There are some very good poster designers around here who do very exciting work. The problem with posting the work is that it immediately gets torn down by 1) a cop or 2) a music lover.
For instance, I did a cool, 18 x 25, two color, silkscreened poster for Be Your Own Pet when they played the Black Cat months ago. We made a ton of posters and gave them out around town to stores to hang. On average, we gave out around ten per store. Ten days later we go back and all the posters are gone. The store owner hung them up, turned around to get a coffee, and the poster was gone. They lasted less than five days.
Granted, it is a compliment to the poster but in the end, not the best way to promote the show. I find doing a cool poster and spreading it around on the web a better way to promote the show. More people will look at this post then in a record store. Anyone can grab the above artwork and post it on their site, on another board (do they exist?), use it as an ad, etc... I have seen the work pop up on some weird sites too. And then when you go to the club the posters are plastered all over and you have a chance to get one for yourself that is not covered in packaging tape and spit at a lower cost since I do not have to charge more to cover expenses. The club gets good exposure, the bands are stoked to have something as a keepsake and free promotion, I get to exercise my design skills (or lack thereof as some have said), and the audience gets to have a piece of art about their favorite band for a decent price that is from their hometown.
In the end, I know all the poster people around here would LOVE to do more but, speaking for myself here, make almost no money off this so it is hard to devote as much time. I think at the end of this year, I may have broken even... maybe. And that does not even include the 20+ hours of just designing the poster.
I am glad people like them though. Hope to see some of you at the show. New poster coming soon.
