a large, tight knit community of art and music lovers

• Some designers are in such high demand that their posters will literally sell out in seconds

Who

uses Gig

Posters?

• Usually authentic gig posters are created for indie, alternative, punk, or rock bands/artists

• Why? Designers are inspired by musicians with interesting and unique sounds

Indie Music• ‘Indie’ is short for independent • Independent musicians are unsigned

• They create their own music without the major influence of a record company

• This allows for free expression, authentic/raw sounds, and innovative lyrics

Some More Examples...

• Designers do not typically design for ‘pop’ or mainstream bands/artists

• Why? Mainstream music is usually made up of manufactured or generic sounds that are not particularly moving, or thought-provoking

Pop Music• ‘Pop’ is short form for popular

• Popular artists are the kind you would hear on the radio

• Pop artists are usually signed with a major record company• Artists are often pressured from these labels to

create mainstream music in order to increase revenue

• This limits their creativity and originality

Song #1 Song #2

What’s the Difference?

Pop Vs. Indie

One Time - Justin Bieber Cousins - Vampire Weekend

POP INDIE

• Generic Sounds • Innovative Sounds

• Synthesizer Used • Instruments Used

• Repetition • Variety

• Trivial lyrics • Meaningful lyrics

• A song you would dance to • A song you would listen to

VSPOP INDIE

• Generic • Innovative

• Computerized • Handmade

• Repetitive Themes • Variety

• Trivial • Meaningful

Some examples of indie musicians that artist like to design for are...

Poster by Garrett Karol for Andrew Bird, 2009 Poster by Lure Designs for Death Cab for Cutie, 2006

How are

Gig

Posters

used?

The band Tegan & Sara is coming to perform in Toronto

Imagine...

They are looking for an artist to design their posters

• The major poster designers are not available so they decide to search for a local Toronto artist

• They may search for designers on websites like gigposters.com, an online community and forum for gig poster fans and artists

• Usually the band and the artist will come up with a way of splitting or sharing the revenue

How are

Gig

Posters

made?

Most gig posters are made by using a technique called silk-screening

Step 1A gauze sheet is attached to a rigid frame

Step 2A non-permeable film is applied to the negative space

of the image being depicted. For example:

The film is used to stop the ink from passing through the film and onto the paper

Step 3The new image is created by pressing ink onto the

exposed areas (like a stencil)

A. InkB. SqueegeeC. Negative Image

D. Gauze ScreenE. Rigid FrameF. Real Image

Here’s an example...

History

When did posters

originate?

• Posters were being mass produced ever since the 1800s

• They were first used for public announcements

• They later became means of advertizing for events such as operas, shows and symphonies

By Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec for Moulin Rouge, 1891 Unknown Date and Artist

• During the two world wars, propaganda posters were used by the government to influence, persuade and ‘inform’ the general public

By James Montgomery Flagg, 1916 By J. Howard Miller, 1942

• Today posters are still used as means of propaganda, advertizing, education, and decoration

What about the history of

Gig Posters?

Until the mid 1960s concert posters were…

• Solely functional • there only job was to

inform people about the event

• Simple and unimaginative

• Made up of mainly text, little graphics

• Produced as cheaply as possible

• Business, not design

• Today, posters like these are highly sought after because they mark the early careers of famous bands

Sold for 17,480£

in 1996

PsychedeLia

Mid 60s - Early 70s

The Psychedelic Era• The psychedelic era started in the mid 60s• It refers to the time of social, musical, and

artistic change influenced by psychedelic drugs

Psychedelic drug use encouraged...

• Unity • The breaking down of boundaries • The heightening of political awareness• Empathy with others• The questioning of authority (counter-culture)• An escape from reality

Counter-Culture

• Going against popular culture and society

• ‘Hippies’ rebelled against consumerism and institutional violence

• They encouraged others to think beyond society’s boundaries and to reject conformity

Counter-Culture

• ‘Nowhere Man’ by The Beatles was directed against general conformity

“Doesn't have a point of view; knows not where he’s going to”

“He’s as blind as he can be; just sees what he wants to see”

“Isn’t he a bit like you and me?”

