[I am trying to catch up on documenting work that I’ve done. Seems like a good thing for a designer to do on his website.]
In the Fall of 2009, my band Ovipositor went on a quick tour up the Pacific coast with our friends Generalissimo. I put together a press release, as well as posters for 3 of the shows.
Considering the number of press releases that show up at papers touting unknown rock bands on their way through town, it’s hard to stand out. This one needed to be unique: a one-sheet with a glossy photo and CDR wouldn’t cut it. It was also important to make something appropriate for Generalissimo’s highly conceptual presentation and our somewhat looser character as a band. I came up with doing an official-looking document bundle. When the string is removed, the 2 cardboard pieces separate to reveal a one sheet bio about both bands, an Ovipositor CD, and a Generalissimo Patch.
The color scheme is a nod to Generalissimo, as is the bold simplicity of the package. The distressed type and massively inconvenient packaging were a nod to Ovipositor. And I’m not kidding about it being massively inconvenient: The string coming through the back of the package is the only thing holding the CD in place, and once the 2 pieces are separated they’re nearly impossible put back together – the string has to be looped around itself in a very specific way. I wanted anyone who opened it to have it intrude into their life in a way that would make them remember it.
I think one can’t help but walk away with an impression of the sensibility of both bands, even if it isn’t obvious.
Because the context in which they’ll be viewed is very different (a dark club as opposed to a mail room), I took a different approach to the posters. The posters I’ve done for Ovipositor play by a different set of rules – esoteric and arbitrary rules I’ll discuss elsewhere. I’m not interested in making them grab you by the collar and shake you, but rather to seep into your consciousness. But for a tour through towns where we are unknown, I wanted to do something bolder. People showing up equals gas money. I’ve always loved the challenges of 2- and 3-color printing, and figured it was a good way to keep myself in check.
The weird Guy-Smiley-looking heads are actually dummies for dental students. They are made from the heads of unclaimed bodies at the morgue which are fitted into the supposedly less-creepy plastic heads. Yes, I agree – ew. But appropriate to the bands and the tour. As bold as the images are, there is a strange undercurrent in them (even if you don’t know the deal with the heads) that I’m very proud of.