Show: Cousin Harley with the Vicious Cycles, Feb. 4, 8 p.m. at the WISE Hall
Poster designer: Ian Hendrickson-Smith
A New York-based graphic designer, in-demand saxophonist and member of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings from 2004 to 2010, Ian Hendrickson-Smith explained his sophisticated rationale behind his retro-inspired gig poster for retro-inspired local act Cousin Harley.
Courier: What was your inspiration for the poster?
Hendrickson-Smith: Drummer Jesse Cahill asked me for something in the "film noir" or "cartoony country" vibe and then gave me several pictures of the singer/guitar player to work with. Since I can't draw cartoony, country was out of the question so I went with a film noir style typeface for the approach on top of the picture image.
Courier: What's the secret to giving the poster that vintage look?
Hendrickson-Smith: I design in Illustrator and then at the very end I take the image into Photoshop and use two filters from the Mister Retro "machine washer" tool. It's a separate plug-in and not all that expensive. I use one filter to give a washed out, semi distressed look and then another on top of that for the creased effect. I rarely use the creased look, but it just seemed appropriate for this poster. I also make a separate layer in Photoshop to apply the vignette at the very very end.
Courier: What's your connection to Vancouver?
Hendrickson-Smith: I'm good friends with the owner of the Cellar Jazz Club, Cory Weeds, and have been playing at his club for the last eight years or so. Through that, I've made many, many good friends in Vancouver. I love your town. Really beautiful people. Long live the Sandbar and that bad-ass pianist who plays there, Kelly. He's the bomb. People back home in New York are sick of me talking about what an amazing city you have.
Courier: Is your graphic design work informed by your work as a saxophonist?
Hendrickson-Smith: Maybe so... I've never thought about that. I definitely have a huge appreciation for the style and artwork of the 40s and 50s. People's clothes, the TV spots, posters, record covers... I spend a lot of time studying what makes those images have that feel and that certainly influences my eye. My playing mirrors that same concept, I'd say. In another breath, I learned a lot from Gabe Roth through my years with the Dap-Kings in watching how specific and intentional his approach to artwork is. Making sure that the images "say" what you mean.
To hear and see more of Hendrickson-Smiths work, go to ianhendricksonsmith.com.
Do you want your gig poster considered for poster of the week? Email a high res version to [email protected].
