Painting Post: 5 Gig Poster Design Trends & Styles [feedly]

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5 Gig Poster Design Trends & Styles
// Print Magazine

Editor's Note: The following piece on gig poster design trends is excerpted from Show Posters: The Art and Practice of Making Gig Posters by Pat Jones and Ben Nunery, the latest title from HOW Books.

Trends come and go, and pigeonholing someone's art into a "design style" can be incredibly tricky. Style is subjective and nuanced—often walking the line between one thing or another. One has to take into account where an illustrator or designer draws inspiration and what medium he or she chooses to work in, and all of that can be difficult or nearly impossible to classify.

Still, in order to study different poster designs and designers, it is helpful to group them in some sort of meaningful way to help frame the discussion. The design styles discussed here should be just that: a way of grouping things in order to study them but with the understanding that artists and designers draws from many different sources of inspiration and may shift and combine mediums in their efforts to convey a visual message.

Oxidized Degradation

This style puts an emphasis on the process used to create the print itself by bringing elements of the art techniques to the forefront. Multiple layers may be used or portions of the work may look washed-out, overprinted, or misregistered. The overall effect may look like a mistake or printing error at first blush, but ultimately this style puts an emphasis on texture, layering, and the printing process used to create the piece.

Key Style Characteristics

Almost looks misprinted or miscut, like items were thrown together on the page
Combines multiple illustration and design styles, sometimes even within one piece
Sometimes made to look like a test print, meaning it's mis-registered and has a high number of layers
Heavy use of texture
Often shows the process of screenprinting in the work—this calls attention to the handmade quality of the poster and lends authenticity

Examples:

Show Posters HOW Books1

CLIENT: Mastodon
DESIGNER: Bobby Dixon
DESIGN FIRM: Kollective Fusion
WEBSITE: etsy.com/shop/kollectivefusion

Show Posters HOW Books2

CLIENT: Blitzen Trapper
DESIGNER: Ben Nunery
DESIGN FIRM: Powerhouse Factories
WEBSITE: powerhousefactories.com

Show Posters HOW Books3

CLIENT: Father John Misty
DESIGNER: Nate Duval
WEBSITE: nateduval.com

Halftone Realism

This style utilizes halftones to recreate photographs in a way that looks very realistic—so much so that at first the piece may be mistaken for digital recolor of a photograph. Landscapes and settings are used to convey message with type integrated into the piece. The ultimate effect is reminiscent of movie posters or book covers.

Key Style Characteristics

Halftones are used to re-create a photograph for a print that is very realistic and high quality
Use of high contrast adds to photographic quality and realism
Photography processes and color breakdown/separations are used to show realism
While not overly colorful or bright, a lot of colors are printed to add depth and detail
Landscapes and setting of a scene are often used to convey the message and focal point
Type is often integrated into the landscape and/or piece
Compositions are reminiscent of movie posters or book covers

CLIENT: Warpaint
DESIGNER: John Matthew Overwine
DESIGN FIRM: Powerhouse Factories
WEBSITE: powerhousefactories.com

CLIENT: Deer Tick
DESIGNER: Daniel MacAdam
DESIGN FIRM: Crosshair
WEBSITE: crosshairchicago.com

CLIENT: Deltron 3030
DESIGNER: Tim Engel
DESIGN FIRM: Powerhouse Factories
WEBSITE: powerhousefactories.com

Illustrated Ornamentation

At times reminiscent of the classic realist painters, this highly illustrated style incorporates strong imagery that borders on realism. Out-of-this-world, larger-than-life subjects are often portrayed very realistically through painstaking detail and fine ornamentation.

Key Style Characteristics

This style tends to showcase very strong illustration skills in this category
Subjects are portrayed in a realistic manner
Utilizes complex scale and composition; uses foreshortening and realistic forms
Ornamental use of color and type
Fine detail and ornamentation in this style indicates heavy time and effort spent creating these pieces
Subject matter tends to be out of this world/larger than life (while portrayed in a highly realistic manner)