3 Tips For Creating Bad Ass Poster ideas.
My devotion to gig posters is far from a secret (from both volumes of New Masters of Poster Design, to 1000 Indie Posters, and all the way back to Maximum Page Design) but it goes further than my writing. Creating these short-run screenprints for my college band, as well as friend’s groups, I have been designing them for more than 20 years. We didn’t call them gig posters back then, and we didn’t have a worldwide community to alert us to other like-minded souls, or to push and pull our creativity.
Spurred on by the papering bans in cities like Seattle, and the explosion of the internet, a small scene began to grow, connecting three to four mavericks in each town with co-conspirators nationwide.
Eventually, they would all meet face to face at the first Flatstock. The formation of the American Poster Institute, taking Flatstock all over the globe, and most acutely, the poster nerd playground that is the excellent gigposters.com, meant that more and more people were exposed to the joys of the poster world. As more people were exposed, more people wanted to get in the game. As with most things design-based, it’s often 51% talent, and 49% knowledge. So, while I can’t provide the tipping point, I can give you a great head start on the other side of the equation. Old hands might even read on and find an inspiring moment or six. Let’s get started!
Tips for Creating Killer Gig Posters
1. Paper is Your Friend (and Co-conspirator)
In the ever-expanding digital age, one of the great appeals of gig posters is that it’s a physically printed product that revels in its inky goodness. While we will talk about those inks in just a minute, don’t forget one of the true joys of being a print designer —specifying paper (see design resources for HOW’s Paper Mills & Suppliers List)! You might want to stick with a white, but add in some incredible tactile texture with a finish, or invert the entire process and print silver on a black sheet. This is your dream come true for the paper nerd inside you, as a single box of nearly any sheet is affordable, and all you need for a limited edition print run.
Spurred on by the papering bans in cities like Seattle, and the explosion of the internet, a small scene began to grow, connecting three to four mavericks in each town with co-conspirators nationwide.
Eventually, they would all meet face to face at the first Flatstock. The formation of the American Poster Institute, taking Flatstock all over the globe, and most acutely, the poster nerd playground that is the excellent gigposters.com, meant that more and more people were exposed to the joys of the poster world. As more people were exposed, more people wanted to get in the game. As with most things design-based, it’s often 51% talent, and 49% knowledge. So, while I can’t provide the tipping point, I can give you a great head start on the other side of the equation. Old hands might even read on and find an inspiring moment or six. Let’s get started!
Tips for Creating Killer Gig Posters
1. Paper is Your Friend (and Co-conspirator)
In the ever-expanding digital age, one of the great appeals of gig posters is that it’s a physically printed product that revels in its inky goodness. While we will talk about those inks in just a minute, don’t forget one of the true joys of being a print designer —specifying paper (see design resources for HOW’s Paper Mills & Suppliers List)! You might want to stick with a white, but add in some incredible tactile texture with a finish, or invert the entire process and print silver on a black sheet. This is your dream come true for the paper nerd inside you, as a single box of nearly any sheet is affordable, and all you need for a limited edition print run.
2. Challenge Yourself to Try New Techniques in Imagery
Never illustrated before? First day with a new camera? Collage always seemed like fun, but too daunting? You love clean fonts but yearn to take a crack at some hand-scrawled type? What better opportunity than a project that demands cutting edge design and only has a very small limited edition print run based around a one-time only event? Push yourself! You will be rewarded.
3. Challenge Yourself to Try New Techniques in Production
Limited runs mean that the financial implications of experimentation are lessened greatly. Now is the time to take a risk or two on the production side, without a multi-million dollar corporation over your should wondering if this is going to work or not. Mix in a spot varnish, split fountain, tweak the opacity of your ink and just experiment in general and take away lessons learned for your other clients and projects.
Now that you are properly inspired and informed, I hope you start making magic on paper. Follow a few rules, break a few others, and have fun! The gigposter community is an incredible place that will give you back as much love as you put in, and I, personally, can not wait to see what you create next.
