Having worked on a number of contemporary music exhibitions, I became a fan of the music poster. It’s one of the few objects that can contribute to telling a story about the band, the gigs and the music they’re playing.
So, when I came across Jason Munn’s posters for indie-rock bands, I was excited. His work is beautiful. He began by designing and screen-printing his own posters for bands he knew, but since his work has expanded, he now collaborates to get his posters made.
It’s the simplicity and poetic quality to the designs that pulled me in. Like a good fan, I went out and bought his book, The Small Stakes: Music Posters (chronicle books) and I check out his website regularly (jasonmunn.com), because yes, you can purchase his posters and for a very reasonable price!
On the design process, Munn says: “My work has gone through a few phases. A lot of my early poster designs were collage based, combing various found imagery to communicate ideas. I would also occasionally reinterpret or reference ephemeral images, like an old record cover or advertisement that inspired me. Manipulating and changing familiar and found imagery was definitely part of my growth as a designer. My designs in general have gotten simpler over the years, but I think stronger.”
Inspired by the bands and his passion for music and design, Munn creates posters that have an almost timeless quality. Here are a few posters of some of my fave bands/artists:
