The OOTBlog

Capturing the Moment: The Art of Concert Posters

Music is a multi-sensory experience, and I think nothing quite captures the essence of the craft like music art. We make and collect concert posters, album art and other cultural artifacts about music in an attempt to hold on to the fleeting, fading memory of how a song moved us.

This poster is by design shop DKNG Studios for the band Phish, and after staring at it for an unhealthy amount of time, I think I finally understand the qualities that help make a concert poster great.

A great concert poster attempts to distill and communicate the essence of a music artist (or song) while paying homage to the unique mood of the venue. It celebrates the moment and respects that this is a singular event in time and space - even if Phish plays at the Blossom Music Center again, no performance will ever look, sound, smell, taste and feel like the performance that happened there on June 4th, 2011.

After seeing this, I’m tempted to try my hand at designing something that visually embodies the essence of my favorite arrangements in our repertoire. After hearing our arrangers discuss their influences, I think I have enough material to make something that remains true to their vision for each song…

Watch this space!

Here’re a few close-up shots from the poster (click through to see more), and a process video where DKNG shows its entire development, from initial sketch through final execution.