New Masters of Poster Design ( PDFDrive )

OCTAVIO MARTINO (ARGENTINA) of modernity, but I can tell you this: Right now we’re LOURDES ZOLEZZI (MEXICO)
TITLE: Zoo into regression. Computer, television, and cell phones; TITLE: Beauty Parlor
CLIENT: España Cordoba, Centre for the Arts we’re all staring at screens for 75 percent of our days, CLIENT: Experimental Theatre Company
SIZE: 27.56” x 37.40” (70 x 95 cm) so we love it and clients love it when we channel SIZE: 27.17” x 37.01” (69 x 94 cm)
PRINTING PROCESS: Offset the past into something beautiful and emotionally PRINTING PROCESS: Silkscreen
INKS: 4-color process compelling,” he says. It would be awfully hard INKS: 3 color
Are posters what you primarily do for this client? No to argue against this piece on the subject of com- Are posters what you primarily do for this client? Yes
pelling beauty.
PROCESS PROCESS
COMPS PRESENTED: 2 THE SMALL STAKES (USA) COMPS PRESENTED: 2
REVISIONS: 1 TITLE: Built to Spill REVISIONS: 2
APPROVAL: Centre committee, including CLIENT: Slim’s APPROVAL: Director
director, curator, and others SIZE: 18” x 24.5” (45.72 x 62.23 cm)
PRINTING PROCESS: Silkscreen INVOLVEMENT WITH FINAL PRINTING:
INVOLVEMENT WITH FINAL PRINTING: INKS: 4 color
Are posters what you primarily do for this client? Yes Prepared for final production and press inspected
Prepared for production
PROCESS At the beginning of each project for director Israel
The Centre for the Arts puts out a monthly poster to COMPS PRESENTED: 1 Cortes, designer Lourdes Zolezzi meets with him to
promote upcoming activities. This particular poster REVISIONS: 1 have a “roundtable discussion to go over everything
was to hold two months’ worth of information. APPROVAL: The Small Stakes about the aesthetic and concept surrounding the
“It was chaos to me,” says designer Octavio Martino. performance. Certain scenes and the entire pro-
“The activities arranged for these two months were INVOLVEMENT WITH FINAL PRINTING: cess are covered in these talks.” These discussions
so diverse, so heterogeneous, and so tight in the can last for hours or even days, but when they are
calendar, like animals in a yard! And I said, why not?” Printed by The Small Stakes complete “an image is born,” exclaims Zolezzi. This
Sticking to his pop-culture feel for the Centre’s particular play revolves around “the relationship
materials, he began to sketch. The couple “was Jason Munn, the man behind the Small Stakes between beauty and death and a moment of humanity
originally a black and white photograph from the moniker, is a master of the simple, direct, and often in our brief existence,” she explains. Zolezzi loves
1950s, which I had to add color to, and put a top on artful performance poster. Few in the gig poster game to manipulate the process during the printing, even
the lady,” he laughs. “I thought it would be appro- are as conceptual as he is. Working on a poster for adding silver ink to parts of the fish illustration
priate to choose domestic animals because of their Built to Spill, a band he really enjoys, Munn felt “a lit- during this run.
relationship with human beings, as a cultural state, tle added pressure. When you are making a poster
but I was not sure about which animals to pick and for a band you really respect, you don’t want to let
how many, and I got kinda stuck. I had a CD full them down.” This basic concept had been with Munn
of these animals, and I thought, if I use them all, then for a long time, and when he was hired for the Built
I don’t need to choose!” Zoo indeed. to Spill job he knew it was a perfect fit. Working
digitally and with painted brushstrokes, he had one
final change. “The poster was originally going to print
on white paper with a dark gray paint can. I made
the switch to dark gray paper stock right at the last
minute and switched the can to metallic silver. I love
the way color shifts and gets muted on dark paper.”

NOTHING SOMETHING (USA) RYAN WALLER (USA)
TITLE: Black Angus, Ladies of Leisure TITLE: The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
CLIENT: Black Angus CLIENT: Re:UP/Selective Hearing Gallery
SIZE: 25” x 37.5” (63.5 x 95.3 cm) SIZE: 20” x 20” (50.80 x 50.80 cm)
PRINTING PROCESS: Offset PRINTING PROCESS: Silkscreen
INKS: 4-color process INKS: 3 color
Are posters what you primarily do for this client? No Are posters what you primarily do for this client? No

PROCESS PROCESS
COMPS PRESENTED: 1 COMPS PRESENTED: 1
REVISIONS: 2 REVISIONS: 0
APPROVAL: Black Angus owners APPROVAL: Curator

INVOLVEMENT WITH FINAL PRINTING: INVOLVEMENT WITH FINAL PRINTING:

Prepared for production and press inspected Printed by Ryan Waller

Nothing Something’s Kevin Landwehr loves working As part of “The Unbearable Brightness of Neon”
with the fashion industry in New York City. “Fashion collection for San Diego’s Re:UP/Selective Hearing
designers can be such characters!” he exclaims. Gallery, New York artist and designer Ryan Waller
“Eccentric, intelligent, fun, funny, and intensely created a kitschy set of 1980s-influenced tiny ghosts
warm if they like you; take caution if they don’t. swallowed by a graphic heart shape. Little idiosyn-
Only in the fashion world do your clients show up to crasies in each print in the small run made them
a meeting in matching pink jumpsuits with bottles all “unique and special,” he says. His playful ghost
of champagne in hand.” With the help of consultant images, paired with a color palette that plays tricks
Devin Becker, Landwehr designed a poster for an with your eyes due to its similar tonality allow a quick
event for the Black Angus brand. The look relies consumption of the image. Upon closer inspection,
heavily on their current mode of thinking. “For work the viewer is rewarded with the abundance of
that advertises events, we tend to use typography, tiny details.
controlled chaos, and a sense of history as our pri-
mary tools. Modern and postmodern poster design T H E N E X T WAV E ★ 251
so often relies on the image or the idea for emotional
impact. I wouldn’t presume to criticize the approach

★ AFTERWORD ★

YOUR FIRST KISS

“The poster is my favorite medium because it has touched me since I was a little child
in the fifties and sixties,” says Niklaus Troxler. “I had encounters with the posters of Herbert
Leupin, Donald Brun, and Josef Müller-Brockmann in the streets. They inspired me
to study graphic design, and I chose to carry on the tradition of the poster designer.”

“I discovered posters back in the 1960s when I saw a psychedelic “If a poster isn’t beautiful in the traditional sense, it can get
poster [one of Mouse’s skull-and-roses posters] in a used by being startling and impactful,” says Paula Scher. “What matters
bookstore,” recalls Art Chantry. “I bought it and stared at it. most is the graphic impact.” Sommese laughs that “feeling that
Over the next few months I began to find other wonderful local the primary function of a poster was to demand attention on the
similar posters on walls and telephone poles in my city. It was street, one of my teachers many years ago jokingly told me how
posters and later comic books and record covers that led me to create an effective poster image. ‘When in doubt, make it big
into graphic design. I imagine that is actually true for the lion’s or red,’ he said. “Or, better still, make it big and red—and mix
share of graphic designers in America. I don’t think I’m alone in a little sex.”
in that history.”
Sommese notes a “new attitude among many designers,
“Since I began creating posters more than thirty years ago, especially Americans, about the use of their skills in areas outside
the medium has been rumored to be near death. That’s proven of commercial practice—to use their talents to make things
to be wrong,” says noted designer and educator Lanny Sommese. better and serve society, humanity, nature, etc.” This same drive
“Posters continue to find their way into the living spaces of the can be seen in our international cast, but it particularly manifests
world. However, they are more than decoration, nowadays, itself in another way for the American designers—a return
or collectibles or advertising ephemera—they are emblems to hand work and organic design and a movement away from
of the values, aspirations, and dreams of the persons whose the computer and even the photograph. The European designers
walls they adorn.” have continued a loving relationship with technology and industrial
assistance.Yuri Surkov’s design relates heavily to his love of nature,
AN OCEAN CAN’T DIVIDE US as does Slavimir Stojanovic’s—yet their application of that
“In many cases, poster design offers a respite from the designer’s imagery is heavily influenced by its production on the computer.
day-to-day client-related stuff, and they never have to hear the Even the work of Jianping He and Fang Chen relies heavily
word ‘branding,’” says Sommese. “The advantage of the poster on photography and its technical capabilities.
over other media is that a poster is more visceral and because
of its size it is immediate and confrontational. It is more expressive. The Berlin contingent represented here uses technology and
It is fun!” its inspired style of illustration to advance their concepts and to
increase the graphic impact available. Pedram Harby showcases
how the computer has made sophisticated manipulation of type
and images possible, allowing practitioners in seemingly remote
areas of the design world to speak to a worldwide audience.
Those in the Next Wave section show that this is becoming
more and more prevalent.