Influence on Music • Popular bands like The Beatles, The Grateful Dead, Jimmy

Hendrix, Jefferson Airplane, and Pink Floyd experimented with psychedelic sounds and lyrics

The Beatles, ‘Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band’ 1967

• Their songs captured the concept of ‘an escape from reality’

• Instrumentation was surreal and whimsical

• ‘Feedback’ (imperfections in the sound quality) was purposely as a wakeup signal to jar the listeners expectations

• Against conventional sounds (counter-culture again)

The Byrds, ‘Fifth Dimension’ 1966

Influence on Poster Design• The 60s sparked some of the most visually arresting and

innovative poster designs

Poster by Bonnie MacLean for The Doors, 1967Poster by Martin Sharp for Jimi Hendrix, 1968

• Themes included; flower power, free love, hippy lifestyle, and experimentation with mind-altering drugs

Poster by Wes Wilson for Grateful Dead, 1967 Poster by Wes Wilson for Buffalo Springfield, 1967

Poster by Martin Sharp for Bob Dylan, 1967 Poster by Bonnie MacLean for The Who, 1967

• Swirling colours, warped shapes, surreal images and bizarre lettering captured the sensations of being high

Poster by Mouse Studios for Grateful Dead, 1966 Poster by Bob Masse for Pink Floyd, 1966

White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane

• How would you describe the mood of the song?

• How does the poster depict the mood of the song?

Poster by Wes Wilson for Jefferson Airplane, 1967

THE PUNK

ERA1976-1979

The Punk Movement

• Those who described themselves as ‘punk’ in the 70s practiced counter-culture

• How does this gig poster show counter-culture?

Punk Counter-Culture• Punks rebelled against society & popular culture

through their ideologies, music, and fashion

• Individual freedom• Non-conformity• Anti-sexism • Anti- racism

• Anti-homophobia• Animal rights• Direct action• Anti-militarism

Punk Ideologies

Punk Music• Punk rock music reflected punk ideology• Sounds typically consisted of distorted guitars, noisy

drumming, and shouted choruses or slogans

Punk Fashion• Included highly theatrical use of clothing, hairstyles,

cosmetics, tattoos, and jewellery• Fashion for them was used to grab attention, and

outrage others

Vivienne Westwood

• Was an extremely influential fashion designer during the 70s

• Her designs embodied the style and attitude of the punk era

• Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren (managed the Sex Pistols) opened a boutique together called ‘SEX’

• The boutique sold fetish and bondage gear along with punk fashions and accessories

The Silk-Screening Movement

• The silk-screening movement emerged during the punk era

• However, it was popularized in the 1960s by Andy Warhol’s 1962 depiction of actress Marilyn Monroe

‘Marilyn Monroe', 1962

Andy Warhol• Was a leading figure in the pop art movement• Created pop art using the imagery of pop culture

such as newspapers, comics, advertising, and prints

'Campbell's Soup I', 1968 'Atomic Bomb', 1965 'Triple Elvis', 1962

The Silk-Screening Movement

• Was fuelled by a mix of psychedelia and punk rock

• Punk posters were made using silk-screening because it was inexpensive and highly functional

• It created a new, original, and vibrant look

Poster by Austin Roots for The Mentors, 2001

The Silk-Screening Movement

• Silk-screening is still so popular today because it is convenient, versatile, and inexpensive

Poster by Landland for Arcade Fire, 2010

Robert Rauschenberg

• Robert Rauschenberg was very influential in introducing silk-screening to the world

• He created his own innovative style by combining paintings with silk-screened images

• His creations were always creative and vibrant, he rejected angst of seriousness

• He often references pop culture throughout his work• He is described as being an abstract expressionist

• In 2008 he passed away, he had been creating art since the 50s

• His work was extremely innovative, influential, and before its time

• Not only did it expose the world to silk-screening, it showed a modern, new way of using it

• His experimental attitude towards design intrigued and inspired others

Influential Gig Poster Designers

Art Chantry

• Arthur Chantry is a noted poster and logo designer

• He has also created album posters; working with bands like Nirvana, Hole, Pearl Jam, and The Sonics

• He became famous along with the grunge wave in the 1990s

• His iconic style mixes retro, photography, and punk elements

• His work also incorporates a lot of text and graphics

By Art Chantry for Impala, 2003

By Art Chantry for The Fells, 2003 By Art Chantry for Satan’s Pilgrims, 2003

• Every poster that he’s created had been handmade

• His work is so important because it channels the history of gig posters

By Art Chantry for Sleater-kinney ,2002

For Example...

