Sometimes a heap of design inspiration just falls right into your lap. This happened to us when we stumbled across Flatstock 35 in Chicago – almost 50 tents showcasing some of the most awesome design works we’ve ever seen: gig posters.
How did we not think to explore this niche sooner?
Well, to make up for lost time we’ve put together a jumbo-sized roundup of the best we saw.
Musicians commission graphic designers to make these posters, typically to be sold at concerts and the designers tend to have almost complete freedom in their approach. The designs range from digital minimalism to ultra-detailed illustration. The amount of creativity is staggering. Enjoy!
Burlesque

Left: Arcade Fire; Right: The National
Casey Burns

Left: Bon Iver; Right: Case Burns
Sean Mort

Left: Fleet Foxes; Right: Friendly Fires
Alex Todaro

Left: Kurt Vile & The Violators; Right: Show ‘N Tell Show
Adam Hanson

Left: The XX; Right: Battles
The Bubble Process (left) & Doublenaut (right)

Left: Vampire Weekend; Right: NXNE
Sonnenzimmer

Left: Kraftwerk; Right: Yeasayer,
The Bird Machine

Left to right: Hum, Stereogum and James Murphy,
Powerhouse

Left: Caribou; Right: Cold Cave
La-La Land

Left: Pulp; Right: The Pixies
Landland

Left: The Cloak Ox; Right: Phish
Mike Budai

Delicious Design League

Left: Santigold; Right: Walk the Moon
Will Ruocco (left) and Shawn Knight (right)

Left: Ray LaMontagne; Right: Danzig Legacy
Vahalla Studios

Left: The Pixies and Cults,
The Bungaloo

Left: Eric Church; Right: The Black Keys