The Fishtank | Lexington, Kentucky
I laid out this punk poster design for a local DIY show at The Fishtank. This venue has hosted local and touring acts near the campus of the University of Kentucky for decades. My own band has played there dozens of times, and it’s always a blast. We hosted Courtney From Work, a band from Columbus, Ohio we’ve played with often in the past. I wanted to infuse this poster with elements that my fellow scene kids used to promote local punk shows before computers were widely used.
Punk Poster Design With Mixed Media Elements
I immediately had a vision in mind for this punk poster design. The 1970s cut and paste “ransom note” trend took center stage. Many an iconic punk poster design came to mind, so I cut out letters from mailers laying around the house. I scattered these throughout the space, spelling out the venue name and show information.
The closeup image of a punk rock girl is cropped to focus specifically on her hand on her hip. Her attitude and style shines through, even without a facial expression. A trio of inset thumbnails depicts three more closeups of the girl’s face, shoes, and shirt. I set the image on a bright red magazine page, adding rips, wrinkles, and photo filters to age the montage.
Finally, I snipped passages from an old newspaper in order to create the black and white background. I added some discoloration and grit, but the background is still dull and monochrome enough to help the foreground image pop. This collage of elements forms an homage to old school and new school punk poster design. You could say it hearkens back to my beginnings as an artist, when Photoshop and other computer design apps were just coming into their own.
Hire Me For Your Next Concert Event’s Design
I’ve been in this game a long time. Trends come and trends go, but quality design will always be quality design. If you own a venue with a big event or festival coming up, you need eye catching art to promote it. Contact me today.
