WMC celebrates the creative space where visual art and music intersects. We can’t attend WMC Fest this year, so we invited Dribbbling WMCFesters Finley, Brandon Rike, Caroline Moore and Jon Contino to discuss employing a visual medium to express an audible art. If you missed past posts, click and read about WMC Fest and Jeff Finley’s work for his band Campfire Conspiracy.
By Brandon Rike
Designer • @brandonrike on Twitter
I’ve gotten the opportunity to design merchandise graphics for countless bands and artists throughout my career. Every day, there is a new name that comes through the inbox, and the chance to create art that can be used as an identifier for the artist. I’m especially excited when a project comes through for a band that I find myself listening to often.
As a fan of [Mumford & Sons’] music, their songs alone can inspire visuals that I would associate with the band. Thus, I began the task of creating a large batch of graphics intended for merchandise.
After the initial pitch, the standout piece was the “Pistols” design that I had created. The design sold very well, and it was a joy to attend their concert, seeing loads of people wearing the tee around the event. The band liked the graphic so much, that they decided to also use the design for a series of lithographs that would commemorate the various concerts on an upcoming tour. I revised the design with several colorways and city names, each for the event’s respective locations.
All in all, it was an interest in the band, as well as an insight into the simplicity and tone that the band creates with their music and culture.
The idea that music can conjure up colors also rings true with imagery altogether. I often associate imagery and color with any music that I listen to. Many bands sound blue, others orange, or tan. It’s these observations that allow me to continue coming up with ideas for merchandise for every band that comes through my inbox. My only hope is that the ideas keep coming!
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