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Prolific poster artist Alton Kelley passed away on June 4, 2008 at the youthful age of 67 from complications of osteoporosis. Kelley’s distinct concert posters for artists such as Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead and Big Brother and the Holding Company helped define the visual style of the 1960s counterculture.
Kelley’s posters were heavily influenced by a wide range of historical art styles including Art Nouveau, Art Déco and Bauhaus, but also borrowed styles from Native American and Chinese artwork.
It has been a tough week for Rock ‘N Roll as Kelley’s death comes just two days after the death of legendary rock guitarist Elias McDaniel, better known as Bo Diddley.
The New York Times is running a story in which you can read more about the work and life of Alton Kelley.
Back in March, during the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX, the American Poster Institute presented the Flatstock 16 Poster Convention. The show featured original graphic art by more than 80 of the most popular poster artists working today. Around the same time, I had posted about a rock poster and its art history influences so I think it is fitting to give Flatstock some coverage. Below are a few of my favorites from the show.
Aesthetic Apparatus
Daniel Danger
Pedini
Small Stakes
Seattle Show Posters
For those that live in the Chicago area and would like to check out some posters first-hand, Flatstock 17 will be held at the Pitchfork Music Festival this summer in Union Park.
Milton Glaser is a legendary graphic designer, whose name may only resonate within the design community, but whose work has been seen by many. Not only has his most noted designs from decades ago had an influence on my work, but he continues to have an influence on my life. After September 11th, he updated his I Love NY logo and in 2003 he designed a “copyright-free” poster seen below for Another Poster for Peace. Funny (not at all) how five years later the posters are just as relevant as, if not more than, they were when they were originally designed.
In realizing how Glaser and other designers had influenced my work, I couldn’t help but wonder, “who influenced them the most?” I then came across an interview with Glaser from 2002, and discovered how timeless it was. Certainly I would be interested to hear what he thinks about the current state of the the Union, but even more interesting was reading about his influences and how he came to think the way he thinks. Graphic design after all is not just images and text. It is an idea communicated through images and text.
Click here to read Brad Holland’s interview with Milton Glaser.
I was browsing GigPosters the other day when I stumbled upon a stunning screenprint poster by illustrator and designer Sam Chivers that was commissioned by the UK band Turin Brakes for their most recent tour.
The poster borrows strong elements from multiple art styles, some of which I identified as Art Nouveau, Art Deco and even a hint of Psychedelia. However, Chivers does so in manner in which these differing styles complement each other very well and as a result his poster looks extremely fresh and new. Read the rest of this entry »
