Poster Design

[Skummy]

As some of you may already know, I DJ from time to time. And as lacklustre as my DJing skills are, they far outweigh my graphic design ability. However, I've been itching to get back into promoting and running my own night for the first time in a little while, and even though I have absolutely nothing lined up, last night I got bored and figured I'd play around on GIMP for a little while and draft out a poster for this hypothetical night. This is what I came up with;

A fair bit of blank space, I know, but that's because I don't have any information to actually put there. For now I'm assuming the blue text is a placeholder, and that should I actually use the design, it'll be replaced with the venue and date. The fuschia banner at the bottom would more than likely contain price of admission and such like. But then I'm not sure where (or even if) I would put a description of the night - ideally I'd want the imagery itself to give as much of an impression of that as possible. I was thinking perhaps just put a link to a Facebook page and hope people check that for more information, but that's usually asking too much.

Any comments, feedback, suggestions, folks?

[LUKIE]

I understand the style you are attempting, but it's not working. It needs more happening on the page. The idea of punk (post-punk... really?) posters is to be in your face, to the point of the person viewing it to not really understand where or what they are supposed to be reading for the first few moments.

You need way more happening. You need more gritty. Electro... Post-punk... I don't understand it. I like the idea of the Pink. Put the pink on a black background (or a very dark grey background, and see how that pans out. Then throw in a lot of contrasting white.

Punk was all about black and white, with bright, bright reds, yellows. (Pink can work).

It was one of the graphic design movements I researched when I did Graphic Design a few years back. It's REALLY interesting.

[Skummy]

Post-punk was a different movement to punk, though - it was all about taking the DIY elements introduced in punk, but with less of the "Year Zero" stigma and often a lot less anger. A lot of the bands labelled post-punk were quite fey and cutesy, so gritty and lots of stuff going on doesn't really work in that respect. Post-punk wasn't about challenging the listener/observer in the same way punk was, it was more inclusive, it was about taking the "anybody can do it" approach to punk and trying to make it more communal. Basically it was a lot of shy boys and girls making music influenced by the ideals of punk, but not making "punk music".

So the artwork I think kind of reflects that - it's influenced by punk, while not being punk.

As for more stuff going on, obviously if the event ever happens, they'll be more to put on there. Even the text that's on there already is only really a placeholder - I'd need to put the date, times, venue, price of admission, and possibly the names of the DJs performing, and still possibly find room for something like the text that's already there to explain what it's all about, so if I put much more in the way of imagery on there, it would look too cluttered once the important stuff got on there.

Cheers for the feedback, though, I can see what you're coming from, and I'm still toying with finding more images for it - especially if it becomes a regular fixture.

Alternatively, I suggested this alternate design to a friend of mine last night

Edited February 16, 2010 by Skummy

[METALMAN]

ahahaa faces of Phil Collins is hilarious. Even though I don't get it.

[Skummy]

There's pretty much nothing to "get". When I used to work in a record shop, we had a SHITLOAD of Phil Collins that we just couldn't sell, so we made "The Phil Collins Wall", which was just those two albums alternated across the whole display, so it was just a wall of his face. The poster was an homage to that - I doubt I'd ever actually use it as a poster, but it's so very tempting if the opportunity presents itself.

[METALMAN]

If you use that poster I would come to your DJ night.

[LUKIE]

I have no idea what post-punk is... so ignore me

[SeanDMan]

Wait, Phil Collins was a Dalek?!?!?