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The Rough Customers | Lexington, KY

Pick it up! The Rough Customers are Lexington, KY’s only third wave ska band – as far as we know! In 2014, my band at the time Analog Apostles performed with them and Nashville, TN soul rockers Ravenhill. Ravenhill made a tour stop in Lexington at the Sidecar, next door to Al’s Bar. The Rough Customers’ live show is all about fun, and that’s the vibe I was going for with this concert poster design.

Large format concert poster design

The featured photo of the classic pin-up girl and phonograph was given a “washed out” effect, which I made by reducing the colors using Adobe Illustrator. I then added the hypnotizing bright blue swirl in the background to enhance the kitsch factor.

I lettered the bands’ names in a watermelon red using the retro “Badaboom” font, since it always signals good times. Additionally, I used the “Cherry Cream Soda” font for the other text, completing the poster’s vintage 50s feel. Finally, I added a QR code to the concert poster design, so that potential concert goers could RSVP to the event on Facebook by scanning the poster with their smartphones.

The Rough Customers never disappoint when they take the stage, and always draw a big crowd. This show was definitely no different, since we filled the small room to capacity. I would like to think that my eye catching design helped with that aspect.

I always design and print my own 11×17″ posters to promote shows and other events that I put together. The large format gives me more canvas to play with. It also stands out more than a letter sized flyer when I hang them in store windows.

Year of October | Nashville, TN

Year of October is a blues rock band based in Nashville, TN. I designed this 11×17″ concert poster art for a show with my band at the time Analog Apostles. The gig took place at the now defunct Natasha’s Bistro and Bar here in Lexington, KY. I had a lot of fun incorporating both of my passions, graphic design and music, into this composition.

Concert poster art design story

I themed the poster around a vintage Fender silverface tube guitar amp, which is similar to the 1978 Fender Twin Reverb I once owned. First of all, I replaced the Fender logo over the speaker grill cloth with the Apostles’ “A” insignia. I added a shiny chrome effect and embossed it to mimic the original element.

I also Photoshopped out the blue amp model name, and then replaced it with the words “Rockin’ Show” in a similar font. Guitar gearheads appreciated the attention to detail I added to this concert poster art.

As for the text, I used a sans serif font in turquoise for the band names, while choosing a fat script colored orange for the other information. The band name titles are colored similar to the amp name, and also use the same font. I “underlined” both bands’ names with sets of unrolled guitar cables. The orange script almost has a neon signage feel.

Finally, I overlaid a set of vacuum tubes on top of the amp schematic drawing in the background. I changed their colors to black and white to make the colors in the forefront pop. That is why these images come together to make the perfect background arrangement. I almost hid them in effect, but if you take the time to examine them, they really add to the whole package.

Misty Mountain String Band / Louisville, KY

Misty Mountain String Band’s banner design on display at a performance.

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 traveled with the band and helped the guys look professional when on stage.

Banner design for Kentucky bluegrass and folk band

The affable string band described 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. It also functions as ground for the squirrels to stand on.

I set the rest of the band’s name in a heavy sans serif style font. Some of the letters were randomly nudged in order to make the title appear to be manually screen printed at 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!

Wellington Beck Music Group / Nashville, TN

Here is another country music compilation for a long running client. During my run with Wellington Beck, I specialized in quick turnaround Photoshop designs for their digital recordings. This time around, the album features all piano based covers of popular country music hits. You can buy this exclusively as a digital download mp3 album on iTunes and Amazon, as well as other media outlets. Since the word “CORRAL” is featured in the title, I decided I should give it a 19th Century American Old West feel.

Digital download art for country music album

The art features a vintage style mahogany piano in the bottom right. I set the album’s title in a curly Western font, then warped it into a rising shape. I also embossed the text to give the words depth. All the while, I used two different brown tones to bring some variance to the title. The word “PIANO” is larger than the other words, and I emphasized in a darker brown hue. This color echoes the dark shadows in the piano image and ties it all together.

The old timey elements all display on a dirty, distressed parchment paper background. My idea behind using this was to mimic the feel of a wanted poster for an 1800s outlaw.

Finally, I added a grunge texture overlay to complete the country music piece’s weathered appearance. This gave it the exact style my client was looking for. As usual, I finished the art ahead of the scheduled deadline, and my client did not request any revisions.

Muhlenberg County Public Libraries | Greenville, KY and Central City, KY

My hometown’s outdated library website design needed a complete overhaul. The existing site was rife with errors at the time. It also had a lot of content that was very hard to navigate. The design was awful as well. Naturally, MCPL called me in to step in as their new public library web designer.

Public library web designer – project details

I started by updating their web presence with a clean white design. It features their new logo, which I also designed. Then, I added an image slider including relevant stock photos. I also  streamlined their existing site menu. It now includes just four main headings with drop down menu items.

Library staff members worked with me to find the best way to simplify and condense the original content. We created a system that staff could easily update by themselves. This is so important for a library website design.

Additionally, the sleek online calendar lists upcoming events. These include all happenings such as kids’ storytimes and book signings. The website calendar can easily sync with both iCal and Google Calendar.

Patrons can access all of the libraries’ online databases in order to check out books and other media. The complete catalog is conveniently at each user’s fingertips. They can search directly, right from the library website design main menu.

I also built a separate mobile version of the site. This enables patrons to keep up with both library branches on the go by using their smartphones and tablets. Customers may still access the full catalog, making for a complete web solution.