252 ★ N E W M A S T E R S O F P O S T E R D E S I G N

The designer included here that best bridges this philosophical A SMALL PIECE OF CAKE
gap should not come as a surprise. He is a skateboard- and soccer- Rene Wanner has done more than anyone else to bring the
obsessed idealistic young designer located in the land of poster international poster community together through his webpage
masters of the past and home to some of the most collectible (www.posterpage.ch) and his blog. He knows that he is able
posters of the past century: Poland’s Jakub Stepien, who to capture only a small portion of what is being produced,
designs under the Hakobo moniker. Seeing his sophisticated especially as few enter prominent contests, admitting “the
take on the notion of designing for rock bands, you know the gap Biennale [and other contests and exhibitions] and Graphis are
between his thinking and execution and those of Patent Pending only a small piece of the cake.” International superstars still
or the other leading lights of the American underground seem to find their way toward these collections, but they usually
is very small. arrive a few years past their true innovative periods.
“Thousands of poster artists are out there practicing who have
IT’S PERSONAL no idea what they are doing and are doing everything exactly
What all of the designers showcased here share is a unique take wrong. Yet it works great,” says Chantry. “The natural restrictions
on the medium. “The concoction of my idealistic poster requires of poster art have been ignored, and a whole new sort of design
a dash—sometimes more—of the designer’s idiosyncratic way object has emerged. The result is a lot of bad and ignorant
of looking at things,” says Sommese. “This idiosyncratic posters. But best of all, hundreds of amazing new talents are
approach is shared by all exceptional poster designers and is a emerging as well. “Exposure through the Internet has allowed
commonality among the individuals in this collection.” “completely invisible voices to explode out of the gate, redefining
modern posters.”
“I feel a poster must have a personal style and convey an artistic
message; personal interpretation is very important,” says The reality is that despite waning interest in some quarters, there
Niklaus Troxler. “Moreover, the design of the poster must are more poster designers than ever, as Chantry mentioned.
be true to the medium—that is to say, it is essential that I The poster, more than any other medium, leaves the mark
create a poster. The solution is simplicity: The message has of the designer. I point you in the direction of www.posterpage.ch
priority over form, creativity over aesthetics, and expression and www.gigposters.com and ask that you scour the Internet
over perfect design. If it succeeds, it is because beauty must and annuals and competition and soak in the energy inherent in
follow. If the result appears new and simple, one is left won- the power of the poster. I hope this book inspires some to apply
dering why something so elementary was not realized before. their own talents to what should be considered the most important
It recalls the invention of the wheel and subsequent amaze- historical application of graphic design. “Design history is often
ment that it worked.” documented by the means of posters,” notes Troxler. “On a single
level, the poster clearly lays out both the contents and the
translation of an idea” like no other medium.

I hope you, the reader, will give a little of yourself and design
a poster. I look forward to you joining one of the most exciting
times in design history.

–John Foster

A F T E R W O R D ★ 253

★ DIRECTORY OF DESIGNERS ★

AESTHETIC APPARATUS FONS HICKMANN (M23) SPUR DESIGN (DAVE PLUNKERT)
Minneapolis, MN USA Berlin, Germany Baltimore, MD USA
www.aestheticapparatus.com www.fonshickmann.com www.spurdesign.com

FRANÇOIS CASPAR JEWBOY CORPORATION SLAVIMIR STOJANOVIC (FUTRO)
Paris, France Tel Aviv, Israel Ljubljana, Slovenia
www.francoiscaspar.com www.jewboy.co.il www.futro.si

FANG CHEN ANDREW LEWIS DESIGN STUDIO BOOT
Shantou, China Vancouver Island, BC Canada Hertogenbosch, Netherlands
[email protected] www.alewisdesign.com [email protected]

CYAN LITTLE FRIENDS OF PRINTMAKING YURI SURKOV
Berlin, Germany Madison, WI USA Moscow, Russia
www.cyan.de www.thelittlefriendsofprintmaking.com [email protected]

ODED EZER LUBA LUKOVA SUSSNER DESIGN COMPANY
Givatayim, Israel New York, NY USA Minneapolis, MN USA
www.ezerdesign.com www.lukova.net www.sussner.com

HAKOBO (JAKUB STEPIEN) METHANE STUDIOS THE HEADS OF STATE
Lodz, Poland Atlanta, GA USA Philadelphia, PA USA
www.hakobo.art.pl www.methanetudios.com Seattle, WA USA
www.theheadsofstate.com
HAMMERPRESS MODERN DOG
Kansas City, MO USA Seattle, WA USA THINKMULE
www.hammerpress.com www.moderndog.com Peoria, IL USA
www.thinkmule.com
PEDRAM HARBY PATENT PENDING DESIGN
Tehran, Iran Seattle, WA USA THIRST (RICK VALICENTI)
www.setavand-group.com www.patentpendingindustries.com Chicago, IL USA
www.3st.com
JIANPING HE SANDSTROM DESIGN
Berlin, Germany Portland, OR USA MARTIN WOODTLI
Wuxi, China www.sandstormdesign.com Zürich, Switzerland
[email protected] [email protected]
SERIPOP
HENDERSONBROMSTEADARTCO Montreal, QB Canada
Winston-Salem, NC USA [email protected]
www.hendersonbromsteadart.com

