Writing’s on The Wall

‘As old, sun stained posters cling for life from mailboxes, telephone poles and storefront windows you quickly begin to wonder whatever happened to the glory days of self promotion. Is the art of concert posters really dead?’

A quick glance at the pages of The Wall – a beautiful e-book launching tomorrow – would yell a decisive ‘no’ in response to its provocative foreword, courtesy of music columnist and designer Taron Cochrane.

Despite the frequently nostalgic feel of gig posters in a time were the computer screen is the most prominent means of promotion, far from being a ‘back in the day’- muttering tome, The Wall is refreshingly of the present. Showcasing works mainly from the past three or four years, it proves the field of poster design to be as innovative and thriving as ever.

The book is written and designed by Tom Booth, who has thoughtfully separated the chapters into chapters into illustration, photography, screen-print, pattern, textured, typography, retro, simple, and series. Each poster is accompanied with a quote from the designer, offering an insight to the art of gig promotion.

Amongst our highlights is  Concepcion Studios’ Broken Social Scene poster. The designers say, ‘We explored the combination of simple geometric shapes with high-contrast photographic imagery; the result was one of our most successful graphic juxtapositions yet.’

Simon McLoughlin’s design for LCD Soundsystem was inspired by ‘school science textbooks we all remember from High School.’ He explains, ‘We wanted something kind of tech but mysterious, that also spoke to the band name, and that mutated into what you see here.’

We love the cute pastels and bicycle design Greg Harrison’s Rilo Kiley poster; while El Jefe Design’s poster for The Gaslight Anthem is a poignantly romantic affair, representing ‘the passing of lovers, the sweetness of familiarity and bittersweet beauty of fleeting emotions.’

The Wall is available online from 19 July. For more information see http://www.thewallbook.com/