Lockdown Posters
March 2020. Who can forget? Obviously everyone had very different experiences but for me I had a LOT of time on my hands as most of my business would be with pubs, bars and restaurants. Luckily I had a decent space to work in (albeit without windows!) and could still leave the house for work.
But what to do? How would I spend my endless hours? I always complained about not having enough time, and in hindsight used my regular work as an excuse not to get down to “doing my own thing". With professionals that work to a brief it can often be difficult to decide on any direction at all let alone wording, style or colour.
It was time to get busy and just experiment. Initially my idea was to make posters for my clients that could be displayed in a window or frame with the message to bring a little hope to the hospitality trade and passers-by alike. Also the idea that there would be an end to this surreal era pushed me to come up with other slogans like "We'll be back" and "The first pint"
The message "SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL PUB" seemed like a logical starting point but over time this transformed into other messages. "Propino tibi salutem" (Drink to your health) seemed especially appropriate.
Using my standard brown practice paper I chose some appropriate colours and tried to restrict my palate. Often a lot of different colours can distract and confuse the reader but I find it also concentrates my own work flow and makes the design tighter. Using some newly acquired Nicker gouache from Japan completed the super flat effect.
Needless to say I indulged my chalk boarding brain and half the exercise was to get used to the brush more and discipline the hand (something that is less important when using paint pens). Looking back nearly two years later and having a clear-out after moving to a new studio (I now have windows!) the results are pretty pleasing, I hope you agree.