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.
Hire me for your next event poster artwork
Are you a musician or band who needs a concert poster design? Contact me!
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.
Contact me to design the poster for your next event
Do you have a big show coming up? You want to fill up the venue, right? Then you need concert poster art that stands out! Contact me today.
The Brothers Pizza | Owensboro, KY
The Brothers Pizza was a great place to see live music and enjoy mouth watering Chicago style pizza. This rock concert poster design was inspired by my friend Andy (Frontman of Facedown Records metalcore band A Plea for Purging)’s newly shaven head.
Rock concert poster design story
First, I started off with a photograph I took at a previous show of Andy’s newly bald head. Then, I removed the background and roughened the edges of his outline using Adobe Photoshop. I added some noise filters and also increased the saturation for an illustration effect. I used the paintbrush tool to spell out the band names in order to simulate shaving cream.
Between the information blocks, I placed black silhouettes of vintage straight razors as dividers. I set all of the text in a specialty handwriting style font.
Finally, I added a series of purple silhouettes which depict modern disposable razors between Andy’s head and the black background. I arranged them in four columns at angles, which serve to draw your eye to the center of the composition.
A thick white frame boxes in the rest of the elements, but the purple disposable razors poke out in front of it. This technique helps to add depth to the overall piece. The pink, purple, and black combination creates a high contrast pop art feel.
I have probably made hundreds of poster designs over the years. This is one of my favorites. Although the head shaving theme had nothing to do with the show, it still caught people’s attention. The bands, the club, and many of the fans in attendance told me they loved it. It also help drum up more print design business for me.
Hire me to design your next show poster art
Are you a concert venue or an event promoter? Are you part of an independent band? I will design a poster that is as unique as you are. Let’s turn some heads together. Contact me today to get started!