Muhlenberg County Public Libraries / Greenville and Central City, KY

Way back in 2013, my home county’s library system contacted me for a huge rebranding project. They called on me to create a new public library logo design and website for them. When I was growing up in Muhlenberg County, Kentucky, I fondly remember participating in their annual summer reading program each year. I also would often stop in to check out books while I walked home on my way from my school, Greenville Elementary. Because of this, I considered the library logo art project to be a very special honor.

Public library logo color scheme and finishing touches

The dark blue and lime green color scheme is strong and eye catching, while still keeping things simple. Depending on the application, I set the background color in either a solid blue, or the gradient fade you see displayed here. As with all of my logo designs, I created a separate, simplified version in black and white. I have always maintained the belief that the best logos can be reduced down to a one color format. I love going “back home” to Western Kentucky and seeing my work displayed on signage and billboards. The library was such an important part of my childhood growing up in Muhlenberg County. Therefore, it is a good feeling to know that my work represents it to kids growing up there today.

Muhlenberg County Public Libraries Thistle Cottage Logo

Thistle Cottage history and public library logo design colors

Later on in that very same year, MCPL returned to me for a new task. They requested a new variation of my original public library logo design. The new spin on the brand first involved a change in the color scheme. For this particular version, I decided we should incorporate a rustic copper brown and army green combination.

Both of these muted colors combine and hearken back to the heritage of the building represented by the mark. Thistle Cottage is a historic early 20th Century home on 122 South Cherry Street in downtown Greenville, KY. It was built in the year 1912, back when the Western Kentucky coal mining industry was still booming. The Cottage is located just around the corner from the Harbin Memorial library branch.

Thistle Cottage was formerly a cultural center that would host touring art exhibits. The city gave it to the public library system in 2013. They then converted it into a museum and art gallery space. MCPL also holds their annual community events there. These events include their Mother’s Day Victorian Tea party in May, along with their Pictures with Santa holiday series.

Thistle Cottage library logo art – fonts and finishing touches

A fun handwriting script font comes together in order to spell out the main title phrase “Thistle Cottage”. Once again, I reversed the title out of the large open book shape in white. Then, I made the book shape a bit taller. This way, it would frame in all of the main title text. I kept the “Muhlenberg County Public Libraries” text intact from the original logo design in this particular variation. Then, I arched it around the courthouse image from the original logo in the copper brown shade. Finally, I recolored the county courthouse in the olive shade of green.

The finished product I provided made the staff at MCPL very happy in the end. While it is obviously associated with the Kentucky public library system, the muted color scheme and classic script give the logo a vintage feel of its own.

Thistle Cottage logo signage gallery

Check out the finished product in real life below! The library features it prominently on the sign in front of the Thistle Cottage building.

My then-young son and I in front of the Thistle Cottage sign at my gallery exhibit in 2019.

Analog Apostles | Lexington, KY

I designed this CD art for Lexington, KY alternative rock band Analog Apostles‘ debut EP “The Other Side of the Sea”. Since I played lead guitar in the band at the time, it was a no brainer for me to do the artwork. I was also very involved in the music production side.

Ben, the main songwriter and rhythm guitarist, thought of the title long before we recorded the first note. The album name and many of the songs made references to water, so we decided together on a nautical theme.

CD art – setting sail for the high seas

The four panel digipak CD art started with an antique style treasure map background. Then, I overlaid a classical pirate ship illustration in brown as the focal point. The “A” monogram mark from the logo I designed was later superimposed onto the ship’s main sail.

After that, I set the band‘s name in an antique “swashbuckling” style font face. The album’s title then materialized in a classic cursive script. I capped off the design with a ghostly image of the band’s “A” icon over the dark blue ocean background in the tray card. Since the record’s theme suggested high seas adventure, a hint of supernatural mystery put it over the top.

From start to finish, this record truly was a DIY project. We performed every aspect of the production, from the recording process to ordering the album duplication. Ben’s wife Amanda did a great job with the posed band photography. Our fan base fully funded the CD’s production online via Indiegogo, which is a great fundraising tool for artists on a budget.

Ronald Jenkees | Louisville, KY

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 Jenkees swag for yourself here! Then go see him in action on “the YouTubes” here!

Wellington Beck Music Group | Nashville, TN

The groundbreaking “American Country Hits” series rolled on with the latest installment, Volume 19. Each volume includes both a “Hits” version (covers recorded by studio musicians) and a “Karaoke” version with instrumental tracks only. The karaoke album art design version that I created is pictured above.

Karaoke album art design story

This time out, I decided I should use a deep turquoise background. I blended a mottled grunge pattern that resembled marble into the rich greenish blue color. Then, I created an inner shadow layer effect for it. This effect fades into the background from a light to dark shade.

I also added a bright white burst brush shape located in the center of the artwork. I situated it between the background and the main title logo layers. When I added a glow layer effect to it, it really made this karaoke album art design shine. It also caused the main title text to pop off of the screen.

After that, I contrasted the background elements against the main title. This title uses the same logo I created for the previous installments of the series. I set the words in the LHF Boston Truckstyle font. I proceeded to color it with a rusty shade of red, then added both satin and inner shadow effects to the letters. A light golden yellow inside stroke came together with a thicker brown outline in order to complete the title text’s rustic theme.

All of the elements come together to create an outstanding karaoke album art design. This, as well as all of the other installments in the series, is available on many online music retailers. These include Amazon, iTunes, and many others.