I
must say, this is pretty impressive.
Reminiscent of what some refer to
the golden age of rock posters (i.e, Bill Graham's Fillmore days, et
al) with labor-intensive hand-drawn illustrations that comprise the
entire content of the poster and integrating the text with the image
itself, this poster may not be as reactive under the a black light like
those of the past, but it does pull from that classic era.
I will
admit, critically speaking, that for a piece that is borrowing such
nostalgic aesthetic equity, it ought to be tighter in its composition.
Nevertheless, the rough-around-the-edges quality (almost rustic in
nature and style) allows the looseness to live on, from the organic
line-work of the border to the broad curls of the lady in the dress
sewn of cactus flowers. What a great image. Kudos to designer/artist
David Perry's work.
After the jump, an introduction from me, your new Poster of the Week judge, and a few other posters worth honorable mentions this week...
Hey gang, allow me to introduce myself. I'm the guy who does art directs the covers of our dear publication, the Dallas Observer.
It's splendid to be here. It's also splendid to be able to take over
the task of combing though all these creative and unique pieces of art
that you all submit every week for the chance to be selected as DC9's Poster Of The Week.
Just
as before, one (OK, sometimes more than just one) poster will be
painstakingly honored each week, not based on what the band/performer
may be, or what venue the gig is at, but purely based on artistic and
design merit.
There are a basic set of print design
fundamentals that most every graphic designer or art director worth
their salt abides by. These are the same rules that also must be broken
sometimes. I'll be offering up some insight every week as to provide
the reason behind my selection(s), explaining where/how these design
basics are being enforced, and where/why they might be being used in an
especially unique way. There are a lot of talented designers and
artists here in the Dallas area, so let's continue to laud those who
have a passion for music here every week. Thanks for playin'!
Now, onto the other great options this week...
Let's applaud this poster for the Nightmare On 6th Street show with Oso Closo,
The Magic of Ash Adams & The Skin And Bones Drum Cult at Lola's on
October 31:
This poster packs a punch in the eye sockets with
some strong, simple, clean-lined illustration, allowing the image of a
tattooed baby with lobster claws to be just as precious as any other
retro-themed illustrated infant (sans nightmarish implements of
course). That little guy, reaching up to be picked up, draws you from
across the room to find all the info and details very well handled in
the composition over all. Cramming all those sponsor logos, dates,
times, band names, presenter names, etc. is quite the task, too, especially
when opting for classic decorative and engraved font styles.
Apparently, it takes a baby lobster arms to pull it off. (Keeping a
simple color palette helps too!)
And one more poster worth an
honorable mention is this beautifully balanced abstract piece for the Alela
Diane and Marissa Nadler show with Bosque Brown at the Modern Art Museum Of
Fort Worth on November 4:
Context is very important, so the fact
that the gig is at the Modern in Fort Worth justifies the simplicity
and almost architectural feel of this very mature piece. I love the
little touch of script type for Bosque's name, adding just enough
softness to what would otherwise be a rigid poster.
Don't forget to send in your submissions for next week
to [email protected]! Oh, and please make sure to include the
artist/designer's name and info for proper credit.
Until next week!
