Gig Poster Research

Existing Poster Research

To understand what would be the best aesthetic and conceptual route to go down when designing gig posters - here I will analyse the successes and failures of existing posters and then create mood boards from the best (and maybe worst) posters to use as reference when I being generating ideas.

I think it is quite easy to try and show off your technical skill too much in a gig poster, when something like this, I think would blend into its surroundings of other posters too much and get lost.

Although it looks quite nice individually I don't think that it is striking or memorable mainly sue to the lack of good idea behind the imagery and overcrowding in general.

This poster is more visually intriguing, due to it's simplicity and odd imagery. The typography suggests that the music is quite psychedelic/ acid rock. I think the problem with this poster is that it would lose it's impact when cheaply printed on a small poster.

I think the typography works well as it is different to the norm and interacts well with the imagery, however i think that when seen from a distance it will lose it's impact and doesn't have enough instant memorable and 'take home' image

This poster has good typography as it instantly looks hand made due to it's association with letterpress.
Despite being very busy and crowded the poster is simple and memorable.

This is not a good poster. I don't think there is a point to the type being distorted and going in all directions. It is difficult to read and the typeface is aggressive and uninviting. 

Despite being very simple, this 'lo-fi' approach is definitely best suited to a particular style of music, depending on the bands that I am designing for this may be the best route to go down.

This poster displays technical proficiency without being too crowded or 'show-offy',
It 'flows' well and is very traditional which suits the genre of music.

I think this is quite a generic style at the moment, clearly screen printed and with semi- realistic illustrative style. The message is obvious and also ambiguous and shrowds the band with a bit of mystery and intrigue

Spot colours really help this poster grab attention, the point is clear and quick with no room for mis-communication 

Using alternative/ traditional making methods could prove effective when trying to stand out from the crowd or grab attention when stuck on a wall

Taking an aspect from the bands music and using it as a visual hint or 'in-jokey' tagline is effective in grabbing fans attention and strengthening the intimacy the fans share with the band

Clever use of negative space always makes for a memorable image with instant impact.

Again, simple but very effective. The idea is more important than the decoration or technical ability

A type only route could be something to look into as this isn't usually seen for gig posters and may help it stand out against the rest

These examples are very bold and eye catching whilst remaining very simple and engaging

Incorporating the typography with the image makes reading the information a little more fun and a little less mundane

I think that this poster is very good. It has strange and memorable imagery, gives the band a bit of mystique and also keeps text to an absolute minimum. Simple, different and memorable.

I have used this poster as inspiration a lot, I think that it is visually exciting and I also like how the reader has to really look into the poster and travel around it to find out what it is about, and it only uses 3 colours.

Maybe other promotional items could accompany the poster such as little postcards, as seen here for Eddie Vedder