As a life-long lover of music, the task of visually portraying the thing I love the most was daunting. As music inspires audibly, it also holds the power to influence more physical forms of artistic creation.
As many different styles went through my head from indie rock to regular-old rock to oldies, my mind kept coming back to images of flowing lines emanating from a head, enveloped in my favorite colors of warm oranges and yellows. R&B style is something I’ve always admired since the 1970s era, from its rich beats to the groovy vibes that are emulated in the hair and fashion of its performers.
Here are sketches from my brainstorming sessions. They vary greatly between eras, genres, and subject matter, but I ended up sticking with one of my initial ideas, the outlined silhouette. One of my main inspirations was the black cameo paper-cut silhouette portraits popular since the mid-18th century. This to me was an integration of antiquated and classic symbols with new, hip style. This silhouette figure allowed me to keep my subject fairly universal/unidentified so as to characterize it mostly by the style of the music in the poster. I also liked the idea of contrasting stark black with undulating colors. Below is a larger, color sketch of my idea.
I started by centering the subject and laying down some basic shapes to experiment with how they all incorporated aesthetically. I experimented with texture as well. I also knew I wanted to use a font that portrayed the same vintage vibes that the other shapes and colors did.
After some creative blocks and feedback, I came back to this poster seeing that repositioning the subject to the side rather than the center gave me room to create a more guided composition diagonally which fit the elements better and indicated more energetic movement throughout. I also was frustrated with implementing text until I received feedback about the ability for text to be integrated both into the design and in framing the entire piece. Although a bit of a bold move, I moved the text into a position that would be integrated into the silhouette. This added another interesting design element, not just text. I also placed the other sans serif text in a way that was less about advertising and message but design. I wanted all the elements to flow, so I tried to emulate the same repetition as the silhouette outlines.
Most of what helped me move forward were suggestions to think outside the box and be very specific about the elements being used. Although I used a few elements, the ones I did use were deliberate in their style and placement.
Here is my final gig poster. Although I maintained the same silhouettes and lines throughout my entire process, playing with text and color really finished it off. By incorporating specific fonts and colors, I emulated a very 70s/funk/R&B style and feeling without directly stating it. I chose to simplify and move the name of the band from the subject to the above white space. The name of the band alludes to these themes without being explicit as well. I contrasted my fonts and let the name of the band shine, with the thin sans serif font stepping back so as to not distract from the design. I balanced the white space so the composition felt complete without overcrowding my elements. I also offset the main subject to create a more interesting line for the eye to follow. After many drafts, this poster came out much more simple than I originally made it. However, this allowed for its existing elements to be more effective. The vibes effectively portray a feeling the permeates the mind of someone listening to R&B/smooth funky beats.