• Chantry advocates a low-tech approach to design that is informed by the punk era

• Punk music purposely incorporated lo-tech sounds to make the music sound edgy, rough, and rebellious

Another example of channelling the mood of the music through design

By Art Chantry for The Makers, 2003By Art Chantry for Maxi Badd, 2003

Emek

• Emek Golan’s posters are very well known amongst the poster community

• His work is described as ‘A Thinking Man’s Poster Art’

Poster by Emek for The 10,000 Lakes Festival, 2007

• Emek draws all of his poster designs by hand

• His style, is known for its attention to detail and layers of meaning

Poster by Emek for Thievery Corporation, 2002

• His style is also heavily influenced by the 60s culture

• His designs incorporate elements of both punk rock and psychedelia

Poster by Emek for Ween, 2005

Poster by Emek for Audioslave, 2005 Poster by Emek for The Distillers, 2004

Poster by Emek for Queens of the Stone Age, 2007 Poster by Emek for Coheed and Cambria, 2006

Patent Pending Industries

• Patent Pending is design company; its main designers are Jeff Kleinsmith and Jesse LeDoux

• Their designs are described as avant-garde (meaning experimental or innovative)

By Patent Pending for the Melvins, 2004 By Patent Pending for Clinic, 2004

• Their posters have a unique and distinct style

By Patent Pending for Modest Mouse, 2004 By Patent Pending for Hella, 2005

By Patent Pending for Atomic, 2004 By Patent Pending for Pedro The Lion, 2003

Methane

Studios

• Methane Studios is made up of Robert Lee and Mark McDevitt

• The two of them create posters using modern techniques such as digital graphic design

• However, they never let their posters look computerized

By Methane Studios for The Black Keys, 2010

• Their goal is to tell a story, convey a message, and provoke thinking through design

• Their art tends to have a vintage influence

By Methane Studios for Andrew Bird, 2009 By Methane Studios for Dave Matthews band, 2007

By Methane Studios for The Meat Puppets, 2007

By Methane Studios for Dave Matthews Bands, 2010

• They have also stated that they are inspired by musicians they design for

By Methane Studios for Band of Horses, 2007 By Methane Studios for The Sea & Cake, 2007

Time to Play

a Game!

• Many other designers draw inspiration from the musicians they design for

• Most will to try capture the mood of band while still maintaining their own artistic style

Lets see if you can match a song to a poster based on the

mood they portray…

SONG 1 SONG 2 SONG 3

SONG 1 SONG 2 SONG 3

By Scott Campbell for Matt and Kim, 2009

By Ryan Nole for Death Cab for Cutie, 2006

By Scott Campbell for Franz Ferdinand, 2009

Aaron Horkey

• Aaron Horkey is an American artist specializing in illustration and graphic design

• Aaron is known for his intricate style of design and close attention to detail

Poster by Aaron Horkey for Arcade Fire, 2010

• His work often collaborates various mediums such as illustration, lettering, line work, screen print, painting

By Aaron Horkey for Genghis Tron, 2008 By Aaron Horkey for Converge, 2010

• Themes of his posters often include fantasy and the supernatural

• He is inspired by rural Midwestern landscapes, he uses images of creatures to tell a story

By Aaron Horkey for Flight of the Conchords, 2010Gift Certificate by Aaron Horkey for Big Brain Comics, 2008

By Aaron Horkey for Converge, 2007By Aaron Horkey for Black Osprey, 2006

Jason Munn

• Jason Munn has been designing gig posters ever since 2002

• His independent design company is called “The Small Stakes”

• Jason Munn is a music lover• His posters have become a fixture in the local

independent music scene

• He started being recognized for his early work designing for the band Death Cab for Cutie

By Jason Munn for Death Cab for Cutie, 2003 By Jason Munn for Death Cab for Cutie, 2004

• Most of Jason’s designs thrive on simplicity• Various shapes and themes are consistent

throughout his work

By Jason Munn for Rilo Kiley, 2004 By Jason Munn for The American Analog Set, 2003

By Jason Munn for Andrew Bird, 2009 By Jason Munn for Andrew Bird, 2003

By Jason Munn for Deerhoof, 2007 By Jason Munn for School of Seven Bells, 2009

By Jason Munn for Paradise Boys, 2006 By Jason Munn for Sonic Youth, 2006

• In our opinion, Jason Munn is so significant because he captures the essence of a band while perfectly maintaining a distinct creative style

The End!