Here’s a retro concert poster that I designed for a 2022 show at Lynagh’s Irish Pub in Lexington. My friend Destry is a classy lady who sings and plays guitar in the blues based alternative rock band Pedestryans. Her selfie game is on point, and she often rocks a variety of vintage styles, so I thought featuring a classic 1950s style pin up girl would fit.
Retro Concert Poster Story
When I chose the vintage style pin up girl photo from my extensive stock image collection, I knew that I wanted to bathe it in an aqua blue tint. I overlaid the whole image with a wavy “static” pattern, so as to imitate vintage TV interference. Also, I envisioned wrapping the band names around the black vinyl record that she is holding. The bright pink and orange hues of the names help them stand out over the wax circle.
For the date at the top, I manually jumbled the letters in order to give it a retro, playful feel. I also jumbled the letters at the bottom of the page that spell out the venue name. The bright yellow date is encased in a typical 50’s “futuristic” style black curved shape. I then added a subtle gradient that fades the aqua blue to purple at the bottom in order to highlight “At Lynagh’s”. Other event information floats to the left and right of the pin up girl in black. I added a wave warp effect to it in order to give it some movement and also to increase the kitsch factor.
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Since 2015, I’ve designed several shirts for my pop punk project Sempervivi. As the band has grown, so have our merchandise offerings. We decided to take the next logical step by putting out some hoodies. I have done hoodie graphic design before, but this was special, since it was for my own music project.
Hoodie Graphic Design Story
Printing hoodies can be expensive. I wasn’t sure if there would be a big enough demand for Sempervivi hoodies, so setting up a preorder on our website for a limited run made sense. My friend who prints our shirts (Jeremiah at Flesh and Blood Printshop) might have a few extra blanks lying around. I asked him, and it turned out he had a lucky number of 13 surplus hoodies, both pullovers and full zip ups. There was also a mix of black, dark green, and heather grey garments, in a wide variety of sizes, so it helped create a sense of scarcity.
Once I got our plan in place, I started working on a design, which is usually backward from my usual order of doing things. Our bassist suggested that I create the design around silhouettes of us rocking out. I’ve done this theme several times over the years, both for artists and businesses. I used Adobe Illustrator to outline a few screen captures of live video footage, as well as some professional photos our friend Carmen had taken.
After I arranged the silhouettes, I framed them in a grungy circle of stars, adding the phrase “Kentucky Punks” underneath. To punctuate that phrase, I added our state’s motto “United We Stand, Divided We Fall”. Then, I arched the band name at the top using a tall retro title font. I adjusted the “M” for legibility, and added a small crown at the top to finish the back art.
Finally, I added the front design to the left chest. The silhouette of Kentucky contains the new logo font without the arch, along with the crown.
Hoodie Graphic Design Color Variants
Since we were printing on three different colored garments, I asked our printer to use three different ink color combinations. In addition to this being our first hoodie design, it was our first apparel to feature more than one ink color. For the black hoodies, we used a combination of cyan blue and white. The forest green garments featured orange and white. Lastly, the heather grey hoodie graphic design was printed using black and pink ink.
When I finally nailed down the design and the color schemes, we set up the online preorder for our fans. Once we had sold enough hoodies in advance to break even, I sent the files to press. Suffice to say that everyone loved them! Order yours here.
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Vanessa Davis Kentucky based singer songwriter. She asked me to design the streaming music cover art for a new EP composed during the 2020 Coronavirus quarantine. She provided a few elements to get me started on the art, and then she put me to work.
Streaming music cover art story
Vanessa sent me a rough sketch of her incorporated into the foreground of a painting by her grandmother. She also provided sheet music for songs on the album, and requested that I add those in if they fit.
First, I removed the background from her photograph, smoothing out the edges of her curly hair. I then set out to blend her seamlessly into the painting. In Photoshop, I combined an “oil painting” filter with an embossed second copy of her photo, thus mimicking the painting’s texture. Next, I modified the colors in both her picture and the painting in order to create consistency.
I then incorporated the sheet music into the image. A variety of eraser brushes gave the composition a weathered, ethereal feel, as if they were a dream by author, floating amongst the sky and landscape.
Finally, I chose a classic serif font to represent the album title. Based on our discussions revolving around her rootsy, folk based musical style, I typed out Vanessa’s name in an elegant script font. After completing the painterly art, I opted to keep the text minimal and not add any effects. I simply added a faint black feathered box under it to help its legibility.
