wwe

Sempervivi CD Release Show Poster

Sempervivi music poster design with wrestling themeSempervivi

Lexington, KY

I created this music poster design for my band Sempervivi’s crowdfunding campaign. We were raising money to release our first full length album, “Can’t Please Everyone”. I contracted comic artist Chris Schweizer to bring my concept to life. The band would be shown wrestling my childhood teddy bear Flash. The results were even better than I’d imagined.

Music poster design with wrestling theme

While brainstorming perks for our backers, I determined that posters would be ideal. The old school wrestling theme could include many aspects. However, I decided to mimic a pivotal event in my childhood, Wrestlemania VI in Toronto. The larger than life Hulk Hogan met The Ultimate Warrior for the WWF Championship in Toronto. Posters depicted them dwarfing a frozen mountain range. In order to faithfully hearken back to this classic image, I had my work cut out for me.

Wrestlemania VI promo art this music poster design is based on

The original Wrestlemania VI promo art I based this music poster design on.

I had already created a parody style logo based on the classic Wrestlemania logo. Next, I carefully reproduced the original metallic chrome and gold gradients. My striking tribute caught old school wrestling fans’ eyes. The retro neon pink and green subtexts also jumped off the landscape.

I then added images from our album art. The “Match of the Century” was on! Chris’s drawings show Flash with his championship belt. Meanwhile, the band stood in the locker room vowing revenge.

After arranging the foreground images, I then built the fantasy background scene. I successfully paid tribute to the original 1990 WWF poster without outright copying it. Victory!

Contact me if you need a music poster design

All in all, this music poster design is one of my favorites. I always enjoy when I can combine my interests into one ad. Can I interest your band, record label, or music festival in a poster graphic design? Perhaps you’re a wrestling promoter needing high end promo art. Contact me today.

Daniel Bryan shirt design with teddy bear theme

This (Bryan Danielson) Daniel Bryan shirt design was one of my favorite projects to work on. I cheered on the legendary AEW and  WWE Superstar since his days wrestling for independent promotions like Ring of Honor and Dragon Gate USA. WWE briefly let him go in 2010 after a controversial incident on television. He was scripted to choke out an announcer with a tie during an on-screen attack with his Nexus cohorts. Sponsors objected to the violent image, and WWE officials decided he went too far. While he was banished, he resumed wrestling on the independent wrestling scene. Bryan decided to capitalize on the publicity the angle earned him and had a contest for his fans.

Daniel Bryan shirt design story

The premise was to design a shirt, four colors or less, depicting Bryan as an angry teddy bear. Preferably, he would be brandishing the infamous pink tie from the firing incident.

After reading this news, I sprung to action. First, I hand drew the anthropomorphic, scowling fur ball, posing in Bryan’s signature satin ring robe. Next, I scanned in the sketch and cleaned it up using Adobe Photoshop. Then, I transitioned the art to Illustrator, where I redrew it to create a vector file.

I colored in the bear’s ring gear with his signature deep red hues. He is holding up a finger signaling #1, a signature taunt that eventually evolved into his double fingers up YES! gesture.

Before he could declare a winner of the contest, WWE hired Bryan back. He then returned as a surprise partner at that year’s SummerSlam facing his former partners in the Nexus. I believe I would have won, since several fans emailed me wanting to buy their own copy of the shirt.

Shirt design for wrestlers, athletes, and other sports brands

Are you an independent pro wrestler looking for new merch designs? Do you manage a sports team or another entertainment brand? Contact me today for a shirt design that will have your fans shouting “YES! YES! YES!”

AWA tag team tournament wrestling poster designAWA World-1 Wrestling

Valdosta, GA

Ramma-lamma-lamma – Rock n’ Roll is King! It is always fun when I have a project that involves one of my outside interests. Whether it’s designing band merchandise such as one-inch buttons, or a wrestling poster design such as this one, I always have an edge because of my passion for the subject matter.

Years ago, the AWA pro wrestling promotion was once one of my main clients. During this time, the AWA was divided into several regional offices in the USA run by independent promoters. The Georgia based World-1 South group hired me to create this poster for an upcoming event in Ellaville. A tournament featuring 80s stalwart tag team stars the Rock n’ Roll Express was the main event of the evening.

Old school pro wrestling poster design

I poured through a few of my old coffee table wrestling books to find the perfect old photo to feature. Ricky and Robert are putting their dukes up, ready for action. Then I scanned in an old bandanna to frame in the classic babyface team. My actual bandanna was turquoise, but I recolored it pink to make it pop over the blue grunge background. I used the Mesquite “Wild West” style font for the main title “Old School Tag Team Tournament”, and a grunge stamp style font throughout for a strong, masculine feel. The vintage disco style font for the words “3rd Annual” tops the design off with a flamboyant flair. Finally, I tilted the elements in the foreground to help the art catch a few more eyes.

Hire me for your wrestling poster design

We made a big hit with this new school take on an old school design. Are you a promoter with an upcoming wrestling or sports event? You need a professional poster design! Tag me in and we’ll make history together!