posters and promotion

[philaarts.com]

of course everyone has different tastes, but for the mostpart all posters here are to promote a show...

so from that perspective, do u dudes feel that the majority of posters out there promote the show, ie the person walking down the street knows who the show is for, when it is etc.. or do you find many of the posters to be great, but little to help the regular joe take notice of an actual concert. do the posters make a person who didnt buy a ticket want to go get a ticket, as thats what promo is ... influencing people to go to the shows.. any posters on this site you think are a gem example of this, capturing the band and also promoting ticket sales..

its alot of stuff i just dumped, but curious

its something i have to deal with daily, as any poster i get done has to promote a show, not just art...

im sure theres a balance, and im not complaining, as you all know i love almost any poster, i love art with a passion!

what do you think. thats all..

[KJ]

Well, how bouts this poster:

http://www.gigposters.com/posters.php?poster=1159

It looks good from a distance, it was probably cheap to produce, just xeroxed, the diagonal lines imply excitement yadda yadda, then you look close and you see clearly the location, probably didn't take long to design, people who are illiterate will still figure out that Wesley Willis will be in town at the place with the black cat on the door. Umm.. what was the question?

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Kendra on 2001-11-16 15:30 ]</font>

[nerfball6]

This is an interesting question. I notice a lot of people (most likely artists I'm guessing) will say how great a poster is for it's design. And I look at and think it would be really great in a design annual but NOT as a CONCERT poster? An example of this is the Meat Puppets poster by Aesthetic Apparatus. In my opinion, it fails as a concert poster but is a great design. I think the best posters are those that not only immediately capture the viewers attention with a great image, but also give the pertinent details without having to search for them.

[philaarts.com]

i do dig that poster..

the point was that artists want to make art, but at the same time, the real reason posters are made (at least in the old days, was to promote the gigs)..


so you have that tough balance of making a cool art statement, but will it help sell tix to the show...

its just an interesting thing i think about when im not hittin on my wife

[Anonymous]

I dont think the poster artist has an obligation to try and sell more tickets to a venue by compromising his poster art. Thats what makes poster art so great. Most people that are into the band are going to go or not, because they like the band or because they dont have the cash that week or whatever. Bigger bands dont need the help and the smaller ones might not have the pull to convince the artist to do a more commercial poster. Poster art should reflect the bands individualality and the fact that they are probably not selling millions of copys. Besides, as long as you can read all of the info on the flyer thats all you really need.

[MaximumFluoride]

I disagree. If you are doing a poster for a show you ARE obligated to help sell more tickets. Thats the whole point of a concert poster. It's an advertisment for the band or venue. You are being hired (more or less) because your artwork and design skills will make the public think the band or club are "cool" and will want to come and pay money for the gig. Thats the point of all artwork done for bands.

[philaarts.com]

that was my point maxfluouride

its ok to do whatever you want if you are an artist, but looking at the standpoint of promotion, isnt there an obligation to promote.. thats what i deal with, and its important.. heck if it wasnt for live concerts, no posters would be made at all.. concert posters evolved out of need.. heck we all know some bands dont need posters, like aerosmith, tool, weezer, phish, pearl jam, they sell out... but essentially most posters are allowed by promoters to help sell the show...

so artists ive talked to get stuck into the thinking of wanting to do a poster, but at the same time have to appeal to others to sell tix, or on the other side, wont do a poster at all because the band they do a poster for wont sell retail.. its a fine line u know? many shows i do dont get a poster done because for the artist, its not worth their time (and i agree).. why do a poster if they cant sell it... but if you do opt to do a poster, shouldnt it help sell tix and fit the bands demographics??

i dont have the solution, but its an interesting discussion, and a point i have to deal with depending on the venue i work with and get posters done... the clubs out here want posters to promote, and sell tix... not to find the info like looking for waldo in a puzzle..

[buddylee]

Exactly phil - when i design and screenprint a poster for my band, i ALWAYS make sure i can read the band name, the venue, and the date from at least 25 feet away. isn't this the point of a poster? to promote the show? i know if someone else made a poster for a show we're playing and i COULDN'T read our name from across the street, i'd be pissed. guess that's why i make ours myself - so it'll get done right! don't want to hurt the feelings of any of you Fancy Dan poster designers out there though - i still appreciate your work, it just don't cut it for the group i'm in. now if i could just figure out a way to make my posters literally YELL AT YOU WHILE YOU'RE WALKING PAST....