Vanessa also requested that I design a print quality poster to complement the album art. She would send these posters out for publicity purposes. I first blurred copies of the painting together to create a new background. Then, I extended the music notes above and below the streaming EP art. Regarding the finished poster and CD, my client declared, “I LOVE THIS! I am thrilled with the work you’ve done on this.”
My punk band Sempervivi scheduled a local show at the fabled Al’s Bar on the date March 2020. Some bands we were friends with based in Lexington and Louisville also joined the bill. I blocked off time in between my clients’ projects to draw up a special poster for this event. Since Josh, the singer and guitarist from Them God Damn Bangs, was an emphatic collector, I decided to create a Funko Pop poster design. This would be an ambitious effort that would allow me to flex my creative muscles and try some new techniques. Also, it was the first poster I had ever planned multiple variants for, so I was excited to spend all the time I could on it.
Funko Pop poster design story – base toy and package templates
I began this printed poster project by seeking out Funko Pop templates. Fans can go to Funko’s website to create their own avatars in the form of these vinyl collectibles. First, I worked up base images for the three most visible members of the band, Dawn, Josh, and Nails. These images were low resolution images, which also did not include the packaging templates. Most collectors prefer to display their Pops in the boxes on their shelves, rather than taking the toys out of them. Because of this, I also sought out packaging templates to start recreating the boxes.
Once I found the right packaging and toy templates to base my work on, I began adding little details to further personalize the flyer. First, I added the band name, along with the member names and their roles to the packaging, using the Bebas sans serif font in different weights and styles. I numbered each box 01-03, and parodied the word “POPS!” in the top left corner with the word “AL’S” for the venue. A grey background added the illusion of depth, and a faint, transparent grey simulated the clear portion of the packaging.
Each of the band members needed their own accessories and outfit modifications for authenticity. For instance, Nails and Josh play very distinct instruments. While I did not aspire to reproduce every single tattoo and nuance of their appearances, they had to be easily recognizable.
Adding personalization to the figures
Nails usually plays a white Eastwood bass guitar, which is modeled after the vintage Univox Hi-Flyer. Since this is not as widely played as popular models like the Fender Jazz Bass or the Ernie Ball Stingray, I could not find any vector images for it online. I started with a photograph of the instrument, and drew up a simple approximation of it using Adobe Illustrator.
In addition to her bass, I added details of Nails’ personal style. This included adding the brown lowlights to her hair, as well as her lip and nose piercings. Her red star tattoos line her left eyebrow. Considering that Funko Pop vinyl figures do not include mouths, I find it funny that her non-existent lip is pierced.
Funko Pop poster design – “Dawn” variant
Since Josh is the biggest Funko Pop enthusiast in the Lexington music scene, getting his figure mods perfect was the most important of the three. Josh often plays a very rare orange Fender Cyclone II onstage. While I was able to find a simple outline of the model, I needed to edit it and add several details in order to make it authentic. From the correct shade of orange to the Fender logo, I had to make it just right.
Dawn’s figure, on the other hand, more straightforward to customize. I added her signature purple to both her hair and her glasses. Then, I added a zipper and a little bling to her black mini skirt. Finally, I redrew her arms so she could hold a microphone.
Funko Pop poster design story – finishing touches
The time had come to put the finishing touches on the poster. I added the event details to a sticker affixed to the red brick wall background. I created the sticker effect from scratch. A mixture of Adobe Photoshop filters and effects made it appear worn and peeled up.
Each poster design variant boasts its own distinct, bright color for the banner at the top, as well as the band names at the bottom. Dawn’s poster used a bright shade of blue. Josh’s info appeared in Starbucks green, while Nails’ design featured a purplish pink hue. I typed all of the information in the fun, kitschy Ad Lib font. I copied each band members’ figure boxes. Then, I set them three in a row on a white shelf bolted into the brick wall. I cropped the left and right boxes off of the canvas. I did this so the center image could be as large enough to feature it.
Unfortunately, due to the Coronavirus outbreak at the time, this show was cancelled, along with all other mass gatherings in America. The COVID-19 virus changed everyone’s lives worldwide. Specifically, it created a speed bump for independent musicians who needed live performances to fund their endeavors. Unfortunately, the posters could not attract concert goers to the event. At least I got a cool poster design to feature on my portfolio.
Contact me for your own Funko Pop poster design
Can I interest you in featuring a collectible toy motif on your promotional piece? I can add the “pop” you need to attract potential your audience’s attention. Contact me today so we can get to work on some serious fun!
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