SPOTCO
New York, NY USA
[email protected]

254 ★ N E W M A S T E R S O F P O S T E R D E S I G N

NEXT WAVE

344 DESIGN DAN GRZECA OCTAVIO MARTINO
344design.com Chicago, IL USA Cordoba, CBA Argentina
[email protected] [email protected]
BIRD MACHINE
Chicago, IL USA WYETH HANSEN NOTHING SOMETHING
www.thebirdmachine.com Brooklyn, NY USA Brooklyn, NY USA
www.wyethhansen.com www.nothingsomething.com
BOSS CONSTRUCTION
Nashville, TN USA EIKE KÖNIG QIAN QIAN
[email protected] Frankfurt, Germany Springfield, MO USA
www.hort.org.uk [email protected]
DECODER RING DESIGN CONCERN
Austin, TX USA ZAK KYES THE SMALL STAKES
www.thedecoderring.com London, UK Oakland, CA USA
www.zak.to www.thesmallstakes.com
DIRK FOWLER (F2 DESIGN)
Lubbock, TX USA RON LIBERTI RYAN WALLER
www.f2-design.com Carrboro, NC USA Brooklyn, NY USA
[email protected] www.victoryleague.com
MARYAM ENAYATI
Tehran, Iran LURE DESIGN LOURDES ZOLEZZI
[email protected] Orlando, FL USA Mexico City, Mexico
www.luredesigninc.com www.zolezzistudio.com
FUSZION COLLABORATIVE
Alexandria, VA USA JOE MARIANEK
www.fuszion.com Brooklyn, NY USA
[email protected]

D I R E C T O R Y O F D E S I G N E R S ★ 255

D E D I C AT I O N

This book is dedicated to my father, who survived cancer during its writing—by
having a misdiagnosis and subsequent surgery he may not have needed. That scenario
is perfect for his personality. I will always treasure the talks we had when we both
thought he was dying.

This book is also dedicated to Cornel Windlin, one of the first designers I approached
for inclusion. He was unable to participate this time; I cannot wait to lead off my next
book with his incredible work.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Foster’s posters have been seen in numerous collections
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the amazing people who gave and publications including Communication Arts, HOW, Print,
so much of themselves to this book—the designers. I cannot the Smithsonian’s Museum of Design in Atlanta, and too many
thank you enough. But I will try the next time I see you in person. others to mention. He is also the author of Maximum Page
Prepare for a big Foster bear hug. You can now rest easy and Design (HOW Design Books.)
know you do not have to dread my late-night emails or badgering
phone calls. I hope that I have done your awe-inspiring work FUSZION staff pictured are: Phil Foss, John Foster, Christian Baldo, Rick Heffner,
the justice it deserves. Kristen Argenio, Khoi Tran, and Sue Smith

An enormous thank you to Kristin Ellison at Rockport for believing ABOUT FUSZION
in this project when it seemed like no one would. You have been Based in Alexandria, Virginia, FUSZION Collaborative is a full-
a rock and a great friend throughout. service design studio that specializes in unique, creative solutions
for print and interactive applications. FUSZION’s diverse client
This book couldn’t have been completed without the help base spans from entertainment to advocacy. Visit them at
of everyone here at FUSZION. Special thanks always to the boss, www.fuszion.com
Rick Heffner. Amazingly, my beautiful wife and daughter allowed
me to write another one of these. I kiss them both as often
as I can to penalize them further.

To the numerous people I am unable to list and, most important,
the enormous talents showcased here, a big fat kiss is coming
your way when we see each other next.

—John Foster

256 ★ N E W M A S T E R S O F P O S T E R D E S I G N

© 2006 by Rockport Publishers, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any
form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images
in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior
consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted
by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or
otherwise, arising from the contents of this publication. Every effort
has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with
information supplied.

First published in the United States of America by
Rockport Publishers, a member of
Quayside Publishing Group
33 Commercial Street
Gloucester, Massachusetts 01930-5089
Telephone: (978) 282-9590
Fax: (978) 283-2742
www.rockpub.com

Digital edition: 978-1-61060-180-1

Softcover edition: 978-1-59253-434-0

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Foster, John, 1971–

New masters of poster design : poster design for the next century /

John Foster.

p. cm.

ISBN 1-59253-222-5 (hardback)

1. Posters—21st century—Catalogs. I. Title.

NC1806.9.F67 2006

741.6'74090511—dc22 2005030663

CIP

ISBN 1-59253-222-5

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Design: FUSZION Collaborative

Printed in China