NYLON - June 2008 - (Page 128) PICTURE THE SOUND These six illustrators are doing their part to keep poster art alive. By Fiorella Valdesolo STRAWBERRYLUNA 33RPM Name: Andrio Abero Location: Brooklyn, NY How long have you been designing music posters? Eight years Describe your style in five words or less: Simple and thoughtful Favorite poster(s) you’ve designed: Björk at the Sasquatch Music Festival, Death Cab for Cutie at the Key Arena, Thievery Corporation at the Moore Theater. What are you inspired by? Deep house and ’90s indie rock, illustration and design, DJ and b-boy culture, good food and my friends. Besides designing concert posters I… run my own graphic design company. When I have free time I try keeping up with my DJing and dancing skills. Dream concert bill to design? Prince Why do you think poster art is experiencing a renaissance? It’s DIY culture brought back into a digital context. I love it because of its simplistic nature; image and type, brought together beautifully on a piece of paper. Ratio of digital versus hand-drawn design? Some hand-drawn sketches for reference, but mostly designed on the computer. How much does the actual music influence the design? The band’s name? A lot, and I think it should, conceptually at least. I often turn to solutions based on the band’s name, but try to evoke the emotion of the music. Who are your favorite musicians? Jamie Lidell, Modeselektor, Versus, Daft Punk, Elliott Smith Name: I don’t use my full name in conjunction with my work. Location: Pittsburgh, PA How long have you been designing music posters? Since March, 2005 Describe your style in five words or less: A moment frozen in time Favorite poster(s) you’ve designed: It changes all the time, but now it’s my newest three: Spoon, the Dirtbombs, and my Stars tour poster. What are you inspired by? Nature, plants and animals. But textures, and the interplay of color and light really fascinate me, so I am just as likely to be inspired by a scrap of vintage fabric as I am by the oxidization of a hunk of metal. Besides designing concert posters I… work on art prints, T-shirts, CD art and designs for things that have nothing to do with music at all. Also, I read, play Scrabulous and walk my doggie. Dream concert bill to design? I will go with bands I love and will never play together so: the Cardigans, Björk and James Brown. Why do you think poster art is experiencing a renaissance? I think people are becoming more sophisticated design-wise, and getting a handmade piece of work for $15-$100 is really rare. How much does the actual music influence the design? The band’s name? Hugely. The music informs the look, the symbols, and the narrative in my posters. I really dislike working from lyrics and even more so from a name. When I did posters for Spoon and Death Cab, I knew what I wouldn’t do— use utensils, flames, or taxis. Who are your favorite musicians? So many! M.I.A., Spoon, Of Montreal, the Cardigans, Sonic Youth, Beck, Blossom Dearie, Cat Power, Björk, Jurassic 5, Konono No.1, Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, and old Bollywood music JAMIE WOLCOTT Location: New York How long have you been designing music posters? I started making posters about 16 years ago for a theater troupe. I moved into making posters for bands about three years ago. Describe your style in five words or less: Images from Aunt Lily’s attic Favorite poster(s) you’ve designed: Most recently, probably the Buckeye Banjos poster, Curtis Eller’s American Circus tour poster, and a poster for John Prine that was never used. The Melvins and the Bad Things are two of my all-time favorites. What are you inspired by? Standing in front of Van Gogh paintings, great live music, sunny mornings in NYC, my husband and daughter. Besides designing concert posters I… design lots of CD jackets, stickers, T-shirt designs, and I also do illustrations for magazines. Dream concert bill to design? Curtis Eller’s American Circus opening for Bob Dylan at the Beacon Theater. Why do you think poster art is experiencing a renaissance? A few years ago, the American Poster Institute started Flatstock, a huge poster convention that’s now spread to several different music festivals like SXSW and Bumbershoot and there’s now a Flatstock Europe. That in itself, was pivotal in getting posters and poster artists in front of tons of people. Ratio of digital versus hand-drawn design? I work with ink and watercolor on paper. I scan the originals in three parts and stick them together. If I need to fix mistakes, I’ll do that in Photoshop. Who are your favorite musicians? The Kinks, early Fairport Convention (Richard Thompson days), Curtis Eller’s American Circus, the Beatles, the Clash, Parisian accordion music
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