I have worked with my prize clients The Misty Mountain String Band on many projects, from T-shirt designs to vinyl banners. After creating the CD layout for their 2018 album Kentucky Bound, I was honored to also design the CD release poster. I am proud of my reputation as a Bluegrass poster designer, so this project was very satisfying.
Kentucky CD release show flyer by Bluegrass poster designer
The Bluegrass quartet gave me the option to either base the design off of the album artwork, or create something entirely new. I chose the former. The vintage paintings of nature elements, as well as the roots instruments, perfectly compliment to the old time feel of MMSB’s music.
The original illustrator supplied several large images to choose from. I, being the Bluegrass poster designer, chose to incorporate two robins, which I cut out of a larger composite image. Also, I cleaned up her painting of a collection of different flowers. Then, I combined them and arranged them so that they creep around the bottom of the posed photo of the band. I recolored the photograph as well.
Both the sepia tint and the grunge overlay give it a worn, vintage look. I used a single font throughout the piece, the decorative title SwistInk Moabhoers. The banners in each corner feature sandstone textured backgrounds.
Finally, all of the elements rest on a black background adorned with a cracked texture. This background reminds me of the weathered Formica countertops in my grandmother’s house. The outdoor event was a huge success. It attracted over 200 attendees. I received a lot of great feedback on the 11×17″ poster from the band, as well as their fans.
Hire me to be your Bluegrass poster designer
Are you promoting a Bluegrass concert or festival? You need to hire the best concert poster designer in Kentucky. Contact me today.
Misty Mountain String Band’s banner design on display at a show.
After designing MMSB’s CD layout for “Went to the Well”, the band returned, asking me to create a large banner design. This three foot by five foot vinyl banner travels with the band and helps the boys look professional when on stage.
Banner design for Kentucky bluegrass and folk band
The affable string band sound describes their sound as “What it sounds like when a banjo smiles.” Similarly, this banner is both warm and inviting. The large banner layout features text and ornaments arranged in a vintage two color “show poster” style. First, I set the stage with a neutral color background with a rough burlap texture. I then mixed the two big, bold fonts for the main title in bright orange.
Afterward, I reversed the words “Misty Mountain” out of a long orange block using a Western style font. This is a divider in the middle of the main title to break the banner design up visually, and it function as ground for the squirrels to stand on. I set the rest of the band’s name in a heavy sans serif style font. I randomly nudged the position of some of the letters in order to give the title the appearance of being manually screen printed by a letterpress such as Nashville’s Hatch Show Print.
After that, I added the band’s requested twin squirrel and banjo line drawings in a bold, dark green. This gives the overall design a natural feel with more weight. Finally, I added some distress to the entire banner design composition using a grunge pattern eraser. How much more bluegrass can you get? The answer is none – none more bluegrass!
Graphics for your concert promotional banner design
Are there big summer music festival bookings in your future? Do you need a large banner design to make your group look more professional on stage? Contact me today to get started!
This Ronald Jenkees shirt design is one of my biggest hits! RJ is a friend of my old band from Kentucky. If you’ve never heard of him, he is an electronic music prodigy, as well as a YouTube phenom.
RJ is instantly recognizable, squinting in his Coke bottle glasses while wearing an assortment of fedoras and other hats. In his live performance videos, he always encourages viewers to have fun with their music, no matter what their skill level may be. This makes him a kindred soul to me, so I was happy to work up some apparel art for him.
He commissioned a simple shirt design in 2013, which he would release along with a new album. His only request was that I keep the shirt to a simple two to three colors. Since I have a background in screen printing, simple designs are a specialty of mine. He encouraged me to get creative with shirt colors and depictions of him.
Ronald Jenkees shirt design story
First, I used Boris Black Bloxx for the text, which a thick, wacky font. I decreased the spacing of it in order to add to the fun. Then, I simplified a screen capture from one of Ronald’s Youtube jam videos to create a one color image. Finally, the product displays his vibrant personality while promoting his jaw dropping musical prowess.
This version is the men’s style, which is displayed on an Ice Grey T-shirt with orange and dark grey inks. The design is also available in a grey ladies cut with pink and dark grey ink colors. Order one for yourself here! Then go see him in action on “the YouTubes” here!
Shirt design for musicians and Youtube stars alike
Are you crowdfunding your next album and in need of a shirt design for one of the perks? Do you need merchandise to capitalize on your viral videos that are blowing up on Youtube? Contact me today for the perfect shirt design!
