The show flier. The gig poster. Even the tour poster. Designers and musicians seem to like each other, and often designers are also musicians and vice versa. Creating an event poster can be a low-barrier way to practice layouts and help out a friend’s band, it can also be a rewarding and niche design career.
Row 1: Half & Half, Plastic Flower, Thomas Sturm.
The tour poster is unique because it has specific information it must convey like a more commercial project, such as location, line up, date, and time. But from there, it deviates in that it typically involved immense if not total creative freedom in imagery and execution. This is ideal as there is a framework to tame the daunting blank page, but allows for full artistic expression, all the way down to the print method and paper choice.
Row 1: Adriane McCarthy, Mariana Alonso.
While a show poster allows for such creative freedom, it also is most often a product that is intended to be desirable and to sell. It is not only a piece of art that needs to be hang-able, but it is tied to a memory for the attendees and often captures the spirit of the band, venue, or event that it was made to promote.
Row 1: Garrett DeRossett, Megan Chong.
From bold illustration with playful typography, to simple layouts with altered photography, there’s no limit to the possibilities for a show flier or poster. As huge music enthusiasts ourselves, it’s always fun to see the creative process behind the posters for bands we love.
Row 1: Nicholas Moegly, Mika Mäkinen, Lisa Cartrette